Windsor Court in New Orleans offering spirited menu dedicated to American jazz greats

I must admit, I’m a sucker for fascinating cocktails and other spirits. If you read back through my blog, you’ll notice a pattern here.

Which is why I'm writing about two events at the Windsor Court Hotel of New Orleans that spotlight great food and cocktails in honor of American jazz greats. It's all part of the annual Tales of the Cocktail festival July 18-23 in New Orleans.

The Windsor Court Spirited Dinner will take place July 30 and include live music and Jonathan Pogash, aka The Cocktail Guru, in an evening of specialty cocktails themed around history’s jazz superstars, paired with culinary creations from The Grill Room Chef de Cuisine Gabriel Charpentier. 

Here’s the complete dinner menu:

Ella FitzGerald

Cocktail: Ella’s Delight (Variation on a Fitzgerald Cocktail)

Hendricks gin, Meyer lemon juice, rosemary-hibiscus syrup, lavender bitters, prosecco with hors d'oeuvres.

Jelly Roll Morton

Cocktail: The Jelly Roll 

Montelobos Mezcal, Anchor Reyes chili liqueur, Perfect Puree ginger sour, lemon marmalade, Sandeman Founder's Reserve Port, Creole spiced rum, Peychaud’s bitters with coconut shrimp toast, shrimp mousse, brioche, coconut, habanero, and mango salsa.

Thelonious Monk

Cocktail: The Loneliest Monk 

Muddled cucumbers and basil, Milagro blanco tequila, yellow chartreuse, honey syrup, sea saltwith monkfish ceviche, avocado puree, compressed cucumber, cilantro, Thai basil, jalapeno, and orange.

Miles Davis

Cocktail: Round About Midnight 

Hudson white whiskey, Suze liqueur, perfect puree caramelized pineapple, butterfly pea flower extract paired with strip steak, black bean paste, snap peas, sweet corn, pickled pineapple, and pepper jelly.

Scott Joplin

Cocktail: Maple Leaf Rag 

Balvenie single malt scotch whiskey, maple syrup, Amaro, apple pie bitters, salted caramel cream with dessert, Textures of Vanilla.

And if that's not enticing enough, on July 21 and 22 the hotel's Le Salon will transform into a New Orleans speakeasy, dedicated to the life and times of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, two American icons of the Jazz Age. At Prohibition Tea, guests will enjoy a spirited tea service with specialty cocktails like Paris After Midnight and Moon over Montgomery, concocted by master mixologist Kent Westmoreland and served in tea cups – true Prohibition style. Three courses of brunch-inspired bites, seasonal scones, and desserts will also be served.

Seats at the Spirited Dinner are $120, plus a 22 percent service charge and applicable sales taxes, per person. Pricing for Prohibition Tea is $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Limited seating is available at all events, and reservations are required. To make reservations or view the entire menu, call (504) 522-1994 or visit www.grillroomneworleans.com. Windsor Court is located at 300 Gravier St. in the heart of New Orleans.

And that's still not all! The Cocktail Bar at Windsor Court is one of only two bars in town featuring the official festival cocktail – the Embrasse de la Terre – an innovative spin on the classic martini. The cocktail was designated after a competition with the winning entry going to Zachary Faden of Mirabelle in Washington, D.C. Embrasse de la terre roughly translates to “to kiss the earth.” The cocktail’s recipe is below. 

Here’s the recipe for Embrasse de la Terre, the official 2017 Tales of the Cocktail cocktail:

Embrasse de la Terre

2 ounces Rutte Old Simon Genever

1 ounce Dolin Dry Vermouth de Chambéry

1⁄4 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

3 dashes Bitter Truth Celery Bitters

Directions: Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir to chill. Strain into a chilled coupe. Enjoy. No garnish. The drink blooms while stirred and is pleasantly aromatic.

  

Note: This information provided by a press release from the Windsor Court and information from the Tales of the Cocktail website.

Cheré Coen is a food and travel writer who loves weird and unusual things, not to mention an innovative cocktail.