This afternoon we attended a special ceremony for an announcement from the CEO of Absolut spirits. They are launching a series of special release vodkas inspired by American cities. Absolut New Orleans has a mango/melony flavor with a hint of black pepper. I didn’t get to try the stuff neat but in a cocktail called the Big Breezy, which I will get to in a minute. The product is cool because Absolut is donating 100% of their profit to five charities based in this area. I know this press conference might not have quite the same news-breaking quality as, say, a Lewis-Libby-gets-out-of-jail-free announcement, and it was certainly not as exciting or as culturally significant as any news about Parasite Hilton. However, it was cool to hear about the product while looking out at a view of the city and the Mississippi River, among a group of cocktail enthusiasts that included a few legends and personal heroes, as well as a bunch of people I can’t wait to get to know.

Absolut Big Breezy
Glass Used: Martini
Ingredients:
2 oz. Absolut New Orleans
1/2 Simple Syrup
1 Squeeze of lemon
4-5 Chunks of watermelon
Pinch black pepper
Directions: Shake and strain ingredients into a martini glass and garnish with a melon ball and lemon slice.
Garnish:
1 melon ball
1 slice lemon
I thought the drink was drinkable (as in I drank it) but I thought it had a kind of fake/jollyrancher-ish melony flavor. A couple days later, however, I tried a fabulous milk punch that was made with Absolut New Orleans, and got no such flavor. I will post that recipe if I can get somebody to send it to me.