Cocktails in N’awlins

Flaming Absinthe cocktail at the Pirate Bar
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We had a painfully early start to today with a 4:15 wake-up so we could check-in our luggage at the resort desk. With only four hours sleep neither of us were in a good state. We had flights today first to Miami, and then on to New Orleans. We only just made the second flight, with the departure gate one gate over from our arrival gate. We literally walked off one plane and were the last to board on the other.

Back in New Orleans the weather is much better than last week. As we made our way in on the Airport shuttle, it became apparent from the traffic and people on the street that there was something going on in the city today. Fellow passengers enlightened us that the semi-final game of the NFL was on at the local arena between the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals. The winner of this game was going to the SuperBowl.

Party time in New Orleans

Joe enjoying his Absinthe
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On arrival at the hotel it was bedlam, with people everywhere and their lobby bar packed with NFL fans there to watch the game on the big screen. Our attempts to check-in were thwarted by some hiccup in our travel plans – the hotel had no record of our booking even though we had a voucher to give them. No-one was answering the Australian contact number for the booking agent as it was only 6am Sunday morning. They told us to wait until they could sort it out. We had planned on trying to get some sleep immediately on arrival as we had an organised walking tour booked that started at 4pm.

Andrea with new friends Helen and Amy
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We went to the in-house restaurant for lunch and held our breath that when we presented ourselves at the front desk, all our problems would have disappeared. Unfortunately this was not the case, and the process started all over again. Over an hour and a half later, the manager finally decided to check us in, even though they had no verification of our voucher. She was hoping in a couple of hours when Australia woke up that all would be sorted out.

Bourbon Blues bar on Bourbon Street
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So without our rest, we headed out to our New Orleans Cocktail walking tour, meeting with our tour guide “Crazy Mary”. As we walked to our first bar, she regaled the history of cocktails and that this was the city where cocktails were born. The tour would take us to five or six bars where we would be advised on what cocktails we should try. The first stop was Toujaques – where we were given their famous lemonade. This was very nice and apparently laced with vodka. From here we walked in the pouring rain with no umbrellas to Muriels – a fine dining restaurant, with an attached bar. In here we tried a Pimms Cup and their signature Fleur-de-lis. The bar back in here had been flown all the way from France. We then moved on to the Pirate Alley Cafe where you could purchase a pure absinthe drink. Joe decided to be brave and downed one of the concoctions, and said that it much better in shot form then in a cocktail.

It was then on to the Court of Two Sisters restaurant and bar where we sampled their Bourbon Bash cocktail, a mixture of bourbons and fruit juices. By this time some of the group were getting quite merry – including Joe – must have been the Absinthe kicking in!! We attempted to get into a couple of other bars, including the Bourbon Orleans Hotel and Antoines, but both of these were full of football fans cheering on the Saints. After a brief look inside New Orleans newest restaurant, the tour ended and we moved on to the Bourbon Blues Bar with two other ladies from the cocktail tour – Amy and Helen. Here we tried some New Orleans Hurricanes and I tried a Lemonade which once again had a fair dosing of vodka. The hurricane was a mixture of light and dark rums and was very very potent. There was a live band playing jazz and a singer wandering around the dance floor and through the tables, singing seductively to all the women. After a second round of drinks the other two ladies departed for their 8pm dinner booking, and I dragged Joe away from the bar to head back to the hotel and get some much needed sleep.

By this time, the Saints had won the NFL game 45-14 and were on the way to the superbowl. Bourbon street was being inundated with football fans celebrating the Saints win. Revellers were dancing in the street, hanging from balconies and oblivious to the drenching rain.  As we made our way back to the hotel, an eerie fog descended on the city. I was barely to see the neon signage of our hotel through the fog, and directed a very merry Joe back to our room. The revelling continued outside for many hours, with people blowing whistles and cheering into the early hours of the morning.