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.

Propose with a $90k dessert in New Orleans

            The Crown Jewel Dessert at the Windsor Court in New Orleans just took the word “decadent” to a new level. In honor of the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, the hotel is serving up a $90,000 dessert.

            Yes, that’s correct.

            The Crown Jewel by Pastry Chef Shun Li consists of a dark chocolate fondant cake encrusted with edible 24K gold and topped with a Cristal champagne sauce infused with raspberries and passion fruit. The dessert is then garnished with gold-dusted berries and a golden-chocolate crunch.

             But that’s not all — thankfully for $90,000. The centerpiece of this confection is a 3.95-Carat ruby and diamond ring from M.S. Rau Antiques of New Orleans.

Make sure you order it in advance for it takes three days to prepare.

             Gosh, we sure hope so.

             The hotel began the birthday celebration April 21, the queen’s birthday, and will continue the fete for three months. If $90,000 is too rich for your blood, try the Queen’s Prerogative by the hotel’s mixologist Kent Westmoreland, a twist on the queen’s regular lunchtime cocktail. The Queen’s Prerogative features gin, Dubonnet, Maraschino juice, orange and Angostura bitters, and an orange peel garnish.

              If too many Queen’s Prerogatives leaves you loopy, you can opt for a “Royal Stay at Windsor Court,” which includes three royal birthday packages ranging in price from $2,779 to $119,260.

              The latter and a Crown Jewel Dessert will only cost you about $200,000, but it does include airfare and much more.

              For more information on the packages, visit http://www.windsorcourthotel.com/packages-and-offers.

About M.S. Rau Antiques

M.S. Rau Antiques offers a 30,000 square-foot gallery in the heart of New Orleans’s historic French Quarter, filled with rare and important fine art, antiques and jewelry.

About Windsor Court
The 23-story hotel is located in the heart of the Central Business District, steps from the French Quarter, and features 316 oversized guestrooms and suites, the Grill Room Restaurant, the storied Polo Club Lounge, Le Salon for afternoon tea and an extensive art collection with mostly works of British origin, among other amenities and services. The hotel’s recent $22 million restoration included the addition of the lobby Cocktail Bar and Spa at Windsor Court. Windsor Court is a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts Legend Collection and is a member of the Southern Living Hotel Collection. For more information, please visit www.windsorcourthotel.com.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. She is also the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.