Outside of New Orleans, you’ll be hard-pressed to catch a bartender willing to make you this Mardi Gras classic. My best guess is the inclusion of the egg white in the ingredients probably make it a bit too much extra work to get done, along with the orange flower water which isn’t really standard fare for most bars.

In the French Quarter, though, this is one of the most legendary mixes. Invented by Henry C. Ramos back in 1888, the sweet drinks’ trademark is currently owned by the Fairmount Hotel in New Orleans. Despite that, you can get it pretty much at any bar in town under an alternate monicker such as the New Orleans Fizz or The Long Fizz.
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Former residents of the French Quarter probably miss Mardi Gras more than anything else about the city. With the majestic celebrations that side of the world during the festival, who wouldn’t?

If you can’t make it to New Orleans for Fat Tuesday, you can celebrate its memories with cocktails that bring to mind its spirit. With thousands of places to enjoy a good cocktail in the city during the height of the annual festivities, there surely must have been a couple of drinks that completely snagged your fancy. Plop down on the couch, turn on the TV to whatever Mardi Gras programming is being shown and mix up a few of these French Quarter favorites.
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The very mention of New Orleans brings two images to mind: Mardi Gras and devastating hurricanes. As many as two million people come to New Orleans annually for the Mardi Gras celebrations, consuming tons of alcohol concoctions among its more than 3000 bars. These classic New Orleans cocktails both personify the spirit of the celebration and serve as testament to the sense of humor locals regard the annual onslaught of potentially disastrous hurricanes along their streets.

N’Awlins Hurricane

Designed to be consumed with a straw, this cocktail drinks like a hurricane in a path of destruction, starting out calmly and building up to an enraged storm before settling in for a dizzying finish. Excessively sweet, this is especially sticky when you spill it, so try not to get any on the carpet if you’re making one at home.
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Apart from being the first president of the United States, George Washington was also known as one of the most successful whiskey producers in the nation’s history. Getting into the business of making his own brand of rye whiskey in the years after his presidency, Washington held operations at a distillery in Mount Vernon. Of course, that old whiskey is nothing like the aged products distillers do today, with some experts comparing it to moonshine or homemade whiskey. Still, it was considered a high-quality product in its day.

With Washington’s birthday coming up on February 22, there are a few cocktails you may want to mix up in that have been creation in honor of the Founding Father. I’ve seen several of these mixes and, thus far, this dry vermouth-based number seemed the most authentic.
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I admit, these won’t make someone fall madly in love with you. What they’ll do, though, is make your Valentine’s Day celebration a bit more exciting and give it a little more edge than usual. An intimate dinner with these concoctions in tow should bring the romance up a couple of notches. Paired with some well-arranged flowers, a small token of your adoration and plenty of sweet mumblings, it just might leave your lover weak at the knees and falling helplessly into your arms.

Red Martini

A casual drink without much fluff, this is incredibly easy to make and works as potent as any cocktail you can concoct for the special day of love. With little to get in the way, this drink delivers like a lover unable to contain his bustling emotion.
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