One of my very favorite places to visit, New Orleans! Who wouldn’t like it!?! That is a rhetorical question.
Ok now, just forget for a moment about all the drinking (there will be a recipe for a drink later though). New Orleans is much more than Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. The history of the area is one of the most interesting in our country. While people are trying everywhere else to pigeonhole culture and ethnicities, New Orleans embraces their differences in a unifying spirit and it just seems to work. That didn’t come out quite right. It is a history unique to the area and I encourage everyone to read up on it. French, Spanish, African, Creole, all very interesting backgrounds. I would have to write a book to describe this history. And these are the nicest people you will ever meet.
So, aside from the history, I love the architecture. It’s not just the wealthy homes, and please, I am not talking about plantations, but what I like looking at and finding out more about, are shotgun houses. These were the tiny working class houses that took some creativity to live in. They were called shotgun houses supposedly because a person could shoot from the front door straight through to the backdoor. They have a tricky floor plan which did not lend itself to privacy. I could go on for days about these houses. But I promised a drink recipe.
Milk Punch (Brennan’s Restaurant in the French Quarter)
2 oz milk 2 oz cream
1 1/2 oz bourbon, whiskey or brandy
1 1/2 vanilla bean infused simple syrup
Freshly ground nutmeg for garnish
Combine first four ingredients over ice and shake. Strain into a glass with no ice. Garnish with nutmeg.
WARNING: Do not drink two of these before getting on a plane if you are lactose intolerant. Trust me on this.
Adios!
Musings over 50 