(relaxed jazzy music) (glasses clink) Gio Gutierrez: My name is Gio Gutierrez, and I eat and drink for a living, somehow. (laughs) (shaker rattles) (laughs) Gio: I traveled to New Orleans, the home of the cocktail, to immerse myself in the food and drink scene and reconnect with old friends. This is my journey. (upbeat jazzy music) Gio: I got into the food world by playing around with technology, and through that, I started Chat Chow TV, which was a podcast where we interviewed chefs, restaurant owners, mixologists, and through that, I got to explore the world and get to know all these people. I'm making these connections everywhere I go. What's so unique about NOLA's food and drink scene, it's a mishmash of culture. They call it Gumbo here. Spices and seafood and all these influences.

There's a lot of history in the cocktails here. A lot of the drinks that people know and love have a lot of roots here. So, as a cocktail connoisseur, you definitely get to explore and learn here. (train rattles) Employee: Hey, welcome to Gracious. Gio: How are you? Employee: I'm good, and you? Gio: I start my mornings in New Orleans with coffee, and I kinda cheat because I love something sweet with it. So, I end up at Gracious Bakery. Do you have King Cakes by any chance? Employee: Yes, there's no preservatives, all natural, and it's Gracious. Gio: I'd love one with a cappuccino. Employee: Alright, cool. Walk over here with me. Gutierrez: Everyone knows about beignets, but in New Orleans, to me, King Cake rules. It's a giant cinnamon roll, if you will.

Beautiful vanilla icing on top, sprinkles, and it's incredible. Employee: Alright, you have a beautiful day, thank you. Gio: You too, thank you so much. Employee: Alright, sweetheart. Gio: And I love to grab my King Cake, my little coffee up front, sit outside, and people-watch. I'm in New Orleans, so you know I want to dive right into the cocktail scene, and there's no better place to learn more about the history and traditions of the cocktail than The Sazerac House. While I was there, I was lucky enough to get a one-on-one with The Sazerac House's mixologist, Matt Ray. Matt Ray: Go ahead and raise that cocktail on your far left. That is a Sazerac. It is the official cocktail of New Orleans. Okay, let's say you wanna make a Sazerac cocktail. It's pretty easy. So I'm gonna muddle that sugar cube

and basically make a little bitters paste at the bottom. We're gonna start making the cocktail here by adding an ounce and a half of Sazerac Rye Whiskey. It's not a Sazerac yet, though. I'm gonna take my chilled glass here, I'm gonna dump out that ice, and I'm gonna add Herbsaint. So I'm gonna roll around on the glass, I'm gonna dump out the excess, pour that Old Fashioned mixture into my chilled Herbsaint rinse glass. The last thing I need to make this a Sazerac is a lemon. And that's a Sazerac. Gio: Cheers. Matt: Yeah, cheers, welcome. (glasses clink) Gio: Why are cocktails so important here in New Orleans? Matt: We were a port city and all of these cultures that came here and they loved to drink and to celebrate joyous occasions. Like the Sazerac is a Rye Whiskey

that was brought over by German immigrants to Pennsylvania that came all the way downriver to New Orleans. A lemon peel as a garnish because we had a huge Italian population. It's got sugar from the Caribbean, it's got a French-Haitian Creole bitters. The cocktail is a multicultural celebration, and it can only exist in huge port cities with all of those different influences. Gio: Thank you so much. Matt: Have a good one. Gio: I'll see you around. Matt: Thank you. Gio: On my next stop, I have to, have to stop by Arnaud's 75 in the French Quarter. See my good friend Christoph. Christoph Dornemann: Dude, good to see you. Gio: How are you? He'll make me a French 75, it's a must, and then whatever else he has up his sleeve. It's such a classy destination. Christoph: We're gonna make the French 75 a little different.

than what you're gonna find in a lot of places. We like to go with the origins of the cocktail, which is a Cognac-based cocktail. So a little bit of fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, one and a quarter ounces of Cognac. (shaker rattles) And finishing with Champagne. We take a lot of pride in our twists to seal the deal. The drink was a celebration of the 75-millimeter cannon by the Allied pilots in World War I. The French wanted to cheers with some Champagne. The Americans wanted Whiskey. You can't get Whiskey in France. So the closest thing was some Cognac, but it's a delicate, beautiful, balanced cocktail classic. Gio: Yeah, it's a beautiful, classic sour cocktail with bubbles. Christoph: Yes, Gio: Perfect for any time. But I'm not gonna drink alone now. Christoph: Well, normally I wouldn't

but it's a special occasion. So, this is a Matcha Colada. We are a classic New Orleans institution, so that allows us to really pay homage to the Tiki greats, the Cuban cocktail classics, because New Orleans is in itself a Caribbean city. Gio: Cheers. Christoph: Alright, well cheers, man. Gio: Christoph, I need to have my favorite bar snack in the country. Christoph: I've already been preparing it. Gio: Yes. Christoph: Here's our souffle potato with our house bearnaise. Gio: How do they make these? Christoph: You thinly slice your potato, they fry them, then they freeze them, and then to order, they fry them at a different temperature, and that little difference is the magic that creates them puffed. Gio: The best French fry on the planet. My friend, this bar, this restaurant, you, history should never be forgotten.

Christoph: Thank you, cheers.  
Gio: To your success.  
Christoph: Yeah. (ensemble drumbeat)  
Gio: And then I always have to see Nina Compton.  
Nina: What are you doing here?  
Gio: How are you?  
Nina: Oh my god.  
Gio: She's a celebrity chef that ended up falling in love with the city and opening her own restaurant here, which is a blend of her pedigree.  
Nina: Are you hungry?  
Gio: Always. (Nina laughs)  
When am I not?  
Nina: We're gonna have a crawfish with scialatielli pasta. So I'm just gonna pop the noodles in and you're gonna help me out. Alright, so now you're gonna add all the scallions and a little bit of salt. This is rundown, so we take all the shrimp shells, we cook it with lemongrass, ginger, a little bit of tomato.

Our pasta is ready. So we're gonna add about three tablespoons of the souskay. Having all the flavors layered brings everything together. Throw all the crawfish in. The trick I do is I pull it back. Gio: You wanna see the bottom of the pan. Nina: Exactly, so it's almost there. Add the shrimp butter. This is New Orleans, we don't know what a diet is. Alright, so this is ready to go. Now I'm gonna add my herbs. So I'm gonna feed you like Lady and the Tramp. (Gio laughs) Gio: Wow, this is you and New Orleans. Nina: Yes, it is. Gio: Every time. Pasta de la Nina. (Nina laughs) Nina: We fry green plantains and we make breadcrumbs with that. The thing is the flavor should build and then- Gio: Texture too. Nina: Exactly.

Hey, we're in New Orleans. Let's get a drink. Gio: Uh, yes, please. Nina: Let's go. Gio: But I'm gonna take this with me. Nina: Yeah, of course. Gio: What are we drinking? Nina: This is called a Wind Up. So it has Chenin blanc, lemon, passion fruit liqueur, which I love, and Havana Club. Gio: Beautiful. (shaker rattles) Nina: Look at you, you're a pro. These beautiful garnishes, cinnamon stick replicates a little Cuban cigar. Cheers. Gio: Cheers. The cocktail pairing was great because she likes to do opposite flavors. Imagine this pasta is kind of fatty and rich with seafood and then a very citrus-y drink. Smoked it 'cause of my Cuban heritage. Nina: Always good seeing you. Gio: Always. When I travel, I always try

to stay somewhere walking distance. I always look at where I wanna explore and then try to find the middle dot. Specifically, the W New Orleans French Quarter because it is a stone's throw away from anything (chuckles) that I love to explore. It's a luxury property that's beautiful to relax in after the hustle and bustle of the streets. I got to stay in this carriage house suite. Very charming, beautiful balcony overseeing this relaxing courtyard, and this pool that's just got me wanting to jump in there. It's lovely here. Throughout my day, I love to stop at the W, sit down, recharge with a little coffee, take a breather, and keep on going. (relaxed jazzy music) Last but not least, Larry Miller and I ended up at The Spotted Cat, a quintessential jazz venue here in New Orleans. Larry. Larry Miller: Gio. Gio in New Orleans. Gio: Good to see you.

Larry Miller's a great guy. He's Nina Compton's other half. Employee: Hi, welcome to The Spotted Cat. Larry: I think I'm gonna have a cold non-alcoholic beer. Gio: Let me try your famous Mula de PAMA. Employee: Okay. Gio: It's been ten years now. Larry: Ten years in New Orleans. Gio: How's life treating you here? Larry: It's the warmest group of people we've ever been around. Gio: What are some of the differences you see not culturally but more cuisine and cocktails? Larry: You're talking about hundreds and hundreds of years of folks living here and cooking grandma's recipe. We'll never put a Gumbo on the menu. If you ask anybody who makes the best Gumbo, the dishwasher's gonna tell you it's his mom. His cousin is gonna say No, it's grandma,

Everybody cooks, everybody loves good food. It's fun to be able to soak up any little bit that this city gives off. One of the things that we were told when we got here, that if you love the city, it'll love you back, and we've been fortunate enough for it to love us back, too. (cheering) Larry: That was pretty amazing. Gio: I travel for cultural nutrition, whether it's learning about trends, learning about history. It's just always constantly learning, and that fulfills me. I came to New Orleans, rechecked all my boxes, and some new ones, visited some old friends, had some libations, and I can't wait to come back. (upbeat jazzy music)

Explore Classic New Orleans Flavors With A Food And Cocktail Connoisseur | Business Insider

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Explore Classic New Orleans Flavors With A Food And Cocktail Connoisseur | Business Insider

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