Location: Various locations
Cuisine: Daiquiris and other Spirits, Pizza
Pricing: $-$$
Drinking on Bourbon Street is a right of passage, right? Been there, done that and have too many souvenir cups to prove it. Big Easy Daiquiris was no different. With multiple locations around the city, I found myself there twice on my recent visit – once in the daytime at one location and once in the evening at another. Very different visits, of course.
When visiting in the daytime, there were other day drinkers present but of course, no major crowd. I walked in and took a seat at the hightop and was promptly greeted by a friendly bartender. After a few moments I decided that I didn’t want to go TOO hard (it was like 10:45 am), so I opted for the 2/$6 Jello Shots. Not too much before 11 am, LOL. The jello shots were in novelty syringes that were huge and filled with the alcoholic concoction in jello form! I chose Cherry and Blue Raspberry and not only were both delicious, as a lightweight I felt a nice buzz so it’s good to know that they aren’t skimping on the alcohol! Great daytime experience!
My evening experience was something totally different. I will note that this was Dec 31. and at their location on Bourbon Street around 10:30 pm and knew I would be walking into a crowd and that’s just what happened. With no clear lines, you’re stuck just standing and waiting and pushing ahead to get to the counter. With about 6 bartenders working, it still seemed as if no progress was being made as waiting took longer and longer. While that was no surprise, it was quite annoying when I saw the Bartender in front of me catering to people in only one section when those of us who were at the front in another area were being skipped over. Being a former Bartender I knew how to get his attention and have no issue ensuring that I’m not continuously skipped over and I’m glad about that as that’s the only way I got my drink.
For $13, the initial few sips and the souvenir cup were worth it but I hated that it seemingly melted before I even got out of the crowd. Not the company’s fault (unless they need to work on their cooling systems) but a bummer nevertheless. I will say that the fact that the cup is super cute and I remember that the initial taste was yummy saved my experience here along with my original experience while boozing in the daytime.
Your best bet in the evening? Opt for a smaller joint with fewer lines and better customer service, you’ll be much happier.