New Orleans

This week, in a "nod to all things Southern," we’ll be talking with Dr. John Shelton Reed about his book, The Ramos Gin Fizz (Iconic New Orleans Cocktails) (2025, LSU Press).In the book, John attempts to reconstruct Ramos’s original recipe using modern ingredients and addresses the question of how and how much to shake the drink, a subject on which there is surprisingly much to be said. Offering recipes for the original drink, a modern version, and many imaginative riffs, this eminently readable book is a must-have for any cocktail lover’s library.

A Charleston mother shares the loss of a loved one killed in the New Year's Day terrorist attack.

A South Carolina mother has traveled to New Orleans in hopes of learning more about her the death of her 21-year-old daughter. Ciaya Whetstone was a senior at the University of New Orleans. She died Feb. 19 after being dropped off at a New Orleans hospital. Her friends told local news outlets she had gone to Carnival parades in suburban Metairie the night before and had checked on her dog at home in New Orleans before leaving with a driver for a ride share service that morning. The coroner's office says it could be weeks before an investigation into the cause of her death is complete.