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Roffignac Cocktail
1 jigger whiskey
1 pony sirup
seltzer or soda water
ra§pberry sirup
Pour into a highball glass the jigger of whiskey (or use cognac,
as in the original drink). Add the sirup, which may be rasp-
berry, grenadine, or. red Hembarig, the sweetening used in New
Orleans a century ago. Add the soda water. Ice, of course.
Joseph Rofl&gnac, before he fled his native land of
France at the time of the Revolution, was Count Louis
Philippe Joseph de Roffignac. In time he became a lead
ing merchant in New Orleans, the city of his adoption,
and its mayor for eight years. He fought the British
under "Old Hickory" at the Battle of New Orleans,
served in the state legislature, and was a banker of note.
As mayor he introduced street lighting, and laid the first
cobblestones in Royal street. For all his many honors,
Roffignac's name comes to us through the years linked
with a favorite tipple of Old New Orleans—the Roffig
nac.
While not so celebrated as A. A. Peychaud's cocktail,
it was equally potent. The red Hembarig mentioned
in the directions for mixing was a popular sirup when
old New Orleans was young.
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