Chris Hannah • Arnaud's French 75 Bar, New OrleansHannah named this pleasantly bitter stirred-gin cocktail after a poet in Greek mythology who boasted that he could sing better than the Muses, challenged them to a contest and lost. More Gin Cocktails
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At Arnaud's French 75 Bar (just four blocks from the bar where Santini worked), Chris Hannah makes this apple-accented riff on the Brandy Crusta using Calvados instead of the classic's Cognac.
This absinthe-accented drink, whose base spirit Cognac is paired with Dubonnet rouge and Aperol, was featured in a festival in the Cognac region of France. Slideshow: Cocktails for the Coupe
Chris Hannah adds a good dose of Peychaud's bitters here, giving the cocktail a pretty pink-red color. Peychaud's, a brand of bitters with bright anise and cherry flavors, is made from a recipe dating back to 19th-century New Orleans. Plus: How to Make Bitters
Arnaud's French 75 Bar * New OrleansBartender Chris Hannah and Cocktaildb.com guru Ted Haigh were bemoaning how few drinks are made with the saffron-colored herbal liqueur Strega ("witch" in Italian), so Hannah created one.Plus: Ultimate Cocktail Guide
Arnaud's French 75 Bar • New OrleansChris Hannah's spin on the Negroni was inspired by a character called the Contessa in Tennessee Williams's 1950 novel, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. "The Contessa was a terrible swindler and instigator who was obsessed with the Negroni," says Hannah. "I felt she deserved a drink named after her." Reinvented Classic Cocktail Recipes
While Chris Hannah loves making classic cocktails, he also enjoys tinkering with them to come up with new drinks. The licoricey Cherry Blossom Brocade uses three ingredients that weren't available in the US when the Brandy Crusta was invented a century and a half ago: whiskey-like Dutch genever, Heering cherry liqueur and absinthe. Slideshow: More Cherry Cocktails
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This hot Cognac punch evokes the flavors of fall. It's mixed with a pumpkin butter that includes pureed pumpkin, brown sugar, Amaro and baking spices. For a quick substitute, mixologist Chris Hannah sometimes uses a jarred pumpkin butter. Slideshow: Fall Cocktails
Arnaud's French 75 Bar · New OrleansThe nearly century-old bar at Arnaud's Restaurant sells cigars as well as cocktails. Chris Hannah would pair his Bywater with a dark, rich maduro-wrapped stogie because "their complexities match." More Rum Drinks
