For many people the 2013 football season came to an end last week when the Auburn Tigers came up short against the Seminoles of Florida State in the national championship of college football.
But football isn t over just yet. In fact, here along the upper Gulf Coast the anticipation is very high for today s contest between our New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.
Football this time of year takes on a whole new level of drama; with each game comes the possibility of not playing again until next year, but the winner advances for a chance to play for all the marbles at the Super Bowl.
That is why your own personal football watching party takes on a new and very real element of heightened tension. And when everything is on the line, as it is with games this time of year, it is best to have something interesting to help cut the tension.
Your menu is pretty easy. New Orleans is home to a unique and very diverse culinary heritage that lends itself to some tasty party foods. If you re making it a real dinner-type party you can cook up a pot of spicy jambalaya or a cauldron of thick, rich gumbo. If your gathering is a little less formal you can offer up mini-muffalettas or an array of po-boy sandwiches to satisfy your guests.
While the Crescent City is, indeed, home to a number of tasty foods, it is also the birthplace to a sizeable arsenal of party beverages. It should come as no surprise that a city that prides itself on the ability to host a non-stop party is also home to a very impressive array of drinks, cocktails and other libations.
Some of these are well-known, such as the ubiquitous hurricane. It s a lethal combination of several kinds of alcohol, fruit juices and other stuff that has been known to catch some visitors off guard with its potent kick.
But there is another potent potable that is so much a part off the lore and legend of New Orleans that in 2008 the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution making it the official drink of the city. According to legend (the interweb) the sazerac was invented in New Orleans sometime around 1850 and has been part of the city s drinking landscape ever since.
It is a tasty beverage, one that I confess to having enjoyed in that fair city on more than one occasion. But I also confess that these innocent-looking aperitifs are stout; no, let s just say they are strong. They aren t for the faint of heart and for many people one of them is enough to suffice.
Oh, and my favorite place to enjoy this specialty cocktail is in the bar the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans that bears the same name of the drink. But if you can t make it over you can enjoy yourself one right in the comfort of your own home.
And Geaux Saints!
Sazerac
Makes 1 cocktail
1 sugar cube
1 teaspoon water
3-4 dashes Peychaud s bitters
2 ounces rye (or bourbon) whiskey
Herbsaint
Instructions:
Take two old-fashioned glasses and fill one with crushed ice to chill. In the other glass, muddle the sugar cub with the water and bitters. Add the whiskey and stir.
Dump the ice from the first glass and pour enough of the Herbsaint to coat the inside of the glass. Swirl it around and dump out the extra liquid.
Add new ice and contents of the second glass. Twist a lemon peel over the drink and garnish the rim, but don t add it to the glass.