Gourmet products local specialties and wines New Orleans

Once you cross the threshold, the smell immediately whets your appetite. The cheeses are in the open air, which is unusual in the United States. You can taste almost everything. The waiters are rather open to debate on the qualities and defects of this or that cheese. On the menu, every dish has its share of cheese. Buy a bottle of wine to accompany your meal at the shop next door, the cheese shop is not licensed. American cheese can sometimes be better than you think! Cheese lovers, here is an address you can't miss!

Since 1935, Aunt Sally's chocolates have been handmade with only natural ingredients. The traditional chocolates are creamy and rich. In the store, you will find not only chocolates, but also many other homemade products such as chocolate covered pecans, cinnamon, sugar, etc., spices, hot sauces and tutti quanti, as well as Café du Monde products (coffees, doughnuts), recipe books, etc.

Opened in February 2020, this Mid-City neighborhood microdistillery specializes in Caribbean-style arranged rum. Its 504Rum line comes in five distinct varieties, including one with bananas, vanilla, cinnamon and spices or the famous King Cake version distilled with Louisiana molasses and infused with pecans, cinnamon, vanilla and orange peels. Cocktail syrups are also produced on site, either with hibiscus or pralines. Guided tours of the facilities are available by appointment.

Sweet offers ice cream, but what attracts the eye above all (and the greedy ones!) are its macaroons. It also offers fine chocolates and pastries (expensive and not always fresh). When one enters, the difference is obvious. The owners of this place invested a million dollars to change this old clothing shop into a sweet shop, as its name indicates. They even hired an engineer to have an ideal temperature throughout the shop and in the kitchen.

Frenchman and chef Dominique Rizzo opened this bakery in 2000. Enjoying a fine reputation, it nevertheless went through some difficult times when it reopened at the end of 2015, after a period of inactivity due to renovation. That's when renowned chef Donald Link, himself a customer of the establishment, stepped in, buying out the business and putting pastry chef Maggie Scales behind the stoves. You can find good crispy baguette, pastries, salads and sandwiches, etc. A must try!

A must for fresh beignets, a very popular sweet in New Orleans. It is said to be the locals' favorite establishment for beignets. Located on the lively Royal Street, Cafe Beignet is the meeting point for some tours. Don't miss its lovely shaded patio, which is especially nice at the beginning of the day to soak up the atmosphere of the French Quarter before heading out to explore its streets. Mention should be made of the Bourbon Street branch, which offers jazz performances every day starting at 10 am.

Located in a rather industrial area just off I-10, this distillery takes its name from the number of neighborhoods in the city - 73. The team of enthusiasts here bottles superb creations like St. Roch cucumber vodka, barrel-aged Bywater bourbon, Gentilly herb-infused gin and Black Pearl white rum with sugar cane. The tasting room bar allows you to enjoy your spirits and cocktails made with the house spirits.

A true wine cellar like you wouldn't expect to find in Louisiana. All the spirits, beers and wines are there, or almost. The store has other branches in the state: two in Baton Rouge, one in Mandeville and another in Metairie. Three of these stores, including the one in New Orleans, also have a deli counter for on-site snacking. On the menu are lunch salads, cheese and charcuterie platters, sandwiches (more than twenty choices and the possibility of custom-made) and wines by the glass.

Welcome to the time of the famous Sazerac spirit! The eponymous cocktail gained popularity in the 1850s and is now on the slate in many bars around the world. On the self-guided tour, you'll learn everything there is to know about Sazerac, from its history to its distillation. The place also distills other spirits and is behind the conception of the famous Peychaud bitter. They also offer a wide range of tasting packages as well as workshops to perfect your taste buds or to discover what goes on behind the scenes.