New Orleans Cooking Class and Cocktail Walking Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/20

Duration4h

GroupUp to 18

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

A cooking demonstration, a recipe booklet, and two cocktails in the bars where they were invented

A 4-hour activity in New Orleans combining a cooking demonstration at the New Orleans School of Cooking with a guided cocktail walking tour through the French Quarter. You watch a professional chef prepare jambalaya, gumbo and pralines, sample the dishes with coffee and beer, then walk to historic bars to learn the origins of the Sazerac and other classics while sipping two included drinks. Minimum age is 21; the cooking class is demonstration only, not hands-on.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cooking class and cocktail tour

Attend 2-hour cooking demonstration
Sample jambalaya, gumbo, and pralines
Shop at the General Store
Meet cocktail tour guide at cooking school
Stroll French Quarter and admire architecture
Visit historic bars and sip cocktails
Learn about Southern Comfort and Sazerac
End tour at Fritzel's jazz pub

The Experience

The day starts at the New Orleans School of Cooking with a 2-hour demonstration led by a professional chef. You watch as they prepare Louisiana classics—jambalaya, gumbo, pralines—while explaining the spices that define Cajun and Creole cooking and how French, Spanish, Native American and African traditions shaped the city's food. You don't cook yourself; instead you taste generous samples of each dish, served with complimentary coffee, iced tea and beer. A recipe booklet and custom spice packet go home with you, along with a discount coupon for the school's General Store, where you have a few minutes to browse before your cocktail guide arrives.

By 4:15pm, your cocktail tour guide meets you outside the cooking school to lead you through the French Quarter's cobblestone streets. The route connects the bars where New Orleans' most famous drinks were born: the Sazerac, invented in 1850, and Southern Comfort, created in 1874. You'll stop at the former home of Antoine Peychaud, the Creole apothecary whose bitters became essential to the Sazerac; at a legendary pirate bar near the St. Louis Cathedral where absinthe once drew writers and artists; and at the Court of Two Sisters, a restaurant that has occupied the same block since 1726 under a 130-year-old wisteria vine. Two cocktails are included in the price. The tour ends at Fritzel's, a jazz pub where you can stay for live music or walk to dinner at one of the nearby restaurants.

The entire experience takes about 4 hours and is suitable for all fitness levels. The tour requests that you walk to the departure point if possible to help preserve the French Quarter from traffic—most downtown hotels are just a short stroll away. You'll receive a drink special coupon you can use at any of the bars visited, and gratuities and any additional alcoholic beverages beyond the two included are available for purchase.

What’s included

The cooking demonstration at the New Orleans School of Cooking.
generous samples of jambalaya, gumbo and pralines with complimentary coffee, iced tea and beer.
a recipe booklet and custom spice packet.
a discount coupon for the General Store.
a guided cocktail walking tour through the French Quarter.
two classic cocktails with taxes and service gratuities included.
and a drink special coupon for use at the bars visited.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Gray Line New Orleans

Is this one for you?This works well for small groups or friends who want to understand New Orleans food and drink culture in one afternoon without splitting the day between separate activities. The fixed schedule—cooking class first, then cocktails—keeps everything connected, and the two included drinks mean you're not negotiating prices at each bar.