Let The Good Times Flow!
Restaurant August is celebrating Mardi Gras with its specialty cocktail, Clearly King Cake—a refined take on a King Cake in a glass.
The cocktail, being offered exclusively at the elegant eatery, has evolved the Carnival-time pastry into a transparent milk punch that captures the sweetness of the season without the sugary flavor for which its namesake pastry is famous. This cocktail—available only until Ash Wednesday—is a smooth blend of spiced rum, cinnamon whiskey, fresh orange juice, vanilla extract, toasted almond bitters, sugar, and clarified milk punch.
Although executive chef Corey Thomas has lead the culinary direction of August since 2022, Clearly King Cake is the creation of assistant general manager Tyler Cox.
"We like to drink our desserts here in New Orleans," said Cox. With deep experience at other top restaurants in the city, he brings unique perspectives to the drink. "The Clearly King Cake is a combination liquid version of a King Cake. Its across between Brandy Milk Punch and a King Cake Daiquiri."
"Unlike a daiquiri, the clarified milk makes it less heavy, so you can enjoy a few without feeling too full," Cox explained. But the drink is deceptive in the sense that the clear concoction makes it seem like it would be a lighter drink, but it is has the milk attributes without the white coloring. And while the initial taste hits the palate with the remarkable taste of a king cake, the secondary taste is similar to a sour cocktail.
"The freshly squeezed oranges in it adds a citrus taste and we add
citrus bitters, which brightens the orange coloring while countering the
sugar so it doesn't taste like an overly syrupy sweet drink," Cox
said. Interestingly, the initial sour shock becomes more subtle and more
complimentary—whether its the mouth acclimating or the cocktail
mellowing as the mixture continues to blend is unclear. "I made a lot of
really bad ones before this profile, so I'm glad people like it."
Louisiana-native Chef Corey is aware something many would consider a dessert drink may be difficult to pair, but the award-winning chef is up to the challenge. He recommends pairing the Mardi Gras-themed cocktail with the Bluefin Tuna Crudo, a bright dish featuring fresh passionfruit. Another option—and one of the chef's personal favorites—is the Terrine of Foie Gras. But for the patrons looking to have it strictly as a dessert treat might find it pairs surprisingly well with Restaurant August's new Strawberry Pavlova dessert.
Unexpectedly, the Clearly King Cake also pairs well with
the Black-and-Blue Gnocchi appetizer. The warm pasta with winter truffles, jumbo
lump crab, and Parmesan cheese is complemented by the cool sweetness.
Although not intuitive, it worked.
The drink is not the only
contribution Restaurant August is infusing into the city's annual
celebration, however. Outside August's Tchoupitoulas Street doors, the
restaurant is well represented by Chef Corey Thomas serving as this
year's Krewe of Lafcadio King, with Executive Pastry Chef Tamber Weiersheuser serving as Duchess and Executive Sous Chef Hunter Wilkinson serving as Duke.
As the restaurant's cuisine embraces the Franco-American heritage of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, a fitting toast may be, "Let them drink cake!"
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Clearly King Cake is exclusively available at Restaurant August on the tail end of most Uptown parade routes in New Orleans, but only until final service on Fat Tuesday.
