Bar Crawl: New Orleans' French Quarter
Sazeracs, daiquiris, and hurricanes await you on a trip to the Crescent City.
Welcome to the weekend! We have a special newsletter this week to mark a special occasion: The American Weekender newsletter is turning one! Every Friday since last July, we’ve brought you stories, interviews, and recommendations from some of our favorite places around the country. We want to thank our readers, subscribers, and the members of our American Weekender Explorers Club for all your support in our first year. We hope you’ve enjoyed traveling with us over the past 12 months and we’re excited about what’s to come in year two. We decided to celebrate today’s milestone the best way we knew how: A New Orleans bar crawl.
Here’s what you’ll find in this week’s newsletter:
Bar Crawl: New Orleans is one of the world’s best drinking cities, and we’ve put together a day’s itinerary hitting all our top spots around the French Quarter.
The Order: Stop by this 42-year-old New Hampshire ice cream stand for fresh strawberry ice cream and other treats.
July’s Featured Field Guide: Plan your trip to Michigan Harbor Country with our list of favorites spots in our Field Guide to Harbor Country — free this month for our paid newsletter subscribers. This 40-page dining guide includes a curated four-day itinerary with 20+ recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks.
Weekend Reading:
chats with Titus Ruscitti, John Kessler explores a hidden Florida gem, finds a unique charcuterie bar in Maine, explores the most important aspect of a restaurant, and more!
NEW ORLEANS, LA. — New Orleans is one of the most exciting places in America to drink cocktails. Whether you’re going in the winter for Mardi Gras, heading down in the summer to attend Tales of the Cocktail (the annual bartending convention held every July), or just planning a quick getaway, you’ll end up in the French Quarter. While the historic drinking district has plenty of tourist traps, there are also many great bars that any visitor should be sure to hit. It would be irresponsible — even by New Orleans standards — to include all of them on a single bar crawl, so we decided on this itinerary by asking ourselves, “If we had one day in the French Quarter, where would we go?” These spots each offer a different experience, from aperitivo cocktails to tiki drinks, opulent hotel bars to classic dives. We’ve also noted a couple spots with particularly good food options where you can grab lunch or dinner. Fuel up with a big breakfast at Brennan’s (we like the eggs Sardou), then let’s get started.
If you want our full list of bar and restaurant recommendations, you’ll find them in our Field Guide to New Orleans, which includes a six-day itinerary with more than 40 vetted recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks.
11:00 AM: MORNING (IRISH) COFFEE & A PO’BOY
Erin Rose
Why you should go: This French Quarter Irish pub is open from 10am to 7am, so it attracts a service industry crowd and visitors who know that this is the best place for an Irish coffee. There are two versions: hot and frozen, both of which are good, but the frozen version is something special. They’re just four bucks from 10am to 2pm, too. There’s an outpost of Killer PoBoys located in the back of the bar — we like the one with seared Gulf shrimp.
What to get: Frozen Irish coffee
811 Conti St, New Orleans, LA 70112 | @erinrosebar
1:00 PM: STAY CLASSY
Chandelier Bar
Why you should go: This beautiful lobby bar at the Four Seasons Hotel sits beneath a striking chandelier and serves excellent versions of classic cocktails. It opened just a few years back, but some of their drinks have already achieved icon status in our minds. The Chandelier Martini comes with a sidecar of garnishes, and the Stinger includes a little cucumber to freshen things up. The Cocktail Orléans is the standout — a bittered whiskey cocktail, it takes inspiration from three local classics.
What to get: Chandelier martini, Cocktail Orléans
2 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130 | @fshotelneworleans
3:00 PM: A TROPICAL INTERMISSION
Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29
Why you should go: Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is one of the country’s foremost tiki scholars, and his bar is one of the top spots for tiki in the country. Located in the Bienville Hotel, this tropical escape offers plenty of rum, but make your first drink the delightful gin-based Outcast of the Islands. It has lime, ginger, and almond and is served with a wave of ice, so it’s extra cold on a hot day. Another round? Order the Sarawak Sazerac, a rum-based twist on the classic cocktail.
What to get: Outcast of the Islands
321 N Peters St, New Orleans, LA 70130 | @latitude29nola
4:00 PM: DAIQUIRI TIME OUT
Manolito
Why you should go: From daiquiris to mojitos, a lot of iconic rum drinks come from Cuba, and Manolito celebrates them all. You’ll hear whirring blenders the second you walk into this rum bar, so start with a frozen daiquiri, like the Floridita with maraschino or a strawberry version. Bartenders are also throwing cocktails, our favorite of which is the El Presidente, a rum classic that includes vermouth, curaçao, and grenadine.
What to get: El Presidente, Floridita daiquiri
508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116 | @manolitonola
5:00 PM: THE NEW CLASSIC
Jewel of the South
Why you should go: When longtime New Orleans barman Chris Hannah departed his post at Arnaud’s French 75 to open this spot, it instantly became the city’s best cocktail bar. This year, it deservedly won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar. Located in a refurbished 19th-century house, Jewel is an elegant spot for a round or two. The Sazerac, made with rye and Madeira, is a thoughtful twist on the classic, and is our preferred take in a town of great ones. Hannah and the team also offer a traditional crusta and seasonal variations throughout the year. With British-inspired food, this is a good spot to have dinner at the bar. Tip: Get in line at 4:45pm so you’ll be in the first wave of folks to get in and can (fingers crossed) snag bar seats.
What to get: Sazerac, brandy crusta
1026 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA | @jewelnola
7:30 PM: AFTER DINNER DRINKS
Peychaud's Bar
Why you should go: A slip of a cocktail bar located in the Celestine Hotel, Peychaud’s celebrates the famous 19th-century herbal bitters, a key component of the Sazerac. While you’ll find a good one of those here, we’re partial to two of the fruitier offerings‚ the Hurricane, which features a strawberry-infused rum blend, and the Peychaud’s Fizz, a spritely number made with citrus-infused Peychaud’s Aperitivo finished with seltzer and cucumber. Sip both on the secluded patio.
What to get: Hurricane, Peychaud’s Fizz
727 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130 | @peychaudsbar
9:00 PM: A BOURBON STREET NIGHTCAP
Old Absinthe House
Why you should go: A French Quarter icon, the Old Absinthe House is our favorite place to end an evening out (though you could also start your day here — the bar opens at 9am). Decidedly low-key, the crowd skews a bit older than many of the late-night spots in the Quarter. The bar or its adjacent patio are fine spots to enjoy a well-made Sazerac and toast to a great day in the Quarter.
What to get: Sazerac
240 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70112 | @oldabsinthehouse
More New Orleans Stories
Lago's Ice Cream
RYE, N.H. — Every beach town needs a good local ice cream stand, and Lago’s Ice Cream, which opened in 1981, is Rye, New Hampshire’s. This walk-up spot, which has picnic table seating and only accepts cash, offers favorite New England flavors like Grapenut and maple walnut in addition to the classics like strawberry ice cream made with fresh local berries. They also have some brand new flavors, the most popular of which is Funky Panda, Oreo ice cream with toasted coconut and caramel swirl.
I tend to go simple with ice cream orders, and opted for the orange pineapple (a longtime favorite of mine since the days of getting it at Hallmark Drive-In in Old Lyme, Connecticut). At Lago’s, they nail that creamy, fruity combo so well.
71 Lafayette Rd, Rye, NH 03870 | @lagosicecream
This Month: Download All Our Recommendations for Michigan Harbor Country!
Ready to plan your next trip to Michigan Harbor Country? Our full list of favorites is available in our Field Guide to Harbor Country — free this month to paid newsletter subscribers. This 40-page dining guide includes a curated four-day itinerary with 20+ recommendations for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. It’s downloadable for offline reading, includes Google Maps and Instagram links, and is formatted for your phone — perfect for easy reference on your next trip. Paid subscribers to American Weekender can download this Field Guide for free using the discount code in this month’s Weekend Getaway issue. They also receive 50% off any additional guides. We’ll see you on the lake!
Get to Know Road Food King Titus Ruscitti
“If you’re anything like me, your search history before a weekend road trip looks something like: ‘supper clubs near Lake Winnebago,’ ‘oldest bar Milwaukee,’ ‘best restaurants Ludington, Michigan’ and so forth,” writes
in her newsletter, Scary Cool Sad Goodbye. “If that’s the case, you probably know Titus and his blog, Smokin’ Chokin’ and Chowing with the King, where for the past 16 years he has thoroughly, no, obsessively documented regional specialties (what he calls ‘road food’) through county highways, back roads and strange alleyways. The guy’s eaten everywhere.” It’s true. And he has impeccable taste. Read Garvey’s interview with Ruscitti to find out his favorite supper clubs, his top Midwestern food cities, and his favorite burgers in Illinois.SIESTA KEY, FLORIDA
Florida Continental: Grasshoppers, Golden Cadillacs and Bananas Foster
John Kessler for The Bitter Southerner: Have you ever opened a door and found a portal to another dimension? That was Miguel's for me. The A/C hit like a force field as I tried to make sense of all the information overloading my brain. It was infinite: a mirrored warren with no beginning or end, mustard walls, and potted devil's ivy hanging from the ceiling as far as I could see. It was busy but not loud: Murmuring folk used their inside voices between thick carpet and black ceiling tiles. It was erupting in blue flames: Bananas Foster prepared on a butane burner on a rolling cart went whoosh, to the delight of all. It was crammed with booze: bottles topping every railing, bottles slotted in racks lining every wall, bottles stacked sky-high behind the bar, unpacked crates and boxes on the floor. Châteauneuf-du-Pape here, Southern Comfort there. A woman edged her walker past us as I stood agape at the door. “Can I help you?” (Read the story)
BRISTOL, MAINE
A Charcuterie Bar in a Pasture
for Gadabout Maine: The Rooting Pig - a charcuterie bar in Bristol, Maine founded in 2022 - is an offshoot of Broad Arrow Farm. The farm, which began in 2017, uses regenerative, soil-based methods to raise pigs, poultry and eggs on pasture and in the woods of Mid-Coast Maine's Pemaquid Peninsula. Their pigs have free access to pasture and woods all day, everyday. Which allows this restaurant to truly give new meaning to farm to table. The charcuterie bar is surrounded by lush gardens, free range chickens and of course, their pigs. (Read the story)
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
How to Pick a Chair
for A Small and Simple Thing: Making a restaurant is a lot of things but mostly it’s about picking a chair. There are many decisions to be made, of course. The food, for one. A menu should be familiar enough to get someone in the door but unique enough to keep them coming back. … There are playlists to be made, uniforms to source. China, glass, silverware. It all sends a little message, tells a story about who you are and what you do. This is the brilliant part of making a restaurant. If you like to tell stories, it’s the best business in the world. But it all comes back to the chair - you must get it right. (Read the story)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Why L.A.’s Most Influential Cocktail Bar is Closing After 15 Years
Cindy Carcamo for the Los Angeles Times: Eric Alperin said the bar never quite recovered after the onset of COVID-19. He worked on trying to keep the bar alive, but it became financially unsustainable. The last six months have been particularly difficult. “It’s been a challenging environment for our industry in Los Angeles, and the Varnish fell victim to the astronomical costs and liability of running a full service culinary experience.” (Read the story)
Want more? Chat with us on Substack, download our Field Guides, check out our archives, or follow us on Instagram @americanweekender. We’ll be back next week.
What an excellent French Q roundup! Am now craving a NOLA bar crawl for sure.
Thanks for the shoutout! :)