Photograph courtesy of Erin Rose
4pm in New Orleans
By Bartender Liam Deegan
My favorite time of day is late afternoon. If you have the day off, it's not unreasonable to walk into a bar around 4 or so for the first beer of the day, it might be after a late lunch.
I really love going into an empty bar and watching it fill as it turns to night. The Erin Rose is one of my favorite places to hang out in the afternoon. Drinking beers and frozen Irish coffees if it's hot, or hot irish coffees and shots of Tullamore Dew if it's cold. When you get there around 4pm, it's pretty mellow and just a few people soaking up the fact that while on vacation they can day drink, or some industry folks getting off of their day shift. More than likely I'll run into someone I know who is wandering around same as me or deciding to end the work day a bit early.
As time goes on and it starts to get dark, the energy builds in the bar, you might see a shift change and the jukebox gets a little more action, more people file in and you see a quiet French Quarter local/neighborhood bar transform into what most people remember (or don't remember) it for. Regulars who don't even live in New Orleans come in to see their favorite bartenders, like Murf or Jeff, who are happy to dish out rounds of shots. Before you know it, the afternoon is gone and it's time to eat again. You're ready to walk out into the night, maybe everything has a glow to it thanks to the whiskey, and you have one more reason to love New Orleans.
THE ERIN ROSE - 811 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 70112 | T: 504.522.3573 | www.erinrosebar.com
Bartender Liam Deegan is a partner at Barrel Proof in New Orleans.
Liam Deegan is a certified cicerone (like a beer sommelier), one of the youngest cicerones in the country. He previously worked at Sylvain and currently runs the bar program at Barrel Proof. Barrel Proof carries every Japanese whiskey available in New Orleans and they have an extensive list of whiskeys from around the world. This is a serious cocktail bar, but also a place to have a $5 beer and a shot.
BARREL PROOF
1201 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
T: 504.299.1888 | www.barrelproofnola.com
To get bartender Liam Deegan's New Orleans eating and drinking recommendations download the Find. Eat. Drink. iPhone app.
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