October Is When the Courtyard on St. Louis Street Finally Makes Sense
Sitting outside in the French Quarter in August is a decision you regret by the second drink. In October it is the best seat in the city. Our courtyard cocktail class runs Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:30 in the afternoon in an open-air courtyard on St. Louis Street, and the gap between that hour in August and that hour in October comes to roughly eleven degrees and a great deal of humidity that simply is not there any more. Same courtyard. Different afternoon entirely.
Ninety minutes, three drinks, up to 14 people, 21 and over, $95. You shake, stir and sip your way through a Pimm’s Cup, a Sazerac and a seasonal third while a bartender explains where each of them came from. Light bites in between. That’s the whole shape of it.
Quick Summary: Key Takeaways
- What it is: A 90-minute happy-hour mixology class in our open-air courtyard, Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m.
- What you make: Three handcrafted drinks — a Pimm’s Cup, a Sazerac, and a seasonal third — with light bites between pours.
- The details: $95 per person, ages 21 and up, capacity of 14, in the French Quarter at 524 St. Louis Street.
- Why now: New Orleans averages an 80.6°F high in October and it is the driest month of the fall — courtyard weather at last.
- Groups: Private events run in the same building for parties that outgrow a 14-seat class.
Ninety Minutes, Three Drinks, and the Stories Behind Them
The class is small on purpose. Fourteen seats means you’re making the drinks rather than watching someone else make them, and the bartender has time to answer the question you actually want to ask. You start with a Pimm’s Cup — long, cold, faintly medicinal in the best way — then move to the Sazerac, then finish on whatever the season is handing us.
Light bites come out between rounds. Nobody leaves hungry. Nobody leaves having put away three cocktails on an empty stomach at three in the afternoon either, which is a deliberate design decision and one we would defend to anyone who has spent a warm afternoon in this city and misjudged the pace.
→ Courtyard Cocktails happy-hour mixology class
The Sazerac Is the One People Come For
Rye, sugar, Peychaud’s bitters, a rinse of absinthe, a twist of lemon oil over the top. It is a simple drink and an unforgiving one — the balance falls apart if you get heavy-handed anywhere, and that is exactly why it’s worth learning to build under supervision instead of guessing at home.
Most guests arrive having ordered one somewhere in the Quarter and having no real idea why it tasted the way it did, or why the glass smelled of anise before the whiskey ever reached them. They leave able to make it. That is the point of the ninety minutes.
The Weather Is the Reason This Class Reads Differently in Fall
An open-air courtyard is a liability for four months of the year here. Then the humidity breaks. According to National Weather Service 30-year climate normals, New Orleans averages a high of 80.6°F in October with 3.70 inches of rain, making it both cooler and drier than September. That is the difference between enduring an outdoor class and enjoying one.
November carries on in the same direction, cooler again, which is why the stretch from October into the holidays is the best run of courtyard weather the city gets all year. Book it while the weather is on your side.
The Building Has Been Doing This Since Before Any of Us
We’re in an 1830s molasses warehouse on St. Louis Street, between Chartres and Decatur, a block off Jackson Square. The New Orleans School of Cooking has operated here since 1980, which by French Quarter standards makes us a relative newcomer to a building that has been standing for nearly two centuries.
The courtyard is the part guests photograph. Brick underfoot, open sky above, and the sound of the Quarter carrying over the wall while you stir. It photographs well. It is better in person.
How to Choose Between the Cocktail Class and a Cooking Class
Take the cocktail class if you want an afternoon, a small group and three drinks you can rebuild at home. Take a hands-on cooking class if you want to spend three hours actually cooking Cajun and Creole food with your own hands. Bring the kids and it is the demo class you want, since that one is open to all ages. They are different afternoons, and plenty of visitors do both across a long weekend.
If you’re traveling with anyone under 21, the cocktail class is out — that age floor is firm.
→ demo classes in New Orleans, open to all ages
→ all New Orleans cooking classes
Groups Bigger Than Fourteen
Fourteen is the ceiling on a public class. Larger parties — a work group in town for a conference, a wedding party, a family reunion — get arranged as a private event in the same building, and the holiday stretch from November onward books up early for exactly that reason.
→ private events at the school
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much is a cocktail class in New Orleans?
A: Our Courtyard Cocktails class is $95 per person for 90 minutes, covering three handcrafted drinks, instruction from our bartenders and light bites between pours.
Q: What is the age limit for a New Orleans mixology class?
A: Twenty-one and over, with no exceptions — the class serves alcohol throughout. Guests traveling with younger family members usually pair it with a demo class instead, which is open to all ages.
Q: What cocktails do you make in a French Quarter cocktail class?
A: A Pimm’s Cup, a Sazerac and a seasonal third drink. You make all three yourself, and the bartender walks through the history of each one while you work.
Q: When does the Courtyard Cocktails class run?
A: Thursdays and Saturdays at 2:30 in the afternoon, capacity 14. It’s a happy-hour slot, so it fits neatly between a morning in the Quarter and a dinner reservation.
Reserve a Seat in the Courtyard
New Orleans School of Cooking is at 524 St. Louis Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, in the French Quarter between Chartres and Decatur, open daily from 9 to 6. Classes and courtyard cocktails book online at neworleansschoolofcooking.com.