New Orleans: #RAD

New Orleans is home to several classics cocktails, including the Sazerac and Ramos Gin Fizz. But each year, a new crop of creative drinks springs to life at Tales of the Cocktail, the fun-loving conference that brings together thousands of industry pros and consumers for a week-long focus on bars, drinks and hospitality. Naturally, beverages are served, sometimes alongside educational seminars and sometimes at parties. The latter is where New Orleans: #RAD first appeared.

The bubbly cocktail was created by New York bartender Pam Wiznitzer during her favorite moment of the annual convention. Following the last Tales event on Sunday night, the industry takes over a local bar and breaks out the sparkling rosé to the chant of “rosé all day.” Wiznitzer captured the energy of this moment with her specialty cocktail. The New Orleans: #RAD is made with cognac, St-Germain, strawberry puree and absinthe, plus a float of sparkling rosé, and it’s served in a white wine glass. The drink is fresh, fruity, effervescent and aromatic, but somehow, the best part is the garnish.

That’s because the cocktail is festooned with a tiny, yellow rubber ducky—yes, the kind you’d typically find in a bathtub. If you don’t have a rubber ducky on hand, you can of course leave the garnish off, as it does not impact the drink’s flavor or aroma. But you can’t knock the visual appeal. Just try not to smile each time you bring the glass to your lips.

A Drinker’s Tour: New Orleans