Originally I wanted to do a face-off against New Orleans drinks and Indianapolis drinks. While NOLA's native cocktails were plentiful, Indianapolis isn't a cocktail town. I'll assume that they love beer and leave it at that.

So we'll just do a bunch of classic New Orleans cocktails this week. There are plenty of those and all should be considered "must-drink" drinks. We'll start with the Vieux Carre (#96) and the Absinthe Drip (#1). The first is named after the French Quarter and the second I associate with New Orleans because of the Old Absinthe House, but this drink was consumed all over, fueling many artists and lunatics.

Vieux Carre

I'd never heard of a Vieux Carre (I used a recipe out of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails) but it sounded awesome, with flavors of Italian vermouth, two types of bitters and bit of Benedictine along with a base of Cognac and rye; complex and spicy. Even though this is all booze, Dr. Cocktail had me shaking it (the above recipe is a mix-in-the-glass affair). Maybe the syrupy Benedictine needs the extra agitation. He also garnishes with a lemon twist, which I recommend because it gave a nice brightness to the drink.

The rye and Cognac were even better that I expected, with the Cognac easing into the rye's spiciness nicely. I usually want to taste every molecule of the bitters in the drink, but they weren't in the forefront this time; they were supporting the other items. I think it was Dale DeGroff who said that "bitters" is a bit of a misnomer. We should think of them more as a cocktail seasoning that augments, not overpowers. No other drink has really driven this observation home to me as this one.

You totally should have Vieux Carre fixings available for your refined friends that you invited to your Super Bowl parties. Though good luck finding decent rye in town. I tried to purchase a bottle of Sazerac Rye, but couldn't find a drop at any Spec's. Mardi Gras must be tapping the supply. I settled for a good enough bottle of Old Overholt.

Now on to the Absinthe Drip. Let's begin by saying that I don't like Absinthe as the main event. I have a bottle of Absente that I purchased years ago and is only just getting a work out since starting The List. Rather than getting a dedicated spoon for the occasion I followed this recipe, which only requires a tea strainer.

Making the Absinthe Drip

Whoops! I think I poured the water too fast. My sugar cube was unfazed and my drink wasn't as chilled I would have liked. I'll just threw the cube into the glass and went on with life.

As I sip this heavy licorice and somewhat astringent drink, I'll tell you of my intense dislike of New Orleans. I've never had a high opinion of the city, mostly based on sort-of-gross stories that one hears in college. A city that seemed to revel in so much excess for excess' sake was a turn-off. Regardless, on a recent road trip, my girlfriend and I decided to spend a day there. Our goal was to visit the Cocktail Museum (which I'll talk about next post), but we also walked around the city.

My dislike turned to pity, not from Katrina damage, but from tourism damage. New Orleans is gross the same way that Galveston is gross. It was sad because I could see the skeleton of one of America's oldest and important cities covered in crappy schlock. It's one endless t-shirt and candy shop, sprinkled with places to get giant boozy syrup buckets. My monocle popped out when I saw some woman cradling a two-foot high Bud bottle as she walked down the street sipping from a straw. Who drinks beer from a straw?

We crossed Bourbon Street and, like Lot's wife, I didn't dare look down it for fear of being turned into a pillar-sized margarita. I'm sure it was middle Americans drinking their weight in crap at a Durty Mollies or someshit.

Oh, and I don't like their brand of jazz either. But I don't fault them for that.

I realize that I am oversimplifying our neighbors to the east, but that is what happens when you have to drink all of an Absinthe Drip. It makes you mean and bitter. I just can't imagine sitting down to an afternoon of this stuff. No wonder people went crazy and they had to outlaw it. Absinthe is a fine ingredient but it is just too much for center stage. In fact, I'm a bit queasy from the licorice haze that the drink has left me with.

Back to New Orleans: to be fair, we did have some good food at Herbsaint and Napoleon House, which had Pimm's Cups on the menu along with a great muffaletta. I'd like to visit the city again with a more targeted plan focusing mainly on sampling traditional food and cocktails in their natural habitat. I was very disappointed that I didn't get to enjoy a Sazerac at the Roosevelt Hotel's bar.

Also note: Absinthe makes a great cat repellent. Our kitten, Juniper, is making faces at it.

Next: A cocktail that should be one of your favorites to make, (#80) the Sazerac and and the venerable (#75) Ramos Gin Fizz.