De La Louisiane

About the De La Louisiane

De La Louisiane is a New Orleans classic that layers Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey with Benedictine, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Peychaud’s Bitters, and absinthe, finished with brandied cherries for a stirred cocktail with real depth and a distinctly Creole character. This drink belongs to the same family as the Sazerac and the Vieux Carre, built around rye whiskey’s spice and absinthe’s anise forward lift, but the addition of Benedictine and sweet vermouth here pulls it in a rounder, more herbal direction than either of those cousins. Timber Creek’s black rye whiskey provides the structural backbone the whole drink needs, carrying peppery rye spice alongside darker, roastier notes from its production, since the distillery runs its grains separately and ages them individually before blending by component under its PureBlend process, which gives the whiskey a layered complexity that stands up well against Benedictine’s honeyed intensity and vermouth’s dried fruit sweetness.

To build it, combine three dashes each of Peychaud’s Bitters and absinthe with the whiskey, Benedictine, and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass, add brandied cherries, fill with ice, and stir until well chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a chilled coupe. Because this cocktail combines several sweet, herbal components at once, patient stirring matters; rushing it leaves the drink syrupy rather than integrated.

The finished pour should smell distinctly of anise and spice before you even taste it, with the cherries adding a final layer of dark fruit on the back end. This is a natural after dinner or late evening cocktail, and it pairs beautifully with oysters, shrimp remoulade, or duck confit if serving something New Orleans inspired, while pecan pie makes a fitting dessert match given the whiskey’s own spice notes. Given its stirred, spirit forward strength, this is a drink to sip slowly over conversation rather than rush, and it is worth pacing yourself accordingly.

De La Louisiane is a New Orleans classic that layers Timber Creek Florida Black Rye Whiskey with Benedictine, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Peychaud’s Bitters, and absinthe, finished with brandied cherries for a stirred cocktail with real depth and a distinctly Creole character. This drink belongs to the same family as the Sazerac and the Vieux Carre, built around rye whiskey’s spice and absinthe’s anise forward lift, but the addition of Benedictine and sweet vermouth here pulls it in a rounder, more herbal direction than either of those cousins. Timber Creek’s black rye whiskey provides the structural backbone the whole drink needs, carrying peppery rye spice alongside darker, roastier notes from its production, since the distillery runs its grains separately and ages them individually before blending by component under its PureBlend process, which gives the whiskey a layered complexity that stands up well against Benedictine’s honeyed intensity and vermouth’s dried fruit sweetness.

To build it, combine three dashes each of Peychaud’s Bitters and absinthe with the whiskey, Benedictine, and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass, add brandied cherries, fill with ice, and stir until well chilled and properly diluted. Strain into a chilled coupe. Because this cocktail combines several sweet, herbal components at once, patient stirring matters; rushing it leaves the drink syrupy rather than integrated.

The finished pour should smell distinctly of anise and spice before you even taste it, with the cherries adding a final layer of dark fruit on the back end. This is a natural after dinner or late evening cocktail, and it pairs beautifully with oysters, shrimp remoulade, or duck confit if serving something New Orleans inspired, while pecan pie makes a fitting dessert match given the whiskey’s own spice notes. Given its stirred, spirit forward strength, this is a drink to sip slowly over conversation rather than rush, and it is worth pacing yourself accordingly.