Vieux Carre

Classic Cocktails

• Absinthe Frappé

  Invented in: 1874; Where it was invented: Aleix Coffee House, later called The Absinthe Room and now known as Old Absinthe House. Who invented it: Cayetano Ferrer, head bartender of Aleix Coffee House and later proprietor of the establishment, which he renamed. What is it? Absinthe, rich simple syrup, chilled soda water.

• Brandy Crusta

  Invented in: 1850. Where it was invented: Jewel of the South, the bar at the New Orleans City Exchange, Gravier Street, New Orleans. Who invented it: Joseph Santini. What is it: Cognac, Grand Marnier, maraschino, simple syrup, lemon juice, Angostura. Perhaps the first sour, and the precursor to the Sidecar.

• Bywater

  Invented in: 2007. Where it was invented: Arnaud's French 75, New Orleans. Who invented it: French 75 bartender Chris Hannah created the drink in honor of his favorite New Orleans neighborhood, Bywater. And like the Vieux Carré is to the Manhattan, the Bywater is to the Brooklyn. What is it: Aged rum, Green Chartreuse, Averna Amaro, velvet falernum. A variation on the obscure Brooklyn cocktail.

• Daiquiri

  Invented in: 1902. Where it was invented: (purportedly) In the home of Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer living in Cuba. The drink is named for the beach nearest the iron mine at which he worked. Who invented it: (purportedly) Jennings Cox What is it: Rum, lime juice, and sugar.

• French 75

  Invented in: 1915. Where it was invented: Harry's New York Bar in Paris Who invented it: Harry MacElhone, although MacElhone's version used gin rather than the brandy variation that is so popular in New Orleans What is it: brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, and sparkling wine.

• Hurricane

  Invented in: 1940s. Where it was invented: Pat O'Brien's Bar, St. Peter St., French Quarter, New Orleans. Who invented it: Benson "Pat" O'Brien and Charlie Cantrell. According to the story, post prohibition there was a glut of rum and Pat and Charlie's liquor distributor would only sell them other booze if they agreed to take 50 cases of rum they didn't want. So, they concocted a mixture using a large amount of rum, passion fruit syrup and lemon juice, and it took off. What is it: Dark rum, passion fruit syrup, fresh lemon juice or lime juice, garnished with orange slice and a cherry.

• La Louisiane (also known as Cocktail à la Louisiane)

  Invented in: early 1900s. Where it was invented: Restaurant de la Louisiane, New Orleans. Who invented it: Obscure; Stanley Clisby Arthur lists it in his 1937 book. What is it: Rye, Bénédictine, sweet vermouth, Herbsaint or absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters. A cousin to both the Sazerac and the Vieux Carré with elements of each.

• Ramos Gin Fizz

  Invented in: 1888. Where it was invented: Imperial Cabinet Saloon, Gravier St., New Orleans. Who invented it: Henry C. Ramos, who popularized the drink at his own bar on Gravier, The Stag, from 1907 on. What is it: Gin, heavy cream, lemon juice, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, orange flower water. The Ramos Gin Fizz is Henry C. Ramos' gussied up version of a Silver Fizz (gin, lemon, sugar, egg white, soda water). It is a silky, rich, beautiful, elegant drink.

• Roffignac

  Invented in: 1890s. Where it was invented: Signature cocktail at the former Maylie's restaurant, New Orleans. Who invented it: Obscure, but named for Count Louis Philippe Joseph de Roffignac, who was mayor in the 1820s. What is it? Raspberry shrub, cognac, simple syrup, soda water. It's like a brandy highball with raspberry shrub. Stanley Clisby Arthur's classic tome Famous New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix 'em gave a recipe with whiskey and an odd ingredient called "red Hembarig." Nobody could figure out the ingredient until food writer Robert F. Moss realized that it was a conflation of the German words for "raspberry" and "vinegar" — himbeeressig, aka raspberry shrub. *The Roffignac gained popularity around this time but exact year of creation is unknown.

• Sazerac

  Invented in: Late 1830s. Where it was invented: According to legend, the Sazerac was born at Antoine Amédée Peychaud's pharmacy on Royal Street. It was then popularized at Sazerac Coffee House, a saloon on Exchange Place in the French Quarter. The drink and eventually its primary source were named for the brand of Cognac that favored the drink, Sazerac de Forge et Fils. The primary ingredient was switched to rye whiskey in 1870 due to imbibers' changing tastes and an absinthe dash/rinse was added. Who invented it: Apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud, who did indeed concoct Peychaud's bitters, served friends a brandy cocktail spiked with his bitters. What is it: Absinthe (or Herbsaint), rich simple syrup (sugar to water ratio, two to one), Peychaud's Bitters, rye whiskey. It is New Orleans' own cocktail in the truest historic definition. It actually bears more resemblance to what Jerry Thomas (considered the father of American mixology) referred to as an "improved" cocktail (an old term from the beginning on the cocktail, basically referring to an Old Fashioned with something added to it) with absinthe, but the Peychaud's bitters makes it New Orleans' own.

• Vieux Carré

  Invented in: mid-1930s. Where it was invented: Hotel Monteleone, French Quarter, New Orleans. Who invented it: Monteleone head bartender Walter Bergeron. What is it: Rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, Angostura bitters, Peychaud's bitters. Pronounced "VOO ka-RAY, " it translates from French to "Old Square" and is an old name for New Orleans' French Quarter. Mr. Bergeron was the head bartender of the hotel's cocktail lounge, pre-dating the current Carousel Bar, which opened in 1949.