Lucie Monk
Holiday libations from Natchez to New Orleans
It’s been eighty years since prohibition was repealed, ensuring us the luxury of indulging in a cocktail or two any time we like. During the holidays, many of us go in search of more festive, less commonplace concoctions. So we set out to find the most requested holiday mixes in the region. Read on to take our cocktail tour from Natchez to New Orleans.
[Editor’s note: Special thanks to Brant Palazzo, executive chef at Zolia in Baton Rouge, for making the some of the beautiful cocktails pictured here.]
Libations at the Linden, Natchez
The Linden Bed and Breakfast offers a simple sense of home-coming to locals and out-of-town guests alike. The antebellum home is set on seven peaceful acres of land, yet it is less than three minutes away from downtown Natchez and the Mississippi River.
The Linden home has been in the same family since 1839; and guests from all over the country herald Linden’s welcoming atmosphere, which places more emphasis on comfort than elaborate grandeur. Linden prides itself on being a place where guests and friends can while away an afternoon on the sunny porch or linger in the cozy parlor on cold winter mornings. While there, chat with owner Jeanette Feltus. Jeanette and her daughters are the fifth and sixth generations, respectively, of the Conner family to call Linden home. Be sure to pose for photos in the front doorway, the model for the front door of Gone with the Wind’s fictional Tara Plantation.
During the Natchez Bed and Breakfast Association’s Christmas in Natchez series of events, guests and locals can meet for “Libations at Linden,” held Saturday, December 21 and Sunday, December 22. Those who purchase tickets for the Libations event can enjoy the beautiful Christmas decorations, take tours of the home, and just sit back and relax into a cupful of Natchez’ traditional Holiday Milk Punch; non-alcoholic punch is also served.
The first milk punch recipes date back to the mid-to-late 1600s and are said to originate from Aphra Behn, an English writer and spy. Even though the drink’s origins hail from “across the pond,” the milk punch’s appeal as a traditional holiday cocktail stretches across the region.
Most often made with brandy or bourbon, fresh milk or cream, vanilla, and a topping of nutmeg, milk punch is essentially eggnog without the egg. Another centuries-old holiday drink is a hot version of milk punch called a Tom & Jerry, commonly found further North.
Linden’s Holiday Milk Punch
Recipe courtesy of Jeanette Feltus and Steve Davis of the Linden Bed and Breakfast.
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup brandy
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 gallon (or 8 cups) whole milk
Method:
Dissolve the sugar in the rum, brandy, and vanilla extract in a large pitcher. Add milk and freeze until very cold or even slushy (about four to eight hours). Pour milk mixture into glasses and grate nutmeg over each serving.
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Crown Town at Doe’s Eat Place, Baton Rouge
George Krause, executive chef at Doe’s Eat Place on Government Street, believes in drinking for the season and has a list of must-haves for the holidays, including the characteristic hot toddies and cold punches.
“Holiday cocktails are a personal thing. We enjoy them for their flavors or simply because they remind us of good times,” said Krause.
Many holiday foods are redolent with the rich flavors of warming spices. Cocktails are no exception. Traditional hot toddies and punches are some of Krause’s most requested concoctions. Even though he has a rich repertoire of classic and original cocktails, Krause appreciates the centuries-old mixes that gather guests around a punch bowl. That’s why Doe’s mixes in a few single batch holiday punches served in the lounge between private Christmas parties each year.
“Traditional holiday punches are best made in batches and shared with friends,” said Krause. He and the owners of Doe’s share the word about what punches or drinks they’re making each week on social media like Facebook and Twitter, so that those who’d like to drop in for some holiday cheer and a little warming up may do so.
The history of the hot toddy dates back to the mid-eighteenth century, and a few countries lay claim to its origin. Once believed to relieve cold and flu symptoms, the traditional Scottish preparation of a hot toddy involves whisky, boiling hot water, and sugar or honey.
Hot Toddy
Recipe courtesy of George Krause of Doe's Eat Place
Ingredients:
1 oz. Duram sugar or local honey
2 oz. hot black tea
1.5 oz. Scotch
lemon wheel
fresh nutmeg
Method:
Dissolve sugar or honey into hot tea. Add Scotch. Lay lemon wheel on top of beverage and sprinkle with nutmeg. Drink while hot.
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Carriage House at the Myrtles, St. Francisville
The Carriage House Restaurant stands behind a curtain of Spanish moss that hang from the trees at the Myrtles plantation in St. Francisville. While sitting amongst the mystery and intrigue that cloaks this historic home, which is touted as “One of Americas Most Haunted Homes,” guests can enjoy old-fashioned, plantation-style dishes.
The Carriage House patio offers beautiful views of the Myrtles and its well-kept grounds. The atmosphere at the restaurant is elegant, but offers a come-as-you-are approach, perfect for taking long sips on a sweet drink.
The Carriage House offers a warm and friendly bar with a selection of beer and cocktails as well as an extensive and affordable wine list in a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. Here, the most popular drink during the Christmas holidays—especially with the ladies—is the Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini.
This martini is a grown-up, liquid version of the candies that come in that familiar red box. The cherry cordial, whose name is derived from the cordial liqueur with which it was originally made, has been around since the late 1800s. It makes perfect sense to pair this favorite holiday flavor with a classic cocktail—the martini. A quintessential holiday candy fashioned into a fitting holiday cocktail.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Martini
Recipe courtesy of Tip and Beth Pace of the Carriage House Restaurant at the Myrtles. Measurements are estimated.
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. vanilla vodka
1 oz. Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
splash of grenadine
1 cup ice
Method:
Add all the ingredients into a shaker. Shake till the shaker is frosted on the outside, thoroughly chilling the liqueur. Drizzle the chilled martini glass with rich chocolate syrup, then pour the mixture into the glass. Serve with cherries as garnish. This drink initially presents layers of color, then blends together.
The Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans
Cocktail historian Elizabeth Pearce can tell you the history of New Orleans based on the ingredients of a sazerac. That’s why locals and out-of-towners often take Elizabeth’s Drink and Learn tour, visiting New Orleans’ historic landmarks while sipping on the city’s most iconic mixes. “Where you start your night, is rarely where you’ll end it,” Pearce said of the French Quarter, “Let the Quarter guide you."
Pearce recommends adhering to the New Orleans tradition of strolling through the Waldorf Wonderland in the lobby of the Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel. The Roosevelt continues the hotel’s 1930s tradition of offering a spectacular display of holiday decorations, which are as luxurious and memorable as the historic property itself.
While you’re at the Roosevelt, step into the Sazerac Bar and order the cocktail for which the bar is named. The bar also offers a seasonal menu of classics and new favorites. Pearce advised, “If you’ve been to the Sazerac before, now is the time to branch out and sample their holiday specials.”
When asked what a cocktail historian serves her own guests during the holidays, Pearce had many recipes to offer. Her arsenal of libations ranges from simple, like a sweet and spicy holiday punch, to the spectacular, like a stove-top concoction lit on fire.
Frozen Whiskey Sour Punch
Recipe courtesy of cocktail historian Elizabeth Pearce.
Ingredients:
9 cups water
1 family-size tea bag or mulling spices
1 cup sugar
2 cups bourbon (not Canadian)
12-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate
12-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
Method:
Boil water then add tea bag or mulling spices. Steep for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar while warm until it dissolves. Once the tea is cooled, stir in the bourbon and orange juice and lemonade concentrates. Freeze overnight. Mixture should be slushy. Serve garnished with a star anise or cinnamon stick.
