Name: La Louisiane
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Rye whiskey 50% abv; 30 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 15 ml Bénédictine D.O.M.; 2.5 ml Absinthe; 2 dash Creole bitters; 10 ml Chilled water

La Louisiane
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Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 oz	Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
1 oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
¹⁄₂ oz	Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
¹⁄₁₂ oz	La Fée Parisienne absinthe
2 dash	Peychaud's or other Creole-style bitters
¹⁄₃ oz	Chilled water omit if using wet ice

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.
STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish with skewered cherries.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

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 Originally made with equal parts rye whiskey, Bénédictine D.O.M. and sweet vermouth.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.

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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

Nutrition:

One serving of La Louisiane contains 172 calories

Alcohol content:

1.6 standard drinks
24.79% alc./vol. (24.79° proof)
21.8 grams of pure alcohol

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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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Showing 10 of 29 comments for La Louisiane.
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Tuber Magnatum

9th June at 22:36

Tried this tonight and have three comments. First, this is an excellent cocktail. Second, should anyone have reservations with added dilution if using "dry" ice, it very much benefits this drink. Lastly, if you love absinthe as I do, don't double the amount as I did (see De La Louisiane #2 which does use double the amount suggested here); I suggest you don't! It overpowered this otherwise lovely cocktail.

Christopher Lopez

17th June at 04:13

As a fellow absinthe lover I’d recommend rinsing the glass with absinthe instead of mixing it in- makes the absinthe more present without being overpowering. In fact, sounds so good I’m going to make one now!

Caspian Berggren

31st May at 13:43

I will say this - the recipe here on Diffords is delicious. The absinthe is definitely on the front of the palate but without any of the regular pepperiness. The base of the cocktail is a cool Brooklyn riff, though, with rye, Benedictine and vermouth playing together as good as they possibly can. I would actually like to see a couple of drops of saline solution in this, just to see how that would change it.

Simon Sedgley

20th February at 15:00

An interesting conversation here comparing the virtues of our host's recipe with that of commenter Elgar. In support of our host's position we say that context is all. In Louisiana, everything presses on the senses: the heat, the rain, the aroma of flowers, the greenery...and the pungent aroma and taste of the local cuisine (Gumbo, dirty rice, po boy sandwiches overflowing with shrimp). So who, sitting in a Bourbon Street bar over lunch, would prefer Mr Elgar's austere, lackluster recipe?

Chris Brislawn

11th March at 04:12

Revisited this using Difford's 1/2 tsp of absinthe, which seems about right, and R. Elgar's proportions (2 : 3/4 : 1/4), which have mysteriously disappeared from the Comments. This time, however, I used a vermouth amaro (Punt e Mes; have to try Cocchi Dopo Teatro), which made it anything but lackluster. Whether it is "austere" depends on one's sensibilities regarding the optimal sweet-bitter-herbal balance, but I'd enjoy this with a plate of crawfish etouffee, and La Louisiane certainly deserves recognition however one mixes it.

2 replies

william dennehy

13th February at 02:45

Where has this cocktail been all my life? Absolutely delicious. Definitely one of my top 10.

Richard Christmas

6th March at 18:34

Agreed!

Annechien

20th October 2024 at 13:31

I absolutely adore this. I follow Simon’s recipe and definitely include three maraschino cherries like in the picture. I have a sweet tooth. Wonderfully spicy and sweet and quite strong. A drink to take your time with.

Amarette Speights

26th March 2024 at 05:36

We really like Sazeracs and Manhattans in our house. Final decision is to rinse the glass with absinthe ala Difford’s Sazerac recipe. Then a dash of absinthe in the actual blend. Otherwise we followed the recipe with wet ice. Poured over a large block in an old fashioned glass with a block ice cube and cherry. I think we might like this more than Vieux Carre!

Kim Josefsen

14th March 2024 at 10:21

I went with difford's proportions, but served it over ice in an Old Fashion glass. Definitely enjoyed it more this way than in a coupe. The cocktail benefits from the added dilution too.

Amarette Speights

19th March 2024 at 23:07

I’m going to try this one both ways. I don’t know if I have very “wet” ice or a heavy stir, but I often dilute my cocktail quite a lot before I pour. I’ve started making notes to remind myself when I over do it in the future!

Chris Brislawn

6th March 2024 at 04:16

Prefer Elgar's proportions for uses other than pouring over pancakes:
2 oz rye (Rough Rider "The Big Stick")
3/4 oz vermouth (Tempus Fugit "Alessio")
1/4 oz Benedictine
~4 ml (~3/4 tsp) absinthe (to taste)
1 good dash each Peychaud's, Bitter Truth Creole Bitters
Stir w/ ice, serve in Old Fashioned glass w/ big ice cube for dilution, garnish w/ cherry. A more complex and interesting rye Manhattan, Louisiane style.

Gary Nijman

28th January 2024 at 02:33

I found this a bit sweet but Richard Elgar’s version hit the perfect balance for me.

Marie-Therese Straus

11th November 2023 at 03:36

This was really lovely. Since we were drinking it as an aperitif, I used the proportions Richard Elgar mentioned below: 2 oz. rye (I used Rittenhouse), 3/4 sweet vermouth, 1/4 oz Benedictine, barspoon absinthe (I actually used Herbsainte and it worked very well), and 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters. The resulting drink was strong but surprisingly balanced, only mildly sweet, and worked really well with some spicy charcuterie, olives, and stuffed sweet peppers. I'll definitely make this again!