Cookbook Thursday: Prohibition in New Orleans

When Prohibition ruled the land folks in New Orleans weren’t always following the rules. Shocking, we know. A fun book reflecting the time and the city’s lack of obedience is “Shaking Up Prohibition in New Orleans: Authentic Vintage Cocktails from A to Z” by New Orleans artist Olive Leonhardt (illustrator of the New Orleans literary magazine The Double Dealer) and political activist Hilda Phelps Hammond. 

The duo produced this collection of illustrated recipes and alphabetic poetry in 1929 and the guide has been cleverly reproduced by LSU Press, edited by Gay Leonhardt, granddaughter of Olive and curator of shows for The Center of Photography at Woodstock and The Hermitage Museum and Gardens, among others. 

Leonhardt will sign copies of her book at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 22, at Octavia Books in New Orleans.

Here’s a sampling from the book:

J

Jitters one can best express

In jabbering words of emptiness,

Birdie witted, episodic

Also tant soit peu nomadic (slightly nomadic or slightly aimless),

Paracme (when crisis of fever has ended) to every smile,

Rococo but so worth while!

Jujube

1 teaspoon of sugar

4 dashes Angostura Bitters

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 glass of gin

Ice

Louisiana Book News is written by Cheré Coen, the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “ExploringCajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.