Good Morning Darlings!

Our friend Tim in NYC sent me these great cocktail ideas just in time for Fat Tuesday. And if you can’t be in New Orleans, at least you can pretend with these luscious libations.

Take a sip of The Big Easy, a New Orleans-inspired cocktail that’s perfect to celebrate Fat Tuesday, March 8. THE BIG EASY features Lucid absinthe, the first absinthe legally available in the US. Where else can you get Lucid? Try of course, Old Absinthe House.

The Big Easy
Created by Jonathan Pogash, The Cocktail Guru
.5 oz. Lucid Absinthe
1 oz. cognac
.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
.5 oz simple syrup
2 sprigs fresh mint
Fresh lemon and orange peels
Dash Peychauds Bitters
Dash The Bitter Truth Chocolate Mole Bitters

Muddle the citrus peels in simple syrup. Slap the mint leaves to release oils and add to shaker. Add remaining ingredients and shake well over ice. Strain and pour into cocktail glass. Top with bitters.
Garnish: Smoked sugar rim on each individual glass.

Hit the streets and celebrate Mardi Gras like the locals. Be sure to enjoy the parade’s floats and be sure to get your hands on some brightly-colored necklaces! This Russian Carnivale cocktail uses Russian Standard Vodka, the number one vodka in Russia and blackberries and grapes – which look just like the festive beaded jewelry!

Russian Carnivale
1.5 oz. Russian Standard Vodka
5 blackberries
2 green grapes
3 oz. Lemonade
Muddle four blackberries and two grapes in bottom of a tumbler. Add ice, Russian Standard Vodka and lemonade. Garnish with remaining blackberry and green grapes.

Raise your Nicaraguan Hurricane – and drink to New Orleans tavern owner Pat O’Brien’s signature drink! Created in the 1940s, the cocktail quickly grew to become a favorite of sailors and even locals living in the French Quarter today! This cocktail uses Flor de Cana rum, a mixologist favorite and native to Nicaragua.

Nicaraguan Hurricane
2 oz Flor de Cana rum
2 oz passion fruit juice
1 oz orange juice
juice of a half a lime
1 Tbsp simple syrup
1 Tbsp grenadine
orange slice and cherry for garnish

Shake all ingredients together with ice. Strain into a hurricane glass.
Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

Last but not least, the Bourbon Street Blitz, celebrates the excitement and spirit of Mardi Gras. A simple cocktail to make at home, this will have your friends and family raising their glasses to the spirit of the purple, green and gold!

Bourbon Street Blitz
1 oz. Lucid Absinthe
1 oz. coconut rum
2 oz. pineapple juice

In a cocktail shaker, add ice, Lucid Absinthe, coconut rum, and pineapple juice. Shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass.