Erin Rose in New Orleans is the French Quarter Irish dive bar on Conti Street, with frozen Irish coffees, no-frills service and the Killer Poboys kitchen tucked into the back room.
Food program: Killer Poboys in back
Tip: The frozen Irish coffee is the canonical Quarter order; Killer Poboys at the back closes at 20:00.
Address: 811 Conti St, New Orleans, LA 70112
Napoleon House in New Orleans is the 1797 Chartres Street tavern at St Louis that was offered to Napoleon as exile residence, with Pimm's Cups and a muffuletta on a 200-year-old patio.
Signature drink: Pimm's Cup
Food: Muffuletta and Mediterranean snacks
Tip: The Pimm's Cup and the muffuletta are the canonical order; sit on the back courtyard for the cooler seat.
French 75 Bar in New Orleans is Chris Hannah's longtime cocktail room beside Arnaud's on Bienville Street, with the canonical French 75 cocktail and a serious classic-cocktail programme.
Signature drink: French 75
Food: Bar snacks; Arnaud's kitchen next door
Tip: Order the French 75 with cognac, not gin; the older Cazenave-era recipe is the house standard.
Twelve Mile Limit in New Orleans is Cole Newton's Mid-City corner cocktail bar on South Telemachus Street, named for Prohibition-era rum running, with a backyard smoker and a serious cocktail list.
Signature drink: Tequila Brave
Food: Barbecue from the smoker out back
Tip: The backyard barbecue runs Thursday to Sunday; ask the bar what's on the smoker.
Bar Tonique in New Orleans is the North Rampart Street classic cocktail bar from Tony Yu, with a stripped-back menu of canonical mixed drinks and a quiet Treme-edge crowd.
Signature drink: Classic cocktail menu
Food: None
Tip: The two-for-one happy hour from 17:00 to 20:00 is one of the best deals in the Quarter for a real cocktail.
The Carousel Bar in New Orleans is the rotating carousel inside Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street, where the Vieux Carre cocktail was invented in 1938 by bartender Walter Bergeron.
Signature drink: Vieux Carre
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: The bar itself rotates, one full turn every 15 minutes; the booths around it do not move.
The Elysian Bar in New Orleans is the Marigny lounge inside the Hotel Peter and Paul on Burgundy Street, with European wines, classic aperitifs and a courtyard in a converted rectory.
Signature drink: Aperitif rotation
Food: Bar snacks and small plates
Tip: The back courtyard is the prettiest seat; the rectory bar has the longer pour list.
