Maybe it’s the powdered sugar from the beignets clouding your judgment. Maybe it’s the bitter tang of the chicory coffee on your tongue. Maybe you couldn’t get the table on the water you wanted at Blue Bayou. Whatever the excuse, you find yourself sitting down at a table in Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen one fine, sunny day. You kind of wish you were still wandering the Park, seeking out that elusive Passion Fruit Hibiscus Orange Sparkle Churro you read about on a blog somewhere. Worry no more, friend. You’re in New Orleans now. Not the New Orleans Square that Walt once bragged about as cleaner than the real thing to the city’s mayor, of course. Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen lives in a special part of Downtown Disney. Specifically, the part that prepares you to enter Wonderground Gallery and spend more than you normally would when you see that one painting. You know, that one that would pull the whole room together. Please join us on a quick jaunt to the hippest joint on the bayou, where the whisky is cold but the piano’s hot. Wait. I don’t think that’s how it goes. And that song is about
some other city anyway. OK, I get it. Second post in this series and I’m already outside the Parks.
Fact is, I go to Ralph’s at least twice every time I am on property. Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen is a fantastic example of what Disney can do when they reach out to the community to meet the same high expectations of the Parks themselves. It also happens to be where a certain podcast had their 100th show - LIVE! Ralph Brennan is an actual person who runs a group of restaurants in New Orleans. The restaurant is completely unique from the restauranteur’s other offerings, but the pedigree is evident.
Walking into Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen should make you feel as though you’re descending into the depths of a besequined, formerly-not-smoke-banned jazz joint. The fountain that greets you in the courtyard is constructed of fused instruments, long tarnished by water. The wrought iron stairwell to your right leads to balcony seating, evoking the type of high ground you wish you could find while swimming through Bourbon
Street crowds. If you arrive between 6 and 10 pm, the lighting is lowered except for the stage. A wide variety of musical acts perform nightly and set the perfect stage for a few extra drinks after dinner.
Let’s start with the easy category: beer. Ralph’s carries a few different beers on tap, but the ones you should pay attention to are those made by venerable Louisiana brewery, Abita Beer. This alone is a great reason to visit the restaurant. Abita has been a staple in Louisiana for years and remains one of the bigger breweries still without a corporate overlord. Getting a giant flute of Turbodog, Abita’s brown ale, is a great way to kick off your vacation, if you ask me. Great beer in a great location. Get some gumbo while you’re at it. On to the cocktails! No respectable New Orleans-themed restaurant would neglect the Bourbon Street classic that is the Hurricane. Ralph’s does the drink justice and does so without you having to purchase your fruit juice and rum in a giant, plastic grenade or alien
head or some such. Change up to some coconut rum and banana liqueur and you have yourself a Rum Runner that delivers a different punch.
The Pimm’s Cup on the menu subs in some cucumber vodka along with the classic Pimm’s No. 1. Think spiced gin punch with some cucumbers and a bit of lemon to cut the sweet, if you don’t know what a Pimm’s Cup
is. If you want some more heat in your drink, try the Land Mine. Grain whisky, rum, vodka, gin, midori, it’s all there. If you’re into a bunch of liquor in a cup, this Bud’s for you. On second thought, this is probably the one that would come in a glowing tube on Bourbon Street.
Let’s talk mojitos. Ralph’s makes a few different versions, including traditional, coconut, and pear. Too exotic? Martinis more your style? Ralph has you covered with their take on a Cosmo, an appletini, and a bananas foster martini. They also make a Manhattan with sarsaparilla whisky that I’m a little surprised I haven’t tried before. Three different Bloody Mary variations are available, from regular to spicy to a bourbon-based recipe. Ralph’s also takes pride in their coffee drinks. Their coffee is pretty great as it is, so if you are into adding various sweet liqueurs to yours, you are likely to be satisfied. It seems I’m missing something. Oh, yes. The official cocktail of New Orleans, the Sazerac!
Ralph’s makes an excellent version of this classic drink and their technique has changed the way I prepare it myself.
The recipe follows:
5cl rye whisky (cognac is the original ingredient)
1cl absinthe
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters (easy to find at most fine liquor stores)
2 Old Fashioned glasses
Lots of ice
Here’s where it gets tricky. Fill one of the glasses with crushed ice. Add the absinthe to the first crushed ice glass. Swirl it around a bit, making sure it coats the inside of the glass. The herbs in absinthe fall out of solution when cold and they will stick to the sides of the glass. Pour out the ice and absinthe and leave the glass upside down over a grate or something that will allow it to drip into your sink. In the other glass, add the sugar cube and shake some bitters onto it. I always use more than two shakes, but I prefer to cut the sweet a little more than most. Muddle the two together, making a red sugar paste in the bottom. If you don’t have sugar cubes, you can always use a bit of simple syrup, but be sure not to overdo it. I’ve even tried this with orgeat or falernum at times because they were handy. Weird, but tasty!
Once you get it mixed up, add the whisky or cognac. Stir well to get that sugar mixed in. Add a scoop of ice to the glass and continue stirring. Strain that whole mess into your absinthe glass. Turn it over first, by the way. I can’t stress that enough. Very important. Add a twist of lemon peel and you are all set. One joint I frequent swears by flaming the lemon peel a
bit with a lighter. It toasts the lemon oils a bit and smells even better, but I have yet to do more than simply scorch the edges of the rind.
The secret I learned from a Ralph’s bartender is flipping the glass over. It allows it to drip dry a bit so you don’t have too much extra water in the drink. It also traps in the aromatics left on the sides of the glass. The supreme pleasure of a Sazerac is smelling that mix of lemon peel, the drink itself, and the anise and such from the absinthe. There you have it. The next time you are looking to extend that New Orleans Square experience, take a short walk outside the Parks. Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen offers a ton of entertainment and doesn’t even require a park ticket. If you want to have a few cocktails at the end of (or the middle of) your day, your friendly bartenders are there to help.
