1912 – Mardi Gras and the Baby Doll
By Lesley Jacobs Solmonson
2 oz Brandy
1.5 oz Orange Liqueur
0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass
Or, pour directly into a rocks glass over ice
Featured Glassware: Scotch Whisky Tumbler No. 1 by Villeroy & Boch
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Fat Tuesday –better known as Mardi Gras – is upon us and, with it, celebrations spanning the globe from Belgium to Brazil to the Big Easy. Each Mardi Gras is unique in its way, but, given our current affection for all things 1912, it is the pre-Lenten revels of New Orleans that interest us today.
Originally a religious festival, Mardi Gras was brought to the Crescent City by French settlers who indulged in rich food and drink – as well as parades, masked balls, and late night carousing – before the fasting of Lent. Most of the festivities were and still are centered on krewes and social clubs, among them the Baby Dolls who celebrate their 100th anniversary this year. Tracing their roots to New Orleans’ 6th Ward, historically a cornerstone of Creole culture, the Dolls are one of the many “second line” groups in the brass band parades, which evolved out of traditional jazz funerals. Read More…
