De La Louisiane
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 30.5% ABV ∙
The De La Louisiane is a New Orleans stirred cocktail of rye whiskey, Bénédictine, sweet vermouth, absinthe, and Creole-style bitters, served up in a coupe.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: Rye whiskey 50 mlBénédictine D.O.M. liqueur 20 mlRosso vermouth 20 mlAbsinthe 3 dashesCreole-style bitters 3 dashes
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Tips
- It's all rye, Bénédictine and vermouth with no juice, so stir for around 30 seconds over ice before you fine-strain.
- Keep the absinthe and Creole-style bitters to 3 dashes each, then taste; any heavier and they drown the rye.
History
De La Louisiane takes its name from the Restaurant de la Louisiane, a French-Creole restaurant in New Orleans opened in 1881 by Louis Bezaudun on Iberville Street, where it served as the house cocktail. The drink first appeared in print in Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 book Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, which called it "the special cocktail served at Restaurant de la Louisiane." It listed the drink as Cocktail à la Louisiane, a name later shortened to La Louisiane or De La Louisiane.
The same book also gave the first printed recipe for the similar Vieux Carré, and the two rye-and-vermouth drinks have long been compared and sometimes confused. Some New Orleans bartenders argue the restaurant's cocktail was created to rival the Vieux Carré, which had a home at the Hotel Monteleone. No source, however, dates the La Louisiane recipe before its joint 1937 appearance alongside the Vieux Carré, so the rivalry claim remains oral tradition. The Restaurant de la Louisiane closed for long stretches and changed hands repeatedly, and without a lasting home base of its own the cocktail faded from wide circulation while the Vieux Carré spread nationally.
FAQ
What is in a De La Louisiane?
50 ml rye whiskey, 20 ml Bénédictine, 20 ml rosso vermouth, and 3 dashes each of absinthe and Creole-style bitters.
How strong is a De La Louisiane?
About 30.5% ABV in the glass, counting the water from the stir. It is a strong drink, made for sipping slowly.
Is the De La Louisiane the same as a Vieux Carré?
No. Both are spirit-forward New Orleans drinks of rye, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine, but the Vieux Carré adds Cognac and uses a different bitters mix. The De La Louisiane has no Cognac and adds 3 dashes of absinthe.
