“The Cure” for Thirsty Thursday: NOLA edition.

My dear friend Kathy & I met up for cocktails Tuesday night.  Kathy & I worked together at the good ol’ MWC—she was a fellow cheesemonger, and actually taught me pretty well everything I know about cheese.  I think it’s safe to say that Kathy was my first friend in New Orleans.  She (along with her husband) is a deeply talented artist—the focal piece of my living room was painted by her, and I have another drawing of hers in our guest bedroom.  And because I never shy away from an opportunity to shamelessly promote talented friends, their respective websites are here (Kathy) and here (Matthew).

I told Kathy I wanted to try a place with a good signature cocktail, so she sent me a list of options.  All of them were tempting, but I chose Cure, because our mutual friend Kevin O’Mara (also a former slave employee at Martin’s) did the photography for their website.

My hotel was over near the airport, and Cure is nestled on the corner of Freret & Upperline…and given that it was after dark and I’ve been away from NOLA too long, I let my GPS guide me to the bar.  And I was remotely terrified, as a good portion of the route was backroads.  I remember thinking, “if this GPS dies right now, I’m SO screwed.”  And the odd thing about New Orleans—because the city streets are so full of chuckholes and notoriously poorly lit in residential neighborhoods, even the most average neighborhood after dark feels like the ghetto.

But my GPS did NOT die, and obviously neither did I.  I found a parking spot right in front of the bar (always a plus, especially since parking in NOLA is not always plentiful) and, after attempting to open a non-functional door (NOTE: some doors are just for decoration & serve no purpose beyond “window” here in the Big City) I found the REAL door and made my way inside.

While catching up on life, Kathy sampled the Upstate Shrub (housemade spiced apple & cranberry shrub with sparkling wine—YUM) and The Last Word (an off-menu item that contains Chartreuse, which I had never tried before, but now I think I love).  I ordered a Union Jacked:

(Laird’s bonded apple brandy, spiced grenadine, Cynar, lime, & bitters)

…which was AMAZING.  Like a tart crisp apple with a hint of spice.  I contemplated ordering a “Waiting to Derail” (given that I was in town for the railroad), but whiskey scared me off.  So instead, I got a Generation Adrift…

AND, thankfully, we were seated right in front of the bartender.  I watched fairly diligently, so I’m relatively certain this is the recipe.

2 oz Tequila

1 oz orange juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 oz peach liquer

3 drops bitters

1 basil leaf, pressed to bring out the flavors.

I really enjoyed this cocktail.  The citrus & peach flavors melded with the tequila quite well—and I think a higher end tequila is definitely necessary for attempting this, lest it overpower the rest of the ingredients.