Born Bayou Featured Bartender - Richard Luong
My name is Richard and I am the head bartender of Daiwa Sushi in New Orleans. I am a first generation Vietnamese American, born and raised in Louisiana, and our culture fully envelops me. New Orleans’ culture is a beautiful melting pot, full of all ethnicities and backgrounds, with its spirit being prevalent in every second of our day. New Orleans is very French influenced, just like Vietnam, which makes sense that there is a strong Vietnamese community here in New Orleans. Almost every Vietnamese household here has a bottle of Cognac on their shelf. But as a bartender here in this state, I understand that our history has a diverse background in all spirits, despite our strongly united culture.
Louisiana grows an abundance of sugarcane, which we use as sugar, in our cuisines, and allows us to make fantastic rum. I believe that rum is the foundation of Louisiana culture when it comes to spirits, and that can be seen in all bars on our shelves and in our cocktails. In New Orleans, our streets are festive all day long, especially during big holidays and events such as Mardi Gras, where drinks and good times are plentiful.
As a bartender here in the state of Louisiana, my passion is fueled by our people, because we are strong, joyful, festive, and beautiful. We are celebratory in spirit, passionately traditional, and always willing to learn more. I love my job as a bartender here at Daiwa, because all of my guests are bright-eyed and willing to learn more about Japanese culture. If its one thing we know how to enjoy, it’s a delicious alcoholic beverage. Our Louisiana bar culture here is deeply rooted, but we are learning and improving every day, and we’re having fun while doing it.
Bayou Rum makes fantastic and beautifully crafted rum, with many different expressions to enjoy. As a bartender, I particularly love whiskey and rum because they’re the most fun to work with. My personal favorite expression is the Bayou® XO Mardi Gras, due to its complexity from the bourbon barrel maturation and sherry barrel finish. As such, I wanted to create a cocktail with Bayou® XO Mardi Gras to to reflect my city’s extraordinary history and culture. I also wanted to use the Vieux Carre cocktail template due to its artful blend between the French, Italian, Caribbean, and American cultures. Try my twist on the classic below.
Mardi Gras at Vieux Carre
¾ oz Bayou® XO Mardi Gras
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
2 dashes 18:21 Japanese Chili and Lime Bitters
2 tsp Benedictine
¾ oz Punt E Mes
¾ oz Cognac
Garnish with Orange Peel
Add all ingredients into mixing glass with ice and stir until combined and chilled. Serve up and strain into a cocktail glass and express orange peel onto drink.
