Obituary Cocktail: The Great Saloons of New Orleans

by Kerri McCaffety

The new Two years after its original release, the new Obituary Cocktail has more bars, photos, drink recipes, and quotes. Six added spreads include the bar in the kitchen at Commander's Palace, The Circle Bar and its Herradura tequila shot with tonic--the Harry Tonic Jr.--and Butler's fantastically seedy interior. WINNER Silver Medals, Publisher's Mktg Assoc & Ind Publ Assoc 2002! Book of the Year 1999 (New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association).

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks

144 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1999

About the author

“Kerri's work is lush with natural light that makes the images sensual and rich, and transforms the places she photographs into poems.”
–Francis Ford Coppola

Bachelor of Science in anthropology at Tulane University, New Orleans, 1989
Internship with Peter Woloszynski, World of Interiors, 1995

Kerri McCaffety has photographed twelve books, six of which she also wrote. Awards for her books and images include a gold Lowell Thomas award, gold and silver Benjamin Franklin Awards, an Alpha award, New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association’s Book of the Year, and two silver Independent Publisher awards. While documenting the city’s architectural and cultural history, she has been called “stunningly skilled,” “a genius,” and “the reigning Queen of New Orleans color photography.” Her works have been deemed “pillars of Louisiana’s cultural record.”
In 1998, McCaffety published her first book, Obituary Cocktail, The Great Saloons of New Orleans, a photographic essay and history exploring the city’s social and architectural heritage through its tradition of drink. It was named Book of the Year by regional booksellers, broke sales records in New Orleans, and became a local sensation. Obituary Cocktail went on to inspire a fan club and a popular bar tour while winning major awards from the country’s two leading independent publishers’ groups.
McCaffety's latest book, New Orleans New Elegance, published by Random House imprint Monacelli Press, is scheduled for release in May 2012.
Her books include:
Obituary Cocktail, The Great Saloons of New Orleans, 1998
The Majesty of the French Quarter, 1999
The Majesty of St. Charles Avenue (with writer Cynthia McCaffety), 2001
Masking and Madness: Mardi Gras in New Orleans (with writer Cynthia McCaffety), 2002
Etouffée, Mon Amour: The Great Restaurants of New Orleans, 2002
St. Joseph Altars, 2003
The Chandelier Through the Centuries, 2006
Napoleon House (with writer Mikko Macchione), 2006
The Finest Rooms in America by Thomas Jayne, 2010
Big Easy Style by Bryan Batt, October 2011

McCaffety’s work has been featured in Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful, Interior Design, Colonial Homes, Southern Accents, The Oxford American, Home Magazine, Town and Country, Louisiana Cultural Vistas, Historic Traveler and Travel & Leisure. Her photographs are a part of the permanent collection at the Louisiana State Museum and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
In 2007 and 2008, McCaffety served as Features Editor at Louisiana Homes and Gardens Magazine.

Reviews

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never had a drink in any of these, but the book brought back fond memories of hours in an all night bar in the Quarter called Jimani. I wonder if it survived CoVid. Like so many of these bars, it looked like absolutely nothing on the outside. The Crescent City is definitely another planet!

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I'm not a huge fan of "coffee table books" but I really enjoyed this one. Now I feel challenged to make it to the (approximately) 1/3 of the featured bars that I haven't yet been imbibing at.

[Rebecca Guinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so regret not going to Bruning’s while I lived in NOLA. I am fortunate to have been to many of the places in this treasure of a book.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Kerri McCaffety's books that I came across. I saw a flag that said "Obituary Cocktail" hanging from a gallery in the French Quarter on a visit in spring 2005. I bought the book as soon as I could get my hands on it and pored over it immediately. This is still my favorite of her work. It combines several of my loves -- New Orleans,photography, and booze. Her images capture each saloon perfectly, from the diviest of them all, the Saturn Bar (RIP), to the swank revolving carousel bar at the Monteleone.

[John Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheers! It's a great insight into the saloons of my home town. Drink it all in and feel the comfort of a city that has opened its arms and social being to a myriad of cultures, cuisine, and the fermented wonders of life that make it worth while.

jb

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful coffee-table book that I have given as a gift many times. I don't know if it is still in print, but I want one for myself!