32 / 60
30
MY
ROUSES
EVERYDAY
JULY | AUGUST 2016
the
Cocktail
issue
I
have a standalone two-car garage that sets to the back of my
lot. There are no cars in it; they wouldn’t fit. 19 years ago I
converted the space into a shot-and-beer bar, a spot to watch
football. I dubbed it the Pavilion.Over the years the Pavilion became
more pub, less beer joint. There’s an L-shaped wooden bar that’s
part relic from the old Jefferson Downs horse track in Kenner, part
hired workmanship. I also added vintage décor and accoutrements
from shops along the Highway 61 corridor between Baton Rouge
and Natchez, Mississippi. My wife, Melissa, and I scoured these
stores for vintage cocktail items and early 20
th
century items that
would work as accents or even practical use.
Mine is a tight-knit neighborhood. We get together for barbecues,
crawfish boils and to watch football. Once a month, eleven of us
gather in the Pavilion to “Contemplate, Debate, and Celebrate” a
classic cocktail.
We’d dreamed up the idea of the Old Metairie Cocktail Club over
Manhattans at a neighborhood barbecue Joe Messina was hosting.
Another neighbor, Tommy Barbier, mentioned that he used to be a
bartender. Our plan quickly unfolded from there.
Our first meeting was less than auspicious, though. It was the
Thursday night before Katrina. We wrote our mission statement,
some bylaws, planned out membership, and drank a Pimm’s Cup. It
would be awhile before our next meting.
Old Metairie
Cocktail Club
by
John Cruse