Episode #41 takes us once again to New Orleans to sit down with a lesser known yet still classic cocktail, the Arnaud’s Special.
In 1918 a French wine merchant, Arnaud Cazanave, moved to New Orleans to open a restaurant, aptly named Arnaud’s, and live the American dream. Unfortunately, in the next year Prohibition threatened to end that dream. With everything on the line, Arnaud basically ignored the law and continued serving alcohol at his establishment in secret rooms or in coffee cups. He was eventually found out and imprisoned, but as a popular citizen of the city and a little of his famous entrepreneurial charm he had the charges dismissed. At this point he acquired the unofficial title of Count. He gives us a pretty comprehensive understanding of Mr. Cazanave and his role in building the French Quarter of New Orleans. He was pretty much the king of the town, owning blocks of the city and transforming them into restaurants and lounges; he made the French Quarter what it is.
Unfortunately, Jay couldn’t find very much on this drink to indicate how special it is. The popular Ambrosia Arnaud served at his restaurant got much more attention than this drink. It’s a blend of scotch, dubonnet rouge, and orange bitters that makes a strong but pleasing combination
- 2 oz Scotch
- 1 oz Dubonnet Rouge
- 3 dashes orange bitters
Kevin and Rachel enjoyed this drink; Bethany and myself were a little leery. It’s a scotch drink, so it’s made for scotch drinkers. Definitely a complex blend, but still relying heavily on the scotch as its base.
Transition music: Cephalopod by Kevin MacLeod
Closing Music: Noir Theme by PK Jazz Collective
