It’s not a coincidence that Tales of the Cocktail, the annual gathering of bartenders and boozy libation aficionados, takes place in New Orleans. After all, the rate of bars per capita may be higher here than anywhere else in North America. This is the town to drink in. After all, several classic cocktails were invented here: the Sazerac, the Ramos gin fizz, the Vieux Carré, the absinthe frappé, and, of course, the Hurricane, among others.
If you’re thirsty, you need not have to weave through the streets too long to find a great cocktail bar in which to plant yourself for an evening. Here are 10 of the best cocktail bars in New Orleans.
Arnaud’s French 75
Attached to iconic restaurant Arnaud’s, French 75 is worth a visit even if you’re not hungry. Try to get a seat at the room-length, polished, 19th-century bar in this dimly lit and atmospheric drinking den. Try the namesake cocktail—made with Champagne and Cognac—or perhaps the bourbon-heavy Southern Gentleman.
Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29
They first cracked a bottle open at Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 in 2014 and the city’s cocktail-crazed residents have been frequenting the place ever since. The concept here is tiki all the way and all the time. They’ve even brought back some long-forgotten tiki classics, so you can sip your way to paradise. There’s an adjacent food menu with some interesting options like Hawaiian favorite Spam musubi, boudin eggrolls, and a pu pu platter.
The Carousel Bar
If it feels like you’re spinning, it’s not necessarily from over-indulging in booze. For over seven decades, this French Quarter bar has literally been spinning drinkers round and round, as it is an actual carousel/bar. The classic cocktail Vieux Carré was created here at the Carousel Bar (located inside the Hotel Monteleone), so it would be a good time to try one.
Columns Bar
When the weather is agreeable, pull up a chair on the veranda at Columns Bar and watch the passersby on St. Charles Avenue. Or cozy up to the beautiful wooden bar with a splash of ambient red backlighting in the high-ceilinged main room and sip on one of the cocktails from the long list of classics and top-notch “reserve” libations on the menu.
Cure
Several large food and lifestyle publications have named Cure the best bar in America. Spend some time perched on a stool at the bar in front of an impressive wall of top-shelf bottles, and you’ll understand why. Since 2009, bartenders at this Freret bar have been masterfully mixing, shaking, and stirring up high-quality signature and classic libations.
Jewel of the South
Located on the northern end of the French Quarter, Jewel of the South was an instant favorite when it opened in March 2019. It’s really a contemporary tavern that serves up excellent seasonal fare with a Southern accent. Their award-winning bar program that mixes up seasonal signature cocktails alongside a list of classic drinks as well.
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop
Reported to be the oldest still-existing building in the United States and apparently haunted, the three-century-old Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (941 Bourbon Street) looks like a rickety shack at first sight. The atmospheric interior is lit by candles and there’s a piano bar in the back room where you can sing along to old-school tunes while sipping a classic New Orleans cocktail.
Manolito
This jewel box-sized bar in the Quarter is the place to drink a daiquiri and get away from the maddening crowds. Manolito is a Cuban-themed bar, taking after El Floridita bar in Havana. The drink menu is crammed with refreshing blended (and even double-blended) concoctions.
Napoleon House
This 200-year-old structure was built to be Napoleon Bonaparte’s home in exile. Of course, that never happened and today the French Quarter spot is an ambient bar. Napoleon House is famous for the cocktail Pimm’s cup and everyone comes here at least once to sip one. If you’re hungry, the bar is also famous for its muffuletta sandwich.
Sazerac Bar
Named after what is considered the first mixed drink in the world (and a cocktail that was born in New Orleans), Sazerac Bar is an elegant spot in the Roosevelt (Waldorf Astoria) Hotel on the edge of the French Quarter. Grab a seat at the handsome African walnut bar and nurse the namesake cocktail or the other drink the bar is famous for, the Ramos gin fizz.
David Farley is a West Village-based food and travel writer whose work appears regularly in the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, and Food & Wine, among other publications. He’s the author of three books, including “An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town,” which was made into a documentary by the National Geographic Channel. You can find Farley’s online homes here and here.