Creative Distilling in New Orleans

By now, everyone has heard about the combination of Gin and Juice. But how about Gin and Watermelon Juice? Like all great ideas, it seems stunningly obvious when you first hear it. The immediate reaction: Why didn’t I think of that?

The Summertime Monkey includes Euphrosine Gin #9, simple syrup, St. Germain, and fresh house-made watermelon juice. Served in a rocks glass with a cucumber slice garnish, it’s a refreshing summer drink that’s most welcome during these hottest days of the year.

Summertime Monkey at Copper Monkey Grill

The man behind this seasonally appropriate creation is Paul Bechtel, bartender at Copper Monkey Grill, 725 Conti St. in the French Quarter. Paul’s approach is one of refinement through simplicity. “People try to overdo everything. Keep it simple and make it good. Euphrosine Gin doesn’t need a whole lot added; it’s got such a good flavor on its own.” We couldn’t agree more!

Paul Bechtel with the Summertime Monkey

Ready to participate in Euphrosine Season? Send us your review of the Summertime Monkey and you’re halfway to claiming your Euphrosine Season Founding Member T-Shirt! See our Euphrosine Season page for additional details.

Check out more Euphrosine Season drinks from Brennan’s, Bayona, and more, on our Euphrosine Season page. Coming next: a look at our Euphrosine Season T-shirts!

Recently launched restaurant concept Mizado Cocina is located on the edge of Mid-City, near the border between New Orleans and Metairie. Their culinary base begins with Mexican cuisine, but brings influence and ingredients from other sources far and near. Bartender Billy Perkins joyfully embraces this idea of fusion with creative and flavorful cocktail mixing.

Baya Collins at Mizado Cocina

The Baya Collins begins with the idea of the classic Tom Collins, but playfully expands the flavor palette. Baya is the Spanish word for “berry” and Baya Collins lives up to this name with a core flavor of delicious raspberries. The mixing begins with muddled raspberries; then Euphrosine Gin #9 and agave nectar are added. This mixture is shaken slowly with ice to blend the flavors. Then prickly pear puree is added, along with a squirt of soda water. A few more raspberries are added on top for the finish.

Billy Perkins with the Baya Collins

Bartender Billy Perkins is enthusiastic about Euphrosine Gin #9. In addition to the Baya Collins, he created another drink featuring Euphrosine Gin #9 called Original Fusion. We’ll be featuring Original Fusion in an upcoming Euphrosine Season story.

Ready to participate in Euphrosine Season? Send us your review of the Baya Collins and you’re halfway to claiming your Euphrosine Season Founding Member T-Shirt! See our Euphrosine Season page for additional details.

Coming next: Summertime Monkey from Copper Monkey Grill.

A trio of visitors this weekend had a story that was so delicious we had to share it.

A post-Katrina move to Mid-City resulted in an off-hand remark from a relative. “Oh, I know where that is, it’s near Euphrosine Street!” The street name struck a chord, and over time, it became somewhat of a catchphrase.

Did you make the groceries today? No? What the Euphrosine!

As a euphemism, it worked so well that it was used in many different forms and variations. So imagine the excitement that ensued when Debbie spotted a bottle bearing this favorite word at her workplace. We’ve got to check this out, they said; and indeed they did, coming around to the Liquor Studio at the intersection of Euphrosine and Broad Street.

We enjoyed a great visit with Debbie, JoAnn, and Laura and look forward to seeing them again. What the Euphrosine!

At Ralph’s on the Park, steps from City Park, the bar offers splendid views that deserve a sophisticated and delicious drink to accompany them. Bartender Tito Thomas rises to the occasion with the Mid-City Prankster, a Negroni variation.

The Prankster includes Euphrosine Gin #9, Casoni 1814, Pineau de Charentes dessert wine, and a generously sized orange wedge. The drink has an appealing orange color that goes perfectly with the garnish.

The Mid-City Prankster reposes on the piano at Ralph’s on the Park

You might be wondering about the name of this drink. Rest assured that it has a solid basis in fact. While your correspondent was photographing the drink and gathering the essential details on it, Tania Hahn, a “Ralph’s regular” took an interest in the proceedings and jumped into the shot.

Placing herself before a piano in the corner, she attempted to to prank your correspondent with the fiction that she was playing the piano, when in fact it’s a player piano. A quick glance over the keyboard revealed the truth and an uproarious time was had by all.

Tania Hahn, the namesake of the Mid-City Prankster, poses in front of the drink at Ralph’s on the Park

Ready to participate in Euphrosine Season? Send us your review of the Mid-City Prankster and you’re halfway to claiming your Euphrosine Season Founding Member T-Shirt! See our Euphrosine Season page for additional details.

Coming next: Baya Collins from Mizada Cocina.

Sometimes you want to escape the hustle and bustle of pompous circumstances and complex cocktails and simply kick back with a satisfying drink. The Euphrosine Gin Rickey is the drink that fits these desires and the place to find it is on the far end of Bienville Avenue, near City Park, at Mick’s Irish Pub.

Made with Euphrosine Gin #9, lime juice, soda water, and a lime slice garnish, the Euphrosine Gin Rickey is a satisfying thirst-quencher for these days when the thermometer flirts with triple digits.

“If you’ve been sweating all day, cleaning your house, or working outside, it’s perfect for hot New Orleans summers. Especially if you’re a gin drinker.” So opines the man behind the drink, bartender Mike Sobol.

Euphrosine Gin Rickey at Mick’s Irish Pub

Ready to participate in Euphrosine Season? Send us your review of Mick’s Euphrosine Gin Rickey and you’re halfway to claiming your Euphrosine Season Founding Member T-Shirt! See our Euphrosine Season page for additional details.

Bartender Mike Sobol at Mick’s Irish Pub with the Euphrosine Gin Rickey

Coming next: Mid-City Prankster from Ralph’s on the Park.

At Tommy’s Wine Bar, the sumptuous decor and long sleek bar inspire a certain sophistication, when imagining what to drink there. The complex flavor profile of Euphrosine Gin #9 inspired bartender Dale Comardelle to rise to the challenge with a refined cross between a French 75 and a Campari Spritzer.

The Euphrosine Spritzer includes Euphrosine Gin #9, Campari, lemon juice, and simple syrup. It’s served in a champagne flute, topped off with prosecco, and garnished with an elegant curlicue of lemon peel.

The Euphrosine Spritzer

How does it taste, we ask Dale? “Not too sweet, not too tart – must be just right!”

Ready to participate in Euphrosine Season? Send us your review of the Euphrosine Spritzer and you’re halfway to claiming your Euphrosine Season Founding Member T-Shirt! See our Euphrosine Season page for additional details.

Bartender Dale Comardelle with the Euphrosine Spritzer

Coming next: Gin Rickey from Mick’s Irish Pub

At any restaurant that attains legendary status, it’s typical that the poise and sophistication you experience is the result of many skilled hands working together. This is also the story of Brennan’s superlative Local’s Gin & Tonic, which came together through a sequence of Brennan’s mixologists and spirits enthusiasts who originated the cocktail and mix it to perfection to the present day.

Keeping the flame alive is Brennan’s mixologist Sarah Arceneaux, who combines Euphrosine Gin #9, Fever Tree tonic, an edible orchid flower, juniper berries, and an optional bay leaf; all mixed on the rocks and presented in a stemmed wine glass. The bay leaf is a flavorful reference to the savory note of bay leaf found in Euphrosine Gin #9.

The Local’s Gin & Tonic is a great summer time pre-dinner cocktail and recommended as a palate-cleanser; a way to “cleanse the day” after a hot summer’s day. It’s a great preparation for an amazing dining experience to follow. Fine local spirits like Euphrosine are a great fit for Brennan’s focus on high quality and local excellence.

The Local’s Gin & Tonic

Why a flower? “Everyone smiles when they get a flower.”

Ready to participate in Euphrosine Season? Send us your review of The Local’s Gin & Tonic and you’re halfway to claiming your Euphrosine Season Founding Member T-Shirt! See our Euphrosine Season page for additional details.

Sarah Arceneaux with The Local’s Gin & Tonic, in the courtyard at Brennan’s

Coming next: Euphrosine Spritzer from Tommy’s Wine Bar.

Our Euphrosine Season cocktail introductions will continue tomorrow. For the moment, we’d like to welcome seven new accounts across the state that have chosen to serve and sell our locally crafted spirits.

The Bulldog (Baton Rouge)
Hokus Pokus Liquors (Lake Charles)
Houmas House (Darrow, LA)
Lake Street Liquor Store (Lake Charles)
Mizado Cocina (New Orleans)
Tony’s Beverages (Shreveport)
Whole Foods Market (Baton Rouge)

See the full list of locations for purchasing and enjoying Atelier Vie spirits.

Photo credit: JR Thomason