Jus-t-in time for a drink: JusTini Cocktails (photo courtesy of their Instagram)
New Bars in New Orleans, September 2023
If there’s a question that locals ask as much as “Where should we eat?” it’s probably, er, “Where should we get a drink?”. It’s tough to keep track of new places to wet our collective whistles, but here are a few watering holes for you to try, just in the name of research, of course.
Baroness on Baronne
339 Baronne St
You may remember this spot as the CBD’s Victory Lounge, which always felt a little bro-y for me. It now enjoys a more feminine flair, under new ownership by Camille Whitworth and it’s a whole new lease of life. The classics are all present and correct, including a much-welcomed Bramble, which warms my British heart no end (in the early 2000s you could get a Bramble from its inventor Dick Bradsell in a dive bar in central London, happy days). House specials include the cheekily-named ‘So Pho - King Good’ made with 'Pho Juice', and I'm going to get one soon because I really need to know what that is.
Fives
529 St Ann St
The old-school vibes sit well, being as they are on the edges of Jackson Square, but it’s a very modern savory cocktail focus that stays with you at this new FQ spot. You can sit and show down on oysters and crab claws (or caviar if you’re feeling flush), and complement them with unusual house cocktails. The Meloncholia has Thai Basil, the Gin Joint uses celery and sage, and the Columns Martini promises brine and pickled vegetables. There are classics too, of course (including my favorite, the perfectly-balanced Last Word), but Fives are quietly bucking traditions in the historic center of town.
JusTini Cocktails
3162 Dauphine St
Jessica Robinson looks to influential and heroic Black women for inspiration in this welcome addition to the Bywater’s bar scene. There’s a sweet Old Fashioned that is dedicated to civil rights movement leader Oretha Castle Haley, and a tasty lavender French 75 honoring Dooky Chase chef and civil rights activist Leah Chase. Small plates keep hunger to a minimum, dark woods and chandeliers keep style levels high, and overall it’s a joyful, refreshing face of local hospitality.
Pigeon and Whale
4525 Freret St
Here you enjoy not one, not two, not seven, but six types of negroni (classified by white, yellow, gold, orange, amber and red). This way you could drink three as aperitifs, and three as digestives. You might not remember too much about dinner, but boy would your thirst be quenched. House cocktails are not overly flashy and are divided into shaken/sour and stirred/stiff. The bar aesthetics suggest a nautical theme, and you can simulate sea legs if you get through all those negronis (negroni?).
Hungry Eyes
4206 Magazine St
‘Your eyes are bigger than your tummy,’ my mum would always admonish me whenever I tried for an obviously too-huge slice of cake. I mean, she still does. Mason Hereford is likely to be less judgmental as you tuck into the drinks menu at his 80s-themed diner. In fact, they’re coining the phrase ‘drinking food’ but instead of, say, soup, there’s Espresso Martinis (Martini?) on tap and some suitably gaudy cocktails that celebrate the theme with aplomb.
Tiki Tock
417 Frenchmen St
Walk through the carriageway of the recently-revamped Frenchmen Hotel and you’ll find this clock-themed tiki bar (get it?). Tiki drinks have really taken off in New Orleans in the last decade or so, and this place makes a relaxed change to Latitude 29 or Cane & Table. The San Ildefonso Swizzle is a delicious mix of mezcal, Velvet Falernum and guava nectar, while the dramatic Mount Pelee Bowl is a very fun shared drink. I mean, you could order one for yourself, but it’s probably best only if you can stumble into a hotel room next door.
The Will & The Way
721 Toulouse St
This place actually opened a little while ago but the pandemic kind of got in the way (if not the will). Previously the Longway Tavern, serial bar openers LeBlanc + Smith have reimagined the space with a lovely L-shaped bar and any number of nooks, crannies and corners to plot and gossip in. Intriguing cocktails include the Pickletini and the Saint Rebecca (with green tea-infused gin), and the bar food menu stands up too - I’ve inhaled more than one Natchitoches Meat Pie in a sitting.
If you like what we do and want to support local independent journalism, please consider buying us a coffee - many thanks!
If there’s a question that locals ask as much as “Where should we eat?” it’s probably, er, “Where should we get a drink?”. It’s tough to keep track of new places to wet our collective whistles, but here are a few watering holes for you to try, just in the name of research, of course.
Baroness on Baronne
339 Baronne St
You may remember this spot as the CBD’s Victory Lounge, which always felt a little bro-y for me. It now enjoys a more feminine flair, under new ownership by Camille Whitworth and it’s a whole new lease of life. The classics are all present and correct, including a much-welcomed Bramble, which warms my British heart no end (in the early 2000s you could get a Bramble from its inventor Dick Bradsell in a dive bar in central London, happy days). House specials include the cheekily-named ‘So Pho - King Good’ made with 'Pho Juice', and I'm going to get one soon because I really need to know what that is.
Fives
529 St Ann St
The old-school vibes sit well, being as they are on the edges of Jackson Square, but it’s a very modern savory cocktail focus that stays with you at this new FQ spot. You can sit and show down on oysters and crab claws (or caviar if you’re feeling flush), and complement them with unusual house cocktails. The Meloncholia has Thai Basil, the Gin Joint uses celery and sage, and the Columns Martini promises brine and pickled vegetables. There are classics too, of course (including my favorite, the perfectly-balanced Last Word), but Fives are quietly bucking traditions in the historic center of town.
JusTini Cocktails
3162 Dauphine St
Jessica Robinson looks to influential and heroic Black women for inspiration in this welcome addition to the Bywater’s bar scene. There’s a sweet Old Fashioned that is dedicated to civil rights movement leader Oretha Castle Haley, and a tasty lavender French 75 honoring Dooky Chase chef and civil rights activist Leah Chase. Small plates keep hunger to a minimum, dark woods and chandeliers keep style levels high, and overall it’s a joyful, refreshing face of local hospitality.
Pigeon and Whale
4525 Freret St
Here you enjoy not one, not two, not seven, but six types of negroni (classified by white, yellow, gold, orange, amber and red). This way you could drink three as aperitifs, and three as digestives. You might not remember too much about dinner, but boy would your thirst be quenched. House cocktails are not overly flashy and are divided into shaken/sour and stirred/stiff. The bar aesthetics suggest a nautical theme, and you can simulate sea legs if you get through all those negronis (negroni?).
Hungry Eyes
4206 Magazine St
‘Your eyes are bigger than your tummy,’ my mum would always admonish me whenever I tried for an obviously too-huge slice of cake. I mean, she still does. Mason Hereford is likely to be less judgmental as you tuck into the drinks menu at his 80s-themed diner. In fact, they’re coining the phrase ‘drinking food’ but instead of, say, soup, there’s Espresso Martinis (Martini?) on tap and some suitably gaudy cocktails that celebrate the theme with aplomb.
Tiki Tock
417 Frenchmen St
Walk through the carriageway of the recently-revamped Frenchmen Hotel and you’ll find this clock-themed tiki bar (get it?). Tiki drinks have really taken off in New Orleans in the last decade or so, and this place makes a relaxed change to Latitude 29 or Cane & Table. The San Ildefonso Swizzle is a delicious mix of mezcal, Velvet Falernum and guava nectar, while the dramatic Mount Pelee Bowl is a very fun shared drink. I mean, you could order one for yourself, but it’s probably best only if you can stumble into a hotel room next door.
The Will & The Way
721 Toulouse St
This place actually opened a little while ago but the pandemic kind of got in the way (if not the will). Previously the Longway Tavern, serial bar openers LeBlanc + Smith have reimagined the space with a lovely L-shaped bar and any number of nooks, crannies and corners to plot and gossip in. Intriguing cocktails include the Pickletini and the Saint Rebecca (with green tea-infused gin), and the bar food menu stands up too - I’ve inhaled more than one Natchitoches Meat Pie in a sitting.
If you like what we do and want to support local independent journalism, please consider buying us a coffee - many thanks!