Cocktail barIrish dive bar$$$Daily 10:00-07:00
Erin Rose in New Orleans is the French Quarter Irish dive bar on Conti Street, with frozen Irish coffees, no-frills service and the Killer Poboys kitchen.
Signature drink: Frozen Irish coffee
Food: Killer Poboys in back
Tip: The frozen Irish coffee is the canonical Quarter order; Killer Poboys at the back closes at 20:00.
Cocktail barHistoric bar$$$
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.
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.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$
French 75 Bar in New Orleans is Chris Hannah's longtime cocktail room beside Arnaud's on Bienville Street, with the canonical French 75 cocktail.
Signature drink: French 75
Food: Bar snacks; Arnaud's kitchen next door
Tip: Order the French 75 with cognac, not gin; the older Cazenave-era recipe is the house standard.
Cocktail barNeighbourhood cocktail bar$$$
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.
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.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$
Bar Tonique in New Orleans is the North Rampart Street classic cocktail bar from Tony Yu, with a stripped-back menu of canonical mixed drinks and a quiet.
Signature drink: Classic cocktail menu
Food: None
Tip: The two-for-one happy hour from 17:00-20:00 is one of the best deals in the Quarter for a real cocktail.
Cocktail barHotel cocktail bar$$$
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.
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.