Recapping my ’08 trip home to New Orleans for Christmas …

Next up was a lovely Old Fashioned variation of Chris’ that he’s currently calling “New Orleans is Drowning,” adding that “I gotta come up with a better name for this.” The bitters represent our Caribbean heritage, the Cognac is for the French, the rye for the Americans and the Campari rinse is for the Italians. (The Spanish, Africans, Irish and Germans get left out in this drink, but frankly adding three more ingredients would tend to get things a little crowded. Maybe we can come up with a No. 2 version to honor those other parts of New Orleans’ mix.)

In the meantime …

“New Orleans is Drowning”
(Adapted from a perhaps soon-to-be-renamed Old Fashioned variation by Chris McMillian)

1 ounce Cognac.
1 ounce rye whiskey.
1 teaspoon rich simple syrup.
3-4 dashes Angostura bitters.
Campari.

Add the simple syrup, bitters, Cognac and rye to a mixing glass filled with ice and stir with ice until well chilled. Rinse an Old Fashioned glass with Campari, then strain the Cognac-rye mixture into it and garnish with an orange peel.

Chris’ preferred method is to use a sugar cube and splash of water rather than simple syrup. For that method add the sugar and bitters to the mixing glass, then the water. Crush the sugar cube with a muddler and muddle until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then proceed with the rest of the ingredients.

I’m hoping I remembered the details correctly on this one. I was getting a little fuzzy in the memory department by this point.