The New Orleans Cocktail is a drink with whiskey, and bourbon at that, as the base liquor. The drink contains a sweeter component in the Curacao liqueur but is effectively cut by the bitters giving it an unique flavor. It is served up in a cocktail glass just as a martini.

This recipe for the New Orleans cocktail was originally published in The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale Degroff . Though i have taken some liberties with the recipe by reworking the proportions of the ingredients.

The whiskey and orange flavor combination is quite similar to some whiskey sour recipes. Most times orange juice is the favored ingredient rather than Orange Curacao. If you want the drink to be heavy on whiskey, then a higher proportion of the whiskey.

Ingredients

• 2 shots of Bourbon Whiskey
• 2 shots of Orange Curacao
• 3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
• Lemon peel for garnish

Recipe/Preparation

1. Add ice cubes into a martini shaker
2. Add 2 shots of premium bourbon whiskey into the shaker
3. Add 2 shots of the Orange Curacao
4. Stir or lightly shake the contents of the shaker
5. Add 3 dashes of the Peychaud’s bitters into a chilled martini glass
6. Swirl the bitters around to lightly coat the glass evenly
7. Strain the contents of the shaker into the martini glass
8. Garnish with a lemon peel

Tips and Notes

• Instead of shaking the drink in the shaker, you can also stir with a long bar spoon. Both works equally well, though I do prefer shaking.
• Though I prefer the bitters to be swirled around in the glass, you could also add the bitters into the shaker before shaking to mix along with the other ingredients.
• You can experiment with other bitters instead of the Peychaud’s. Different bitters will impart slightly different taste to the New Orleans Cocktail.