When we were in New Orleans recently to do some research for our upcoming book (and to do a book signing of our current one at Tales of the Cocktail) we had the opportunity to hang out with Chris Hannah, barman at the French 75 Bar in the historic Arnaud’s Restaurant.

We talked Sazerac, we talked rye, and then we talked about the drink he created in 2010 that’s made such a commotion in the cocktail world: the Rebennack.

Chris told us he was going out for the day and wanted to mix up something he could carry around the city in a flask. After some thought and experimenting he came up with the drink, now he needed to come up with a name.

As it just so happened, Chris attended Krewe du Vieux (Mardi Gras parade, the catalyst for needing a walk-around-drink) and the King of the parade—Grammy Award winning musician “Dr. John” Mac Rebennack—handed him a cup.

The drink had a name: The Rebennack. Believe us, this cocktail is tasty! It's really reminiscent of an Old Fashioned: the whiskey is the star of the show, while the other ingredients fuse it with a variety of essences.

To make two drinks (or fill a flask):

• 4 ounces rye
• 1 ounce Amaro Averna (Italian liqueur)
• ½ ounce Creole Shrub (orange liqueur)
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Stir with ice, strain and serve.

Below watch Chris himself make his signature drink.