The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias – The Café Brûlot Cocktail – 2022Ep10

On this week’s The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we visit with author Sue Strachan at the famed New Orleans restaurant, Arnaud’s! We discuss her new book The Café Brûlot. It’s a famous drink, though (almost certainly) not invented in New Orleans, that has found its home here, primarily in the city’s “old line” restaurants. We discuss the coffee-based cocktail, its history, and some of the variations found around town.

Pictured above – Café Brûlot demonstration by Arnaud’s maître d Augie Spicuzza. Author Sue Strachan along with Augie. Photos by Sue Strachan and The NOLADrinks Show.

The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias – The Café Brûlot Cocktail – 2022Ep10

This time around, we are at one of the famed “Grand Dame” or “old line” restaurants of New Orleans, Arnaud’s in the French Quarter. We are joined by author, Sue Strachan, who recently penned a book on the famed drink, the Café Brûlot. The book is entitled, you guessed it – The Café Brûlot!

It’s a fascinating drink that almost certainly has its origins in France but was adapted and adopted here in New Orleans as one of its own. Like many older drinks with a long history and legacy, its beginnings are murky and there are competing stories. We touch on these and discuss some of the logical connections as to how the drink came to be and how it came to be here.

We discuss how the drink is most notably at home in the city’s “old line” restaurants and why that likely occurred. We let you know about some of the variations found around town (wonderfully presented along with recipes in the book, BTW) and even some on the way it is presented, served, and the “tools” used for the job.

Along the way, we talk about Sue’s background, the challenges in writing the book, and more. Of course, we let you know where you can find the book, too!

Special thanks to Arnaud’s for hosting us and to maître d Augie Spicuzza for the Café Brûlot demonstration!

Cheers and Be Well, You All!

~ Bryan