Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” and refers to the carnival celebrations leading up to Ash Wednesday, the day the fasting season of Lent begins. It is celebrated throughout the world, but in the United States the party tends to focus in New Orleans, where for a period of two weeks you can find parades, masquerade balls, king cake parties, and beads…lots and lots of beads! Most activities are centered throughout the French Quarter, where potent concoctions of exquisite cocktails can be found at every local bar, and the mood is festive right up until the clock strikes twelve, signaling that Ash Wednesday has begun.
You can party Mardi Gras-style without traveling to New Orleans, though. Get yourself a few strands of colorful beads and a mask, and make yourself a cocktail or two to celebrate the season. Have you ever attended the festivities in New Orleans? Or have you made your own party somewhere else? Try out one of these French Quarter-inspired libations, and let us know how you like to celebrate…
Hurricane
2 ounces light rum
2 ounces dark rum
2 ounces passion fruit syrup
1 ounce orange juice
1 ounce lime juice
1 ounce dark rum
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce grenadine
Combine all ingredients in a shaker, strain into a large Hurricane glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry.
French 75
1 ½ ounces gin
¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce simple syrup
¼ cup chilled dry sparkling wine or Champagne
Combine gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake for 20 seconds. Strain into a Champagne flute, then top with chilled sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Blue Bayou Cocktail
1 ½ ounces vodka
½ ounce blue curacao
½ cup fresh pineapple
2 ounces grapefruit juice
For a frozen treat, blend ingredients in a blender with 1 cup crushed ice until smooth. Pour into a cocktail glass. Or combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake for 20 seconds, then pour into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
