In the Land of Cocktails

New Summer Bar Menu at the Swizzle Stick!

Posted by on July 8th, 2009

Wel­come to a lit­tle bar in the Land of Cocktails.

The Swiz­zle Stick Bar takes their cock­tails seri­ously, “we think life is meant to be lived not endured.”  Bar Chef Lu Brow, firmly estab­lished at the fore­front of push­ing the New Orleans cock­tail scene of recent years to a new level, intro­duces her next sum­mer menu of cock­tails.  She writes a “love let­ter to New Orleans” with inno­v­a­tive con­coc­tions spe­cially designed for hot, humid and sul­try weather.  She ought to know a lit­tle bit about that.  Lu talks about her inspi­ra­tions and shares the new menu with us.

“Our bar is a trib­ute to Ade­laide Bren­nan and her love of liv­ing the good life.  A strik­ing red­head she often wore a swiz­zle stick neck­lace in the evening to stir her cock­tail as she flirted and enjoyed the com­pany of her friends.  One of her pet say­ings was “sparkle plenty” and indeed, peo­ple used to say that when Ade­laide said “casual” she sim­ply meant no sequins.

To her nieces Ti and Lally, and her nephew Alex, Ade­laide Bren­nan was the def­i­n­i­tion of glam­orous – and naughty.  Ade­laide went to the “Big Saloon in the Sky” in 1983, but for those who loved her she lives on.

We enjoy a good cock­tail and believe you should have one that is made with care the very best of ingre­di­ents.  Freshly squeezed juices, hand­crafted syrups, and house made bit­ters are just a few of the items we use to make your cock­tail the best that we can provide.

So sit, have a drink and enjoy your friends and fam­ily.  If you laugh a lit­tle too loud or tell a salty story blame it on the spirit of Adelaide.”

- Lu Brow, Bar Chef, and Staff

Each drink has some New Orleans whimsy or was cre­ated for a spe­cial New Orleans occa­sion – all have Lu’s love of her city and her pro­fes­sion crack­ling in the glass.

The Wild Mag­no­lia – named for the famous Mardi Gras Indian tribe – is made with Lu’s own house­made bit­ters.  She has worked to per­fect the mem­ory of the aroma of the mag­no­lia tree that grew in her front yard as a child.  Brow’s Bewitch­ing Bit­ters – found in Bewitched — have ingre­di­ents that hail from a local voodoo shop.

The Sloe Gin Bliz is “an homage to our favorite sum­mer snoball stand,” explains Brow.

Brow’s lat­est cock­tail menu includes:

Whoop­sie Daisy
Ply­mouth gin, Cre­ole Shrubb orange liqueur, lemon juice.  Fresh and light for really hot days.

Oh What A Night !
Saz­erac rye whiskey, Noilly Prat sweet ver­mouth, lemon, pome­gran­ate grena­dine, cham­pagne.  Cre­ated for the Ogden Museum of Art.

Brandy, You’re A Fine Girl
Kor­bel brandy, Kirschwasser,  a pinch of sugar, lemon, maraschino liqueur. Gar­nished with a brandied cherry of course.  Yes, you may sing while sip­ping this cocktail.

Wild Mag­no­lia
Hendrick’s gin, lemon juice, St. Ger­main elder­flower liqueur, Mag­no­lia bit­ters.
Fin­ished with a can­died lemon zest. Served ice cold in a cock­tail glass to sip and
enjoy while chas­ing away the heat.

Sloe Gin Bliz
Ply­mouth gin, Ply­mouth sloe gin syrup, lemon, crushed ice, mint. Cre­ated in honor of the Hansen’s Sno-Bliz Sweet Shop, a well loved snoball shop in New Orleans. All ingre­di­ents made from scratch since 1939. You gotta love a place where the motto is
‘There are no short­cuts to quality’.

Bewitched
Remy Mar­tin VSOP cognac, New Orleans amber rum, Coin­treau, orange blos­som water, Brow’s Bewitch­ing bit­ters. Best enjoyed by the light of the moon.

As you set­tle in for the long, hot sum­mer just know Lu Brow is on the case with some relief.