Rob McShea

• Rob McShea
• Lousiana Purchase
• 2305 University Avenue
• North Park

Photograph by Matthew Suárez

Look no further than North Park for a taste of the French Quarter. In keeping with the theme of Louisiana Purchase, Rob McShea put his own spin on a menu of Big Easy cocktails. The Voodoo Carré is “based off of a Vieux Carré, which was invented in New Orleans in the 1930s, at a bar called the Carousel Bar inside the Hotel Monteleone — it’s very famous.”

Sticking to the spirit-forward classic, Voodoo Carré is made with rye, cognac, sweet vermouth and bitters. McShea wanted to reinvent the old-timey drink by substituting Bénédictine liqueur in favor of a more modern palate. “We add Amaro Nonino, which is a guava-based amaro. And it really lends itself well to flavors. It’s not as super syrupy or bitter as other amaros. And then we add a dash of peach balsamic vinegar — gives it a nice, nice bite.”

“Then we smoke it with applewood.” McShea explains how one smokes a cocktail. “We have this contraption, I kind of invented this one. I just made it out of stuff that I had,” he says, pointing to a device on the bar top. “Basically it’s a cloche device. A hand smoker runs through it, and the pipe runs through the base and comes up through the bottom of the cloched area. It will fill up with smoke and give a nice aromatic texture to the cocktail.”

Wood smoke flavor coats glass and the top of the drink. “You’re getting the aroma when you’re tasting. So you’re getting these campfire notes along with pepper from the rye, the fruit flavors from the cognac… It’s a nice melding of a lot of different sensory ingredients.”

Using this technique, Voodoo Carré taps into the spirit of Nola. “With smoke you think magic and ‘mysticism,’ if you will. That’s where the smoking element comes in. It adds that mystic aura around it, which would equate to voodoo.”

McShea thinks it’s a perfect pairing for rich southern cuisine. “The balsamic component of the cocktail is acidic, so it really cuts through. If you’re going to eat a nice fried chicken entrée with mac and cheese, you want something that will kind of cut that fat. The rye, cognac and the balsamic vinegar are going to cut that for you. It compliments soul food really well.”

Voodoo Carré

• Louisiana Purchase’s
• Voodoo Carré
• 1 oz Rye Whiskey
• 1 oz Cognac
• ½ oz Amaro Nonino
• ½ oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1 bar spoon peach balsamic
• 1 dash pechauds
• 1 dash angostura
• Add ingredients to mixing glass, stir until adequately diluted and chilled. Smoke with applewood; garnish with orange twist.