Drink of the Week~Faubourg Tall Boy Punch

SoBou located at 310 Chartres Street is  a contemporary Creole Saloon and Spirited Restaurant brought to you by the Commander’s Family of Restaurants.  Inside the sleek and stylish W New Orleans – French Quarter hotel, SoBou captures the true essence of New Orleans with “a serious food and cocktail program that doesn’t take itself too seriously.”  The casual, yet urbanized dining environment blends warmth and humor with first-rate hospitality, for which the Big Easy remains known.

Dubbed a “spirited restaurant” with a beverage program as serious and sophisticated as the food, SoBou is the latest venture from the legendary Commander’s Family of Restaurants in New Orleans, spearheaded by “cocktail chick” Ti Adelaide Martin and backed by her all-star team: Alex Brennan-Martin of Brennan’s of Houston, Brad Brennan, Chef Tory McPhail and General Manager Steve Woodruff. Bar Chef Abigail Gullo, most recently of Fort Defiance in Brooklyn, NY, heads the state-of-the-art cocktail program, with consulting from Lu Brow, corporate bar chef for Commander’s Palace. Executive Chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Consulting Chef Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace have created a modern Creole saloon.

Co-author of In the Land of Cocktails, Ti Martin has a new, physical space to share her long-held reverence for well-made cocktails with a dose of New Orleans and Brennan family lore. Commander’s Family of Restaurants celebrated Bar Chef Lu Brow stepped in to help develop the sophisticated cocktail program, with perfect execution overseen by in-house Bar Chef Abigail Gullo, an award-winning New York City-area mixologist, blogger at www.ryegirlnyc.blogspot.com, and a respected member of the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC). An experienced theatre actress and passionate singer, Gullo hopes continue entertaining guests at SoBou bar while teaching about the history of cocktails and the craft in New Orleans. “Nothing is as ubiquitously New Orleans as a strong cocktail,” Gullo says. “We’re taking things a step further by using fresh juices and making our own bitters and tinctures in-house, along with mixing up any other unique ingredients we can get our hands on.”

Brow and Gullo have designed a menu with expert craftsmanship and artful creations to surprise and delight while remaining true to NOLA classics such as the Sazerac. A twist on the classic old-fashioned features locally made New Orleansrum, while the Brooklyn Boys reflects a modernized corn whiskey sour. Fresh, seasonal produce plus local honey form the basis for the Clever Club and Georgia Rush, while the Faubourg Punch blends a refreshing mix of Earl Grey-infused gin, fresh lemon, cassis, and a little bubbly. For the adventuresome, there is the Black Alligator Stomp with smoky Ardbeg Aligator Scotch, Cynar, and vermouth, while heat-seekers may enjoy the Smokin’ Hot Apricot that combines tequila, smoky mezcal and apricot liqueur. The cocktail program also focuses on barrel-aged cocktails, kegged for four to eight weeks, along with an emphasis on rum-based cocktails to shepherd in the trend toward classic Tiki cocktails dating back to the ’40s and prepared with housemade syrups and exotic, fresh-squeezed juices.

Today, Head Bar Chef Abigail Gullo shared the delicious Faubourg Tall Boy Punch with NewOrleansLocal.com, giving fans the perfect treat to drink during the upcoming fall football season.

Faubourg Tall Boy
1 ½ oz Earl Grey Infused Gin
½ oz Cassis
½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
top with Prosecco
Lemon wheel for garnish

Directions:
1. Shake ingredients and strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass.
2. Top with Prosecco, and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Note: To infuse Gin, soak 1/4 cup of loose tea or 4 tea bags per bottle of gin for 5-10 minutes. Still gently and strain.

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