The next session of our regular gatherings with bar literature expert Tomáš Mozr is just around the corner!
On June 23rd, the next edition of Books & Booze will kick off, this time focusing on New Orleans & Other Treasures from the Colonies.
Today, every traveler must get to New Orleans the best way they can. This paraphrase of the famous opening line from Truman Capote’s debut novel Other Voices, Other Rooms is the perfect way to begin telling one of the many cocktail stories tied to Louisiana’s largest city. New Orleans overflows with a rich cocktail history. Perhaps it is its genius loci, but the fact that it is one of the most prominent ports in the Southern United States certainly plays a major role. During our next Books & Booze gathering, we will discuss not only the classics of New Orleans but also other notable treasures from the colonies.
And Yet It Turns
One of the spots that cocktail enthusiasts in New Orleans never want to miss is the Hotel Monteleone. Since 1949, it has been luring guests with a very special experience: it operates the only rotating bar in New Orleans, and the only carousel you are allowed on only after turning 21. The Carousel Bar & Lounge is a tribute to traditional attractions—old merry-go-rounds adorned with hand-painted seats. As they say, the revolution is relatively slow, and one full rotation usually takes about fifteen minutes, which is just enough time to truly feel the effects of that revolution while sitting at the bar. After all, it was right here in 1938 that head bartender Walter Bergeron is said to have created the iconic Vieux Carré cocktail.
An Extravagant Element
It comes as no surprise that mentions of absinthe sales can be found in French-influenced New Orleans as early as 1837, though it allegedly took a short while to catch on. Absinthe was primarily added to cocktails only by the drop or in small dashes as an extravagant European twist. A prime example of this is the Sazerac, to which Leon Lamothe decided to start adding the then-fashionable absinthe in 1858.
Ramos’s Ruckus
The creator of what is arguably the most famous variation of the classic gin fizz is Henry C. Ramos, who introduced this drink to the world in 1888. Although Ramos personally called it the “One and Only One,” it secured its place in history when the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans registered the trademark for the Ramos Gin Fizz in 1935. However, Ramos’s fizz became immortal decades earlier. In pre-Prohibition times, his bar, The Stag, employed about twenty bartenders known as the “Shaker Boys.” Their sole job was to prepare the Ramos Gin Fizz, for which guests were reportedly happy to wait up to 20 minutes. During the Mardi Gras carnival in 1915, Ramos even had up to 35 bartenders on hand. With the arrival of Prohibition, however, Ramos did not overthink things; he closed his establishment with the words: “This is my last Gin Fizz.”
And It’s Official
Did you know that the essential status of the Sazerac cocktail was sealed on June 23, 2008? It was then that the drink was declared the official cocktail of the city of New Orleans by the Louisiana State Legislature.
You can learn all this and much more when you join us at Alcron Bar on June 23, 2026!
Tomáš and the Alcron Bar team will welcome guests starting at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM.
Everyone who wishes to explore the secrets of the cocktail world and bar culture is cordially invited. This unique event is open to all, with an entry fee of 200 CZK.
For the reservation, please click here.