- Witness a piece of history as the spirit of the emperor finally makes it to New Orleans and be one of the first to taste the newly launched Mandarine Napoléon Grande Cuvée XO ($300 SRP) at the official tasting room hosted by James Beard Award winner, Jim Meehan.
- Dust off your compasses, get out your Big Easy maps and have your smart phones ready because Mandarine Napoléon is hosting an interactive and sensory tour of The French Quarter during this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. At the end of the excursion, a grand prize awaits, culminating in a multi-country trip through Europe, among other coveted prizes.
The Mandarine Napoléon XO Tasting Room, Napoléon House, 500 Chartres Street
Wednesday, July 25, 2012 | 3PM – 6PM
Never one to come up short, Mandarine Napoléon will be hosting a tasting room at the iconic Napoléon House that will feature three different tasting stations:
1. King of the cocktail, Jim Meehan, will be crafting unique cocktails using the mandarin-based liqueur and signing copies of his highly acclaimed The PDT Cocktail Book.
2. Tastings of the limited edition XO will be available for those who like saying, “I tried it first”. Here’s the chance to be among the earliest to experience this production, which yielded only 900 bottles globally for the next year and a half. The XO is made of fine cognac that is oak-aged for 30 years and grapes from a secret location in the famous Grande Champagne, which is then mixed with a distillate crafted from mandarin peels and 27 enriching herbs and spices.
3. Known for their specialty drinks, Napoléon House will be gracing guests with complimentary Café Napoléon cocktails, a refreshing play on an iced coffee cocktail using Mandarine Napoléon and Bittermens New Orleans Coffee Liqueur. The historic venue will also be serving hors d’oeuvres that guarantee to conquer the palate.
Mandarine Napoléon’s Tour de NOLA, Various Locations
Tuesday, July 24th – Saturday, July 28th
Those who attempt this noble conquest must prepare their taste buds, as this journey is not for the faint of senses. Challengers are instructed to visit the three iconic locations outlined below and capture and share the special Mandarine Napoléon experiences awaiting them at each:
- La Divina Gelateria, 621 St. Peter Street; Opened Most days 11am – 10pm
Taste Mandarine Napoléon artistically blended into a specially crafted gelato flavor (Spicy Watermelon infused with Mandarine Napoléon) at the French Quarter’s latest café and gelateria.
- Napoléon House, 500 Chartres Street; Tuesday (7/24) – Saturday (7/28) during business hours
Be one of the first to conquer the all-new Café Napoléon iced coffee cocktail at this National Historical Landmark.
- SAVEUR Snack Stand at Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street; Friday only 12pm – 1:30pm
Experience the perfect pairing of a Mandarine Napoléon-infused orange marmalade with a chocolate croissant alongside the Mandarine Napoléon iced coffee cocktail. Here attendees will also receive an official Mandarine Napoléon Tales of the Cocktail hat.
To complete the quest, and become eligible for the grand prize, one must upload a photo from each location to Twitter, Facebook and/or Instagram and include:
- @FollowNapoleon and @TOTC for Instagram and Twitter
- @Mandarine Napoléon and @Tales of the Cocktail for Facebook
Extra kudos will be given to those who creatively caption their photos – the more inventive, the better.
Further Information
Grand prize: Trip to Europe following “Napoléon’s Trail” where one will visit four distilleries total (3 De Kuyper, 1 Mandarine Napoléon) on a tour of Paris, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Second prize: A bottle of the limited edition Mandarine Napoléon XO (only 900 available globally, retail price $300) and Mandarine Napoléon gift pack
Third prize: A bottle of Mandarine Napoléon (original) and Mandarine Napoléon gift pack
Winner will be selected by Mandarine Napoléon from qualifying entrants and notified within 30 days of the culmination of Tales of the Cocktail. All three photo uploads from the destinations listed must be completed by 11:59pm on Saturday, July 28, 2012 to qualify. Must be of legal drinking age to enter and win. Please drink responsibly.
“Live life courageously.” – Napoléon Bonaparte
About Mandarine Napoléon
Hailed as “one of the great classic liqueurs” by Simon Difford, Mandarine Napoléon is an exquisite, well-balanced blend of mandarins and refined 10-year-old aged cognac. Dating back to the early 1800s and its roots stemming from the hands of Napoléon Bonaparte, the liqueur’s history is as rich as its distinctive flavor. The drink was custom made for the emperor himself when he came across the chemist Antoine-François de Fourcroy, known for his extraordinary skill of distilling. It was not until 1892, after the two had died, that the liqueur was first introduced to the public.
Mandarine Napoléon is currently found in well over 100 countries and was officially relaunched in the U.S. last year. Mandarine Napoléon is the first liqueur composed of mandarins and cognac, permitting a smooth taste, as opposed to the sour flavor encountered in other citrus-based liqueurs.
Mandarine Napoléon also comes in a limited edition XO, in which the cognac is oak-aged for 30 years and the grapes are from Grande Champagne. Each round of production yields a different number of bottles produced. The most recent run provided enough XO for 900 bottles globally.