La Louisiane

La Louisiane — in full, the Cocktail à la Louisiane — is what happens when the Manhattan moves to New Orleans and picks up the local accent: a rinse of absinthe, a run of Peychaud's bitters, and Bénédictine's honeyed herbs where plainer drinks keep their sugar. It was the house cocktail of the Restaurant de la Louisiane, set down in print in 1937, and it remains one of the great after-dinner stirs — a Vieux Carré with the corners rounded off.

History

The drink is documented in Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, where it appears as the signature of the Restaurant de la Louisiane on Iberville Street — a Creole institution dating to 1881. Arthur's spec was lush: equal parts rye, sweet vermouth, and Bénédictine, with absinthe and Peychaud's. Who first mixed it at the restaurant is not recorded.

Modern bars generally dry the drink out, doubling the rye against the modifiers — the version below — which trades some period plushness for balance. Both readings are legitimate; the original just wants dessert nearby.

The Spec

A rye Manhattan frame where Bénédictine plays the sweetener and two of New Orleans' signature seasonings — absinthe and Peychaud's — perfume the edges.

Bénédictine Does the Sweetening

Bénédictine brings honey, saffron, and warm spice along with its sugar, which is why the drink tastes seasoned rather than sweetened. Resist the urge to cut it below a half ounce — under-dosed, the drink is just a wet Manhattan.

Absinthe and Peychaud's, In Moderation

Three dashes of each. The absinthe should read as anise aroma, not licorice flavor; Peychaud's adds its rosy, cherry-bark brightness. This pair is the drink's New Orleans passport — omit them and you're back on the East Coast.

Bottom Line

La Louisiane is the connoisseur's pick of the New Orleans canon — less famous than the Sazerac, less busy than the Vieux Carré, and arguably smoother company than either. Serve it after dinner with the lights low.

The Manhattan Family