For 14 years, bespectacled and bow-tied barman Chris Hannah was a fixture behind the stick at Arnaud’s French 75 Bar in New Orleans, where he not only revived a long-forgotten cocktail, the Brandy Crusta, but led the beloved institution to a 2017 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Bar Program.
These days, you can find Hannah a few blocks away at Jewel of the South, his latest venture with industry veteran Nick Detrich, also his partner in the Quarter’s Cuban-inspired Manolito. Named after the tavern owned by famed 19th-century New Orleans bartender Joseph Santini, who invented the aforementioned Brandy Crusta, Jewel of the South offers an evolving menu of seasonal small plates that pair with New Orleans classics like the house Sazaerac, as well as Hannah’s mix of playful original cocktails.
