I've just moved to New Orleans, and in reviewing my New Orleans coverage over the years I came across this video we did with Kirk Estopinal at Cure, soon after it opened, in 2009. This improbably successful mostly-Peychaud's fizz is from Kirk and Maks Pazuniak's book, Beta Cocktails, for which they set themselves the challenge of making the most unlikely ingredient combos work. Since then Kirk and his Cure compatriots have opened a now-gone (and sorely missed) Bellocq, as well as my favorite new-ish spot (as opposed to historical) in the French Quarter, the rum-centric Cane + Table.
In a poorly considered bit of scheduling, I'd lined up this shoot for the Monday after Tales of the cocktail, and I think we were all a bit shaky. But the video, which had Chad Mumm behind the camera and on the lovely edit, doesn't show the signs of our Tales hangover too badly, I think. And the drink remains a delight, particularly for lovers of cocktail bitters.
GUNSHOP FIZZ
2 oz Peychaud's bitters
1 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
2 strawberries
3 cucumber slices
3 swaths of grapefruit peel
3 swath of orange peel
Sanbitter
Add all the ingredients except Sanbitter into a mixing tin. Muddle and set aside for two minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Add ice, shake and strain over fresh ice in a collins glass; top with Sanbitter. Garnish with a cucumber slice.
