A refreshing riff on a Tom Collins, the Blind Serpent delivers all the refreshing vibes one looks for on a muggy evening
Hotel Maison de la Luz’s Bar Marilou is the kind of intriguing French-style cafe that might only exist in a city as creative, occult, and classic as New Orleans. The Blind Serpent cocktail may be the best representation of that in liquid form. Featuring a mix of grapefruit, cucumber, lime, and gin, this Tom Collins twist plays on the hotel’s serpent-y ethos.
Joshua Fontaine, co-founder of Quixotic Partners and bar-partner of Bar Marilou, tells us…
Name the cocktail.
Blind Serpent
What inspired the name? What’s this drink’s origin story?
Bar Marilou is located at the hotel Maison de la Luz, which has a serpent motif blended into its decor – most famously it has custom-made snake bathroom shower handles. The Blind Serpent was named in tribute to the various decorative snakes found in the building.
What other drinks belong in its family?
Blind Serpent is a zhuzhed up Tom Collins.
if you like ________ and ________ you should try this drink.
Easy and refreshing
What food is this cocktail best served with?
The Pommes Marilou and Frog Legs
Ingredients
- .5 oz english cucumber juice*
- .5 oz lime juice
- 1 oz grapefruit cordial**
- 2-3 large basil leaves
- 1 oz tonic
- 1.5 oz gin
Directions
Shake all ingredients except tonic, double strain. Serve in a tall collins glass, filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a cucumber “snake”*** and a basil leaf.
*Roughly chop one english cucumber with skin on. Place in blender with 1/4c water. Blend until smooth. Strain through a chinois or strainer to remove pulp.
**Grapefruit Cordial (home bar version)
- Zest of 3 grapefruits (approx 100g)
- 125g sugar
- 12 green cardamom pods
Place in Ziploc bag and press out air.
Refrigerate overnight.
Add:
- 250ml grapefruit juice
- 1.5g salt
Note: add juice to Ziploc bag and swish it around: make sure to get all of the oleo sugar out.
***Make a wide peel of an english cucumber peeling lengthwise. Wind the peel around your finger to create cucumber snake.
