The Obituary Cocktail

I’m not sure how it happened, but we’ve somehow been really into drinks lately. This is not to say we’ve been really into The Drink lately, we’ve simply focused more on mixed drinks and bubbly and less on beer and wine. Maybe we’re growing up.

For those of you who like disguising bad booze with sugar, New Orleans is famous for the Hurricane and the Hand Grenade. For the rest of us who actually enjoy quality drinks, we can tipple on a Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz , Brandy Milk Punch, Creole Bloody Mary, Cajun Martini, Pimm’s Cup, Mint Julep or anything with Absinthe for that matter. I’m sure I’ve missed a few famed local drinks (and if you read the title of this post you know I’ll return to one of them), but I would argue that some of those we claim as our very own we should at least be willing to admit shared ownership of. Yes, Napoleon House is very old and famous for an amazing Pimm’s Cup, but it’s not like they invented it. Likewise, I’m sure anyone who has been to the Kentucky Derby or really anywhere in the south are familiar with the Mint Julep.

Consider for a moment the amazing bartending being performed at relatively new mixology temples Cure and Bar Tonique (Esquire named Cure one of their 11 best bars of 2011 and featured two of their drinks). Throw in world class bartenders such as Chris Hannah of Arnaud’s French 75 and the rest of the good people at the 10 NOLA bars on the list of America’s best, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the global rise of a new drink from the boozy depths of the Big Easy. (Candidates in the comments if you want to start a trend!)

Aaaanyway: My point, if ever I had one, is that I recently discovered a list of famous New Orleans drinks that told of a concoction with which I was unfamiliar. While I admit the book contained various other facts I found to be dubious, they made the claim that said drink originated from one of my favorite (and one of America’s oldest) bars: Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. I like to think it’s true. The drink in question is the Obituary Cocktail. It even has its own (not so) secret society, The Grande and Secret Order of Obituary Cocktail, inspired by a book so rare Amazon wants to buy it from you! Clearly this thing is legit. A quick Google search found mention on several more (or less) reputable sites and a rare case in which all seemed to agree on the recipe. And wouldn’t you know, we happened to have the ingredients!

The Obituary Cocktail (serves 1)

2 oz. Dry Gin
1/4 oz. Dry Vermouth
1/4 oz Pernot or Absinthe or Herbsaint

I like Martinis. Martinis are made with Gin. Don’t get me started on Vodka Martinis! (One of Gourmet’s very few weaknesses is her insistence on ordering vodka martinis. She makes up for it with her love of single malts though, and the list of things she likes that I don’t could fill a server…)

I also like absinthe, and several drinks that contain Pernod or Herbsaint. All of these flavors however have a very strong taste, and smell, and can often create an overwhelming cocktail experience. Most people I know are less than enthusiastic about one or all of them.

Regardless of your taste for Absinthe or Herbsaint, I think we can all agree on The Obituary. The combination of flavors creates a completely new experience that is not too heavy on the gin, not too heavy on the absinthe/pastis, and not too heavy on the vermouth (I have friends who believe the correct amount of vermouth in a martini is made by letting light shine through the bottle into the gin). They all balance each other perfectly. I absolutely loved it, as did the Gourmet despite her dislike of gin and lack of enthusiasm for Pernod. I intend to spend years sampling versions made with different absinths, Herbsaint and Pernod and debating myself on their merits. Feel free to join me!