Cocktail barHistoric bar$$$
The Old Absinthe House in New Orleans is the 1807 Bourbon Street bar at Bienville, with marble fountains for absinthe drips and the canonical absinthe frappe.
Signature drink: Absinthe frappe
Food: None
Tip: The absinthe frappe is the historical drink; the marble fountains drip cold water into the glass.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$
Jewel of the South in New Orleans is Chris Hannah's St Louis Street cocktail temple in an 1830s Creole cottage, four-time North America's 50 Best South USA.
Signature drink: Brandy Crusta
Food: Full dinner menu upstairs
Tip: The brandy crusta was invented by Joseph Santini in New Orleans circa 1850; this is the canonical version.
Cocktail barHotel cocktail bar$$$
The Sazerac Bar in New Orleans is the 1949 Art Deco bar inside the Roosevelt Hotel on Roosevelt Way, the spiritual home of America's first branded cocktail.
Signature drink: Sazerac
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: The Ramos Gin Fizz is the second canonical drink here; the bartender will shake it for the requisite 12 minutes.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$Mon-Thu 16:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 16:00-01:00, Sun 16:00-23:00
Cure in New Orleans is the Freret Street cocktail bar in a 1907 firehouse from Neal Bodenheimer, on the North America's 50 Best Bars list since 2018.
Signature drink: Seasonal cocktail menu
Food: Small plates and bar food
Tip: Cure prints a seasonal menu but the regular order is to tell the bartender what you like and what you don't.
Cocktail barRum and tiki$$$
Cane and Table in New Orleans is the Decatur Street rum bar from the Cure team, with Caribbean-inspired cocktails, Cuban plates and an Old Havana patio.
Signature drink: Rum cocktails
Food: Caribbean and Cuban plates
Tip: The back patio is the prize seat; rum flights start at $15 and beat the daiquiri Bourbon Street chain shops.
Cocktail barCuban daiquiri bar$$$Daily 16:00-23:00
Manolito in New Orleans is the tiny Cuban daiquiri bar on Dumaine Street from Chris Hannah and Nick Detrich, a tribute to Havana's El Floridita with frozen.
Signature drink: Daiquiri (El Floridita style)
Food: Cubano sandwiches, ceviche
Tip: Standing room only inside; pay cash and tip well. The frozen daiquiris are blended El Floridita style.