La Louisiane

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (309 ratings)

Serve in a

Coupe glass

Garnish:

Luxardo Maraschino cherry

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass.

Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

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Review:

A rye-based Sweet Manhattan made even sweeter with herbal Bénédictine liqueur and bittered with Peychaud's and absinthe. Originally made with equal parts rye whiskey, Bénédictine D.O.M. and sweet vermouth. Unless you have a sweet tooth, reducing the liqueur as per this recipe makes for a more balanced cocktail.

In January 2024, I halved the absinthe to 2.5ml (half a barspoon), making it sit harmoniously with the other ingredients. Absinthe and bonded rye like dilution, hence, depending on your ice, a splash of water tends to benefit this cocktail. Even with the water, this is a short, punchy cocktail, befitting a small Coupe or Nick & Nora glass.

History:

Recipe adapted from Stanley Clisby Arthur's 1937 book Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em' in which he wrote, "This is the special cocktail served at Restaurant de la Louisiane, one of the famous French restaurants of New Orleans, long the rendezvous of those who appreciate the best in Creole cuisine. La Louisiane cocktail is as out-of-the-ordinary as the many distinctive dishes that grace its menu."

Cocktail à Louisiane
1/3 jigger rye whiskey
1/3 jigger Italian vermouth
1/3 jigger Benedictine
3-4 dashes absinthe substitute
3-4 dashes Peychaud bitters
Mix in barglass with lumps of ice. Strain into a cocktail glass in which has been placed a maraschino cherry.

This is the special cocktail served at Restaurant de la Louisiane, one of the famous French restaurants of New Orleans, long the rendezvous of those who appreciate the best in Creole cuisine. La Louisiane cocktail is as out-of-the-ordinary as the many distinctive dishes that grace its menu.

Stanley Clisby Arthur, 1937

Alcohol content:

  • 1.7 standard drinks
  • 26.69% alc./vol. (53.38° proof)
  • 23.5 grams of pure alcohol
Difford's Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Buy direct from
the_whisky_exchange store logo
£ -.--

Makes a minimum of ... cocktails
Just £ -.-- per cocktail*

* This list may not include all required ingredients.
Price per cocktail is an estimate based on the cost of making one cocktail with the available ingredients shown above and does not include any postage charges.
Buy direct from Difford’s Guide
Difford's Easy Jigger
£8.72 £8.72 exc VAT
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