Flaming Brulot

Sunday night, the Fatman (Kevin) from Chef and the Fatman took us to his favourite restaurant, Arnauds. Not only did we get the VIP treatment from all of the staff, but James sat us at Archie Casbarian's table. Archie was the owner until he passed away earlier this year. From what I hear, he took over Arnauds 31 years ago and resurrected it from nearly dead. It was truly an honour for us.

I had taken a bunch of pictures of our individual meals and desserts, but they didn't turn out all that well, so I'll dedicate this page to the end of the evening and our Flaming Brulot. You can read more about the actual recipe at FrenchQuarter.com.

A highlight of JT's evening was the live jazz band that came to play at our table. 2 or 3 songs later and he was beside himself. I'm not a huge jazz fan but I'll admit it was some good music and really added to the evening.

James was our host for the evening and he did everything he could to make our night a great one. The Flaming Brulot took about 20 minutes from beginning to end, including the storytelling about the drink itself. While the story is being told, he's peeling the orange and preparing it for the show.

Add a little alcohol and a flame and what do you get? A spectacular display. Notice the bright glowing parts on the orange peel. These are cloves inserted into the peel and they burn a little brighter, representing the devil's eyes.

A little more alcohol into the bowl and more fire. Yes, this attracted the attention of the other guests here in French 75, the bar in Arnauds. Who wouldn't notice bright blue flames lighting up the palce?

The curtain call for the orange as James drops it into the bowl to add flavour to our drink. It died a slow death surrounded by the alcohol.

The final ingredient is the coffee that is poured into the bowl, extinguishing the fire and mixing with the alcohol and orange. The end result was a very nice drink that got better with the second cup. Thanks James for a great night and for Kevin bringing us to this great establishment.

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