 If you've hosted an event or pop-up in the tasting room, you're already familiar with the excellence that is our Events & Partnerships Manager Mel. Mel brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to her role, and creates incredible experiences for all our partners and guests in the tasting room and beyond! She won't brag on herself[though we definitely will], but Mel is also an incredible artist - she's pictured above with some of her original water color art inspired by the things that bring her joy. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to see when Mel might display her art at one of our Art Markets again! What is your favorite cocktail currently on the menu?
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 THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Hibiscus Rum 1oz. Lime juice 1oz. Jalapeño syrup 2 sprigs fresh mint Add rum, lime juice, syrup and leaves from 1 sprig of mint to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain over ice. Garnish with 1 sprig mint. TO MAKE JALAPEÑO SYRUP Dissolve 1 cup sugar into 1 cup water over the stove, and bring to a simmer. Add 1 jalapeño, sliced, into syrup mixture and steep for 20 minutes. (Include seeds for extra heat.) Strain. THE STORY
It's no secret that we love creating cocktails with ingredients grown right here on our patio. (Learn more about growing your own cocktail garden here!) The Hibiscus Jalapeño Mojito is a variation on one of our classics - the Hibiscus Mojito - and uses multiple ingredients from our distillery cocktail garden. We love the pairing of the sweet, sour, spicy and minty - it's an explosion of sensations with every sip, bursting with flavor and feeling. We bring this cocktail out on weekends when our jalapeño plants are providing an abundant harvest, or when the occasion requires a little bit of spice. We're welcoming Curried Away NOLA into the tasting room this Friday, August 13, and we think the balance of this cocktail will pair perfectly with the unique flavors coming to the tasting room from this popup.  If you've been on a distillery tour in the last few months, there's a high probability that it was with April - our tour manager-turned Director of Operations. April brings the best energy into the tasting room and creates a welcoming atmosphere for all of our guests - you can't help but smile in her presence, with her infectious laugh and never-ending supply of dad jokes. Keep reading to learn about some of April's favorites! What is your favorite cocktail currently on the menu?
 THE RECIPE 1oz 504Hibiscus 1oz 504Gold 1/2oz simple syrup 3 dashes lime bitters 3 dashes aromatic bitters Add ingredients to rocks glass, stir with ice, serve over a few cubes of ice. THE STORY
The first Hibiscus Old Fashioned we made was for one of our regulars during the holiday season. At the time, our only other versions of an old fashioned on the menu were the Traditional and Spiced Banana Old Fashioned. Adjusting our old fashioned recipe to let the 504Hibiscus shine was an easy task. Perfect for those whose usual drink is rum neat, the light addition of syrup and bitters complement and open up the flavor nuances of the 504Hibiscus.  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Hibiscus 1oz. simple syrup 1oz. lime juice 2 sprigs mint Add rum, syrup and lime juice to a cocktail shaker with ice, along with leaves from 1 sprig of mint. Shake vigorously. Strain over ice. Add 1 sprig mint garnish. THE STORY
Who doesn't love a good mojito? Perfectly refreshing with the power to cool you down on the hottest of summer days, our Hibiscus Mojito reminds us of everything we love in our summer gardens. On the back patio at the Happy Raptor tasting room, we have several planters growing some of our favorite cocktail ingredients like habaneros, rosemary, hibiscus, and - you guessed it - mint! (Learn more about growing your own cocktail garden here!) It's no secret that we prioritize using local ingredients. The molasses base for our rum is sourced from Louisiana-grown sugar cane, and many of our herb garnishes are grown right on our back patio. The Hibiscus Mojito is the perfect example of marrying our passion for sustainability with premium cocktail creation.  Richard, the newest tour guide at Happy Raptor, is a self-described booze nerd and a native New Orleanian. Filled with facts not only about 504Rum but the history of Rum itself, Richard’s tours provide a historical overview of rum’s creation peppered with jokes and nerdy references. Keep reading for an overview of some of Richard's favorites! What is your favorite cocktail currently on the menu?
 THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Hibiscus 1oz. pineapple juice 1oz. cranberry juice 1oz. lime juice 5 shakes chili bitters Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, strain over ice. Garnish with a fresh hot pepper, if you like it extra hot. THE STORY
As a major trading port just north of the Caribbean, New Orleans has been home to many a pirate and privateer in its 300+ year history. The Redbeard is inspired by the many legendary seafarers who transported rum and other goods to and from New Orleans throughout its tricentennial existence. With plenty of tropical flavors and just enough spice to make it interesting, the Redbeard will make you feel like you're aboard a great ship traversing across the seas in search of the greatest rum ever made - good news for you, you've already found it at Happy Raptor!  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Silver 1oz. Simple Syrup 1oz. Lime Juice Add ingredients to shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain over ice. THE STORY What's more New Orleanian than a daiquiri? When we opened, we knew highlighting Louisiana flavors and creations would be a fundamental part of our operations. We source our ingredients locally wherever possible, starting with our molasses from Louisiana-grown sugar cane. Featuring classic Louisiana cocktails on our menu was a no-brainer to continue the local theme. Our original tasting room cocktail menu featured several Louisiana classics, but the daiquiris stole the show. Simple and foolproof, the traditional daiquiri lets the 504Silver shine, bringing our Louisiana flavors to the forefront of your palate. Think we have the best classic Louisiana cocktails? Let the world know by voting for Happy Raptor in Gambit Weekly's Best of New Orleans Readers' Poll!
Vote for us in these categories: - Best Distillery - Best place to get a traditional Louisiana cocktail - Best Louisiana-made food product (504Rum) - Best woman-owned small business  THE RECIPE 2oz. 504Silver 1oz. pineapple juice 1oz. horchata 1oz. apple juice 2 shakes Aromatic bitters Add rum, juices and horchata to a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake and strain over ice. Top with two shakes aromatic bitters of choice. THE STORY The White Whaler came into existence in the same week we developed the recipe for The Blue Mamou. We made an excess of horchata concentrate, and decided to experiment and see what else we could come up with! Thus, the White Whaler was born. We think its just the right balance of tart and creamy for a summer refresher.
 THE RECIPE 2oz 504Hibiscus Rum 1oz Blue Horchata 1oz Best OJ 1oz Blueberry syrup 2 Shakes Orange Bitters Orange peel for garnish Marsh Parsley for garnish Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain over ice. Garnish as desired with orange peel and marsh parsley. To Make Blue Horchata 2 parts (1/2 lb) blue mosaic corn flour 2 parts rice flour 1 part pecan flour 2 parts turbinado/raw sugar 5 parts water One lime, sliced and dehydrated Black pepper Zest of one orange 10 dried rose petals Bring all ingredients to simmer until rice and corn become tender, stirring constantly, about 20 minutes. Add more water as necessary to create desired thickness. Strain and bottle. To Make Best OJ Gather oranges and peel, reserving peels. Juice fruit into a container. Infuse half of peels into juice overnight, reserving remainder as cocktail garnish. To Make Blueberry syrup. 1 cup Local Blueberry Juice (We use J&D Farms Juice) 1 cup sugar 3 Rosemary sprigs 5 Mint sprigs Add all ingredients to a pot and heat to a simmer. Let herbs steep in syrup for 30 minutes. Strain and cool. THE STORY We developed this cocktail for the annual Garden to Glass cocktail competition at the National WWII Museum, hosted by Eat Local NOLA & the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee. The challenge was to create a cocktail made from local ingredients that could have been commonly found in victory gardens during the WWII era. Our cocktail won the competition, and we couldn't be prouder! If it's too intimidating to try this at home, you can sample the winning cocktail at The American Sector for the next year.
We got to work, knowing that 504Hibiscus would be the base of our drink. The Blue Mamou is loosely based on a cocktail called The Big Mamou that was served at The American Sector, restaurant at the WWII Museum, around 10 years ago. The Big Mamou originated in the 1940s in New Orleans, and was commonly served as a tiki cocktail at the Sazerac, the Roosevelt's Blue Room, and other high-end bars in the city. The original version of the drink, as far as we can gather from our historical research, commonly used rum, orgeat, fruit juice and herbs. Our version of the classic tiki drink highlights our floral rum and subs in house-made horchata for orgeat, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a blueberry-herb syrup with wild-foraged marsh parsley as a perfectly refreshing, sustainably sourced garnish. We hope you like it as much as we do! |