Vestal Restaurant’s Tropical Cocktail Recipe

A tropical cocktail brings a taste of the islands to assuage imbibers during the height of hurricane season

In the days leading up to a rapidly intensifying hurricane, we anxiously await the updates, wondering if it’ll be the next Big One. Should we ride it out or hit the road before it’s too late?

When there’s no time left to travel and the water is rising, hurricane parties often prevail, ideally fortified by abundant communal provisions. Once edgy guests start jumping at the sounds of howling winds and cracking tree limbs, it helps to be prepared with such distractions as a unique storm-themed cocktail that is at once restorative and soothing to the senses.

Paige Hanson, Vestal Restaurant’s award-winning bar manager, has created a zesty storm-themed cocktail with a tropical twist.

“Sounds of the Storm is a gin tiki drink that’s gingery and sweet with a bitterness from fernet,” she says. “I listen to music by Future, Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne and think about the songs and their vibes for inspiration. It helps me imagine being with friends at the beach.”

Hanson incorporates fernet, the bitter Italian aperitif of over 40 herbs and spices (popular among bartenders for hangovers) to counter the sweetness of pineapple juice and cinnamon syrup. velvet falernum, an essential component in Caribbean cocktails, brings a little taste of the islands. Chocolate bitters heighten the afterglow.

“Paige was always the creative star of the show,” says Ryan Trahan, the original chef-owner of Vestal. He opened Lafayette’s elegant, live-fire fine- dining haven in April, 2021 and appointed Hanson as his rising star.

Three years later, Trahan named protégé Sullivan Zant as executive chef before moving to St. Petersburg, Florida to become head of strategic partnerships for DoorDash. “I was offered a much more lucrative job opportunity, and my wife felt it was best for our family,” Trahan explains.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in restaurants and I haven’t come across someone as talented and masterful with cocktails as Paige,” he adds. “I’m grateful to have been there to see it all unfold.”

Home Bar | Sounds of the Storm

• Shake 2 oz gin, ½ oz velvet falernum, ½ oz fernet, 1 oz pineapple juice, 3/4 oz lime juice and 3/4 oz cinnamon syrup
• Pour into a large rocks glass with fresh ice.
• Top with crushed ice, chocolate walnut bitters, freshly grated cinnamon and a dehydrated lime wheel.

Vestal Restaurant
555 Jefferson St., Lafayette
337-534-0682
vestalrestaurant.com