New Orleans Cooking Class and Cocktail Walking Tour

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

Stops and time spent at each

1. Runyon Canyon Park2h
2. St. Louis Cathedral

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.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 14:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (21 and older) · Under 21: can't be booked

GroupUp to 18

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

ConfirmationConfirmation within 48 h

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effort

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.

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Top questions

What exactly happens during the cooking class part?

The New Orleans School of Cooking hosts a 2-hour demonstration where a professional chef prepares jambalaya, gumbo and pralines while you watch and learn about the spices and cultural roots of Cajun and Creole cuisine. You don't cook yourself, but you taste generous samples of each dish with complimentary coffee, iced tea and beer, and you take home a recipe booklet and custom spice packet.

Which cocktails are included in the tour?

Two classic New Orleans cocktails are included in the price. The tour visits the bars where drinks like the Sazerac (invented in 1850) and Southern Comfort (created in 1874) were born, and you'll learn their histories as you sip them. Additional drinks are available for purchase.

What is the French Quarter part of the tour like?

After the cooking class, your guide leads you through the historic French Quarter, stopping at bars and landmarks tied to New Orleans cocktail history. You'll see the St. Louis Cathedral, the former home of the apothecary who created Peychaud's Bitters, the Court of Two Sisters with its 130-year-old wisteria vine, and Fritzel's jazz pub, where you're welcome to stay for live music.

Is there any hands-on cooking involved?

No, this is a demonstration class only. You watch the chef prepare the dishes and learn the techniques and history, then sample what they've made, but you don't cook yourself.

What's included in the price?

The cooking demonstration, generous food samples with coffee, iced tea and beer, a recipe booklet, a custom spice packet, a discount coupon for the General Store, the guided cocktail walking tour, and two classic cocktails with taxes and service gratuities included.

What time does the tour start and end?

The experience begins at the New Orleans School of Cooking and lasts about 4 hours total. Your cocktail guide meets you outside the cooking school by 4:15pm to start the second part of the tour, which ends in the early evening.