If New Orleans is usually a cocktail drinker's territory, Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday, if you'd prefer) turns the city into a jacked-up, lawless, booze-fueled Wild Wild West. But don't let those frozen Hurricanes and Long Islands Iced Teas fool you: New Orleans is the grandfather of the classic cocktail. Bar staples like the Sazerac and the Ramos Gin Fizz were invented here, and the infamous cocktail festival Tales of the Cocktail is held in the city each year.

In honor of Mardi Gras and Belle Isle's recent expansion into Louisiana (hi, new friends!), we wanted to share our own spins on some of your favorite classic New Orleans cocktails. Skip Bourbon Street this year, and try them for yourself at home!

Moonshine Fizz

The Ramos Gin Fizz: your bartender's most delicious worst enemy. Also known as the "New Orleans Fizz", this time and labor intensive drink has been around since the 1880s. Belle Isle 100 Proof is an easy substitute for gin in this one. The early recipes directed the bartender to dry shake the drink for 12 minutes. You can get away with much less, unless you have the time, desire, and bicep power to adhere to the traditional directions.

Spicy Sazerac

One of New Orleans most revered cocktails, the deceptively complex (yet extremely simple to make) Sazerac was invented in the mid-19th century and featured Sazerac brandy and New Orleans' own Peychaud's bitters. More modern versions use rye whiskey as a base, but we added Belle Isle Honey Habanero for a little more spicy depth.

Richmond 75

The fizzy, refreshing Arnaud's French 75 was popularized by the eponymous bar dating back to the late 1800s. The original French 75 features cognac or gin, but Belle Isle Ruby Red Grapefruit is the perfect citrusy substitute.

Cold Brew Crusta

Perhaps both the oldest and least known cocktail on this list, the Brandy Crusta dates all the way back to the 1850s. We subbed Belle Isle Cold Brew Coffee for the brandy for a truly unique twist on the sleeper classic.

Belle Isle Hurricane

Hurricanes may be one of the most polarizing cocktails in existence. Just the word can conjure some pretty traumatizing college Spring Break or wild Mardi Gras memories. But give the excessively boozy classic cocktail, originated by Pat O'Brien's Bar in the 1940s, another chance! It's sweet and delicious, and you definitely don't need to have more than one to feel the Mardi Gras spirit. We split the rum with Belle Isle Black Label for a more balanced, less sweet version.

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Belle Isle Moonshine is a premium, handcrafted spirit proudly hailing from Richmond, Virginia.

We take the name Belle Isle from a small, 540-acre island located smack dab in the middle of the James River where Civil War soldiers used surplus corn rations to make moonshine in copper kettles.

Belle Isle Moonshine is distilled from 100% organic corn, grown by three family farms and responsibly sourced. Once triple-distilled, we charcoal filter Belle Isle four times over. Then, we cut it with purified water right from the James River. Our infusions are made with 100% real ingredients, never artificial flavors or color. We use real grapefruits sourced from Texas and California, local honey from the Shenandoah Valley, organic habaneros grown an hour away, and freshly roasted coffee beans from the most socially conscious roastery in Richmond, Blanchard's Coffee Roasting Co.

From there, each bottle of Belle Isle Moonshine is filled, corked, labeled, and packed by hand by our Production team, who check each bottle and batch for quality assurance. Since Belle Isle is made in small batches, you can find the batch number handwritten in the bottom right corner of each bottle.

Distilled from good times and 100% organic corn.