De la Louisiane

New Orleans has a grand history of wonderful cocktails. Unfortunately much of their previous accomplishments have been overshadowed in modern times with rather hideous libations. These days, when most people think of drinking in New Orleans, they immediately think of Hurricanes made from a powdered mix, Hand Grenades attempting to make Everclear palatable, or Daiquiris of every flavor imaginable (and some not) being churned out of a long row of slushee machines.

The time was however when cocktails really were treated with a lot more respect and dignity, and tasted good to boot. A while back, while perusing Famous New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix Em by Stanley Clisby Arthur, I encountered an interesting, and apparently now forgotten, cocktail.

This is the special cocktail served at Restaurant de la Louisiane, one of the famous French restaurants of New Orleans, long the rendezvous of those who appreciate the best in Creole cuisine. La Louisiane cocktail is as out-of-the-ordinary as the many distinctive dishes that grace its menu.

I, of course, am always on the lookout for drinks which might make use of some of the lesser used products behind the bar, and so this recipe’s use of Benedictine is one that made it immediately catch my eye:

De La Louisiane

• 3/4 ounce rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
• 3/4 ounce Benedictine
• 3 dashes absinthe (or substitute, such as Pernod or Herbsaint)
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Benedictine is one of those proprietary liqueurs, which means that the recipe is a closely guarded secret. It has a fairly complex and slightly sweet flavor, and was originally produced commercially starting in the 1860's. One of the popular drinks that was made with it was known simply as B&B, which stood for "Benedictine and Brandy". It became so popular that they started selling it pre-mixed as simply
"B&B".

Most bars will have a bottle of either Benedictine or B&B on their shelf, and usually it isn't used a lot, mostly because the bartender doesn't really know any drinks which uses it (besides B&B of course). One of my personal pet peeves, is seeing a bottle of B&B on the shelf, but no Benedictine. If you have a bottle of Benedictine you can always make a B&B by just mixing it with brandy, and you can also make any of the other Benedictine based cocktails. But if you have a bottle of B&B on the shelf, you can make, well, B&B.

So write down (or memorize) the recipe for the De La Louisiane cocktail, and the next time you see a bottle of Benedictine on the shelf (and hopefully a bottle of Peychaud's bitters as well!) ask the bartender to mix one up for you!