NOLADrinks – 12-21-17 – Paul Gustings and Chris Hannah and the Cost of Wine

On this edition of the NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias we welcome Paul Gustings of Tujague’s and Chris Hannah of Arnaud’s French 75 Bar talking winter drinks, cocktail history, and much more. We also discuss understanding the cost of a bottle of wine, Reveillon Dinners, and more!

Pictured above from left – Bryan Dias of NOLADrinks, Paul Gustings of Tujague’s, and Chris Hannah of Arnaud’s French 75 Bar.

NOLADrinks Show – 12-21-17 – Paul Gustings and Chris Hannah and the Cost of Wine

We start things off teeing up this week’s show. We then discuss the tradition of Reveillon Dinners in New Orleans and how this reimagined concept is accessible to you today at some of the finest restaurants around town.

Next up, we chat about understanding the cost of a bottle of wine. We cover concepts connected to each of the main components needed to produce a bottle – wine, corks, labels, etc. We also talk about mark-up, distribution, and other similar ideas. We share some thoughts on just how thin margins can be and how the current trend of wine shops emphasizing bottles “south” of $20 creates a tough situation for many wine producers.

From there, we move to our featured interview with Paul Gustings of Tujague’s and Chris Hannah of Arnaud’s French 75 Bar. We discuss the history of these two famed French Quarter establishments. Tujague’s is New Orleans’ second oldest restaurant, founded in 1856, and Arnaud’s will celebrate it’s 100th anniversary next year.

With places like this, of course the people that head up the bar in each spot must be something special in their own right. Paul and Chris are two of the most noted and knowledgeable bartenders to be found anywhere. They are a wealth of information and stories. We talk winter drinks, the Grasshopper cocktail (invented at Tujague’s), hot-buttered rum (pictured at left), English milk punch, the usefulness of apple butter, and a whole lot more. If you sling drinks or are just a fan of cocktails and their tradition, you will enjoy this interview!

We close things out talking about a recent “fake restaurant” ruse that catapulted a fictitious place to the top of the list on Trip Advisor in London. We also tie that in to being mindful of utilizing all the info (and potentially bad info) available to us today in making decision on where to dine or what to drink.

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Cheers and Happy Holidays, You All!