The Café Brûlot

Iconic New Orleans Cocktails

by Sue Strachan

124 Pages / 5.00 x 7.00 x 0.50 in / 10 Color photos, 8 halftones

Hardcover

9780807176047

Published: September 2021

$19.95

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The Café Brûlot examines the cocktail that was born of a legend and has endured through the centuries, showcasing New Orleans’s love of flavored drama. A combination of coffee, liquor, and fire, Café Brûlot also goes by the name Café Brûlot Diabolique, “devilishly incendiary coffee.” Varying somewhat depending on what restaurant makes it, the base ingredients of this unusual after-dinner drink are coffee, brandy, sugar, cinnamon, lemon, oranges, cloves, and sometimes an orange liqueur. Although the drink may have originated in France, Café Brûlot is primarily mixed in New Orleans, making it a unique Crescent City tradition. In this entertaining little book, Sue Strachan delves into the history of the cocktail, the story of its various ingredients, and the customary implements used to serve it.

Sue Strachan is a veteran journalist who has written about New Orleans culture, history, and current events for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, New Orleans Advocate, and New Orleans Magazine. A graduate of Tulane University, she also served as public relations director for the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.

I'm a sucker for any drink with instructions suggesting it's wise to have a fire extinguisher nearby, but the Cafe Brulot is more than pyrotechnics. As Sue Strachan writes so well in these pages, this is a drink with a deep history, complex flavor, and a well-deserved reputation of being at once diabolical and heavenly. ~Wayne Curtis, author of "And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails"

Every flaming bowl of Cafe Brulot comes filled with legend and lore. Lovers of New Orleans’s celebratory cuisine will find this book an essential read as author, Sue Strachan follows its journey from the Armagnac region of Gascony to the tables of the Crescent City’s most revered culinary landmarks. ~Poppy Tooker, host of "Louisiana Eats!"

There is no better way to end a meal in New Orleans than with Cafe Brulot. Sue Strachan's book simply deepens the experience. Now every time I have a fragrant steaming boozy cup, I can appreciate its lore, its techniques, and its drama, as well as its satisfying taste. And when I'm not drinking a cup, reading the book is a guilt-free substitute. ~Elizabeth M. Williams, cofounder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum

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