specializes in cocktails made with house-infused spirits, available in single drinks or (sixserving) flask delivered with a set-up of glasses, ice and lemon or appropriate garnishes. 800 Iberville St., 586-0800; www. frenchquarter. hyatt.com BURGUNDY BAR AT THE SAINT HOTEL Just off the spacious and luxe atrium of The Saint Hotel is the lush Burgundy Bar, decked out in Victorian red and black. 931 Canal St.; www.thesainthotelneworleans.com CAROUSEL BAR AT THE HOTEL MONTELEONE Recent renovations expanded the space at the Carousel Bar and the nightly musical lineup has been upgraded, but the spinning Carousel is still the primary axis around which the bar’s patrons mix and mingle. 214 Royal St., 523-3341; www.hotelmonteleone.com VITASCOPE HALL AT HYATT REGENCY NEW ORLEANS Though named for a historic movie theater, this sleek and modern sports bar features 25 flatscreen TVs, a bar, separate sushi bar, pizza and gourmet small bites to graze while watching from low couches nestled in one of many nooks and booths. 601 Loyola Ave, 561-1234; www.hyatt.neworleans.com
tique selection of wines and a small menu of original cocktails. 3700 Orleans Ave., 483-6314; www.cbwines.com
PATRICK’S BAR VIN
ORLEANS GRAPEVINE Hiding in the shadow of St. Louis Cathedral, this French Quarter gem offers 82 wines by the glass and a menu of French bistro fare with a Southern twist. 720 Orleans St., 523-1930; www.orleansgrapevine.com TOMMY’S WINE BAR The tony restaurant-adjacent lounge features more than 20 wines by the glass and a 150-bottle selection, as well as cheese plates, pates and access to the full Tommy’s Cuisine menu. 752 Tchoupitoulas St., 525-4790; www.tommysneworleans.com VINE & DINE One of Algiers Point’s better kept secrets, this wine shop and cafe boasts a wine menu with affordable options, plus a menu of cheese plates, charcuterie and other shareable noshes. 141 Delaronde St., 361-1402; www.vine-dine.com W.I.N.O. The wine bar, shop and school’s innovative self-service system — which allows for sampling or full pours of more than 120 wines — can be educational or dangerous depending on your self-control. 610 Tchoupitoulas St., 324-8000; www.winoschool.com
BELLOCQ
WINE BARS
PATRICK’S BAR VIN It is home base for the Krewe of Cork marching group, but all oenophiles should feel at home at Patrick van Hoorebeek’s year-old wine bar. Hoorebeek, former maitre d’ at several French Quarter restaurants and krewe founder, cultivates a deep wine list and offers affordable options: there is a rotating “best kept secret” option for $5 a glass or $25 a bottle, and the bar offers $4 “shots” of Veuve Clicquot. And all wines here, even pricey labels, are available by the glass. There also are cheese and charcuterie plates and a selection of Belgian beers, a nod to Hoorebeek’s homeland. 730 Bienville St., 200-3180; www.patricksbarvin.com CLEVER Attached to the wine store Cork & Bottle, Clever offers a bou-
CRAFT COCKTAILS Early bartending professionals were sometimes referred to as chemists since they had to create their own mixers and syrups. Some current bartenders could be referred to as historians or anthropologists for reviving the drinks and recipes of these historic drink mixers. BELLOCQ At Cure, mixologists Neal Bodenheimer, Kirk Estopinal and Matthew Kohnke explore pre-Prohibition recipes; at their latest venture in Hotel Modern, they go back further in time. The cornerstone of the bar program here is the cobbler, a popular libation from the “pre-cocktail” era (around the 1830s) consisting of fortified wine (such as sherry, vermouth or port), sugar and citrus pieces shaken briskly with ice. While the cocktail highlights new ingredients and the “ice fetish” associated with the era, Bellocq’s cobblers are
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > july 3 > 2012
Some locals prefer bars with vintage appeal. These spots offer large selections of wine by the bottle and glass.
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