Spirit Magazine - December 2013 - (Page 72)

At Kingfish, Chris McMillian plays the role of bartender and raconteur. Here, he prepares a Sazerac. Below: His fruit-filled take on a Pimm's Cup. So much so that the "Hannah" has recently become a popular costume during Mardi Gras and other local masquerades: Fans mimic his workaday uniform of white tuxedo jacket, black bow tie, thickrimmed glasses, and shaved pate. "We're all in a play called New Orleans," Hannah explains, offering his theory of the city. "We dress up and play the part, and I assume the role of bartender." It's a role he embraced after relocating from Baltimore 10 years ago, dedicating himself to the art and preservation of classic cocktail preparation. Since then, the French 75 Bar, a cozy, wood- and brick-laden domicile tucked inside the 95-year-old Arnaud's restaurant, has been consistently recognized as one of the country's most celebrated drinking 72 SPIRIT DECEMBER 2013 destinations (and certainly the choicest location to get a French 75, a bubbling beauty made with cognac, fresh lemon juice, and champagne). In less than a decade, Hannah and a host of other bartenders have reinvented New Orleans as a contemporary cocktail capital. The city has become a close-knit, yet accessible, community that uproots young spirits slingers to settle here, making it a global hot spot where history and modern mixology collide. Hannah details NOLA's tug on budding barmen and women: "We have a unique opportunity to work where this was all invented. We can go see Harry Ramos' grave and make his gin fizzes," a famous New Orleans concoction that enriches the traditional gin, lemon, and carbonated water cocktail with cream, egg white, sugar, and orange-flower water. "Or we visit Joseph Santini." I ponder this only-in-New Orleans moment-the hilarious morbidity of cemetery cocktails-while Hannah sets to creating Santini's classic quaff. It's so named

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - December 2013

Spirit Magazine - December 2013
Contents
Gary's Greeting
Gary's Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Worlds
Your Pictures
Media Center
Spice up your drink repertoire
Eat Drink Sleep
Cook with chickpeas
Stay Overnight in Nashville
The Numbers
Make a Case for Paper Maps
Look out for Bigfoot
Plan Interplanetary Trek
Wise Guide
Co-opt Criticism
Business
Meet your New Favourite Travel Buddy
Provoke Productivity
Tales of a Tippling City
Rediscover Sin City
The Other Side of Vegas
Your Adventure In Albuquerque
Promotional Series: Spirit of Florida
Focus On: Health Resolutions
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Services
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The "If" List

Spirit Magazine - December 2013