If you’ve been around the a few times, you may have heard rumors that some visitors bring in their own unsanctioned supplies of hooch. This is specifically prohibited, and one of the things security will look for at the gates, but the rumors are so persistent surely there must be a drop of truth to them.
It is New Orleans, and perhaps this practice (if it does indeed occur) is part of that heritage in the festival’s name.
These rumors are enriched in the telling of how illicit alcohol often finds its way into the soft drinks sold around the Fair Grounds, making customized spiked versions of the rose mint tea, for instance.
This year, though, Jazz Fest itself has co-opted the spiked Jazz Fest drink, adding an option for its strawberry lemonade with a dose of Tito’s vodka.
Strawberry lemonade is a refreshing beverage at Jazz Fest. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, | The Times-Picayune)
It’s sold at the same stands as the original strawberry lemonade. The one I tried was from the booth closest to the Gospel Stage, so the uplifting voices of Melvin "Maestro" Winfield Jr. & The Glory Chorale Community Choir were the soundtrack to my first sips. Yes, that means this was a hair before noon, but we are on Jazz Fest time.
You order from a different counter within the same strawberry lemonade tent, where they check IDs and confirm (three times in my case) that you are ordering a lemonade with Tito’s, to avoid a surprise in the straw.
The strawberry lemonade can be ordered with Tito's vodka at Jazz Fest, a new twist for 2024. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, | The Times-Picayune)
But there is little chance of confusing the two. The Tito’s strawberry lemonade is a smaller serving, at 16 oz., and twice the cost of the virgin version, at $15.
Strawberry lemonade is a refreshing beverage at Jazz Fest. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, | The Times-Picayune)
It does not taste especially boozy, with the dose of vodka more like mellowing out the sweet, tart notes of the lemonade. But I can confirm it is indeed spiked.
These are pre-mixed, so you watch the stuff come shooting out of a hose system in the back and imagine what fun that would be to have at a party. Here it is at this party, a sanctioned strawberry lemonade mixed drink to mix up your Jazz Fest libations.
