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 invented here in 1874.
Food program: None
Tip: The absinthe frappe is the historical drink; the marble fountains drip cold water into the glass.
Address: 240 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130
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 winner and on the World's 50 list.
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.
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 with African walnut walls and murals.
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.
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 with a rotating seasonal cocktail list.
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.
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 behind on the French Quarter river edge.
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.
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 daiquiris and Cubano sandwiches.
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.
Molly's at the Market in New Orleans is the Decatur Street dive bar by the French Market, open 10:00 to 03:00 daily, famous for its frozen Irish coffee and a queue at the door.
Signature drink: Frozen Irish coffee
Food: None (bar food at neighbours)
Tip: Open at 10:00 every day; the frozen Irish coffee is the signature order and the room runs to 03:00 nightly.
