Classic Cocktail: The Grasshopper

When Mark Latter took over Tujague’s, the second-oldest restaurant in New Orleans, after his father passed away in 2013, the forward-looking restaurateur got to work clearing away decades of figurative cobwebs—the landmark French Quarter eatery celebrates its 160th anniversary this year. The five-course menu went à la carte, and Latter added new dishes of lump crab gnocchi and crawfish cavatelli. It was clear from the beginning, though, that some things would stick around. The ghosts, for starters. The restless spirits, said to include an early-twentieth-century stage star and a former owner, are as much a part of the restaurant’s mythology as such beloved house specialties as shrimp doused in red remoulade and chunks of brisket with Tujague’s signature horseradish sauce. On August 11, chef John Besh will lend a hand in the kitchen for a special anniversary dinner. To fully appreciate the meal, take a spin through Tujague’s: 160 Years of Tradition (through October), an exhibition at the city’s Southern Food and Beverage Museum, where you can learn about everything from the ghosts to the gumbo. And, most important, the pronunciation; it’s “Too-jacks.”