NEW ORLEANS - (Sept. 5, 2014) - The "Stormin' of the Sazerac" re-creation at The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, will be especially festive this year as the ever-popular Blue Room luncheon and fashion show are joined on Friday, Sept. 26, by the Fountain Lounge to honor women who stormed the Sazerac Bar 65 years ago demanding "equal treatment."

The event kicks off at 1 p.m. in the world-famous Blue Room, where guests will enjoy a three-course, ladies-only meal beginning at 1:45 p.m., along with entertainment. The menu will include the Organic Green Salad, By Land and Sea and Mint Julep cake. A juried fashion show competition will pay tribute to attire popular at the original Stormin' in 1949, with the winner receiving a one-night stay and spa treatment at The Roosevelt New Orleans. Musical theater star Matthew Ragas, known for his national stage roles in "Legally Blonde," "Hairspray" and "The Wedding Singer," will host the event.

Added to the festivities this year will be a 2 p.m. opening of the Fountain Lounge, which will offer $6.50 Sazerac cocktails in honor of the 65th anniversary of the original Stormin'. Light fare also will be available. Entertainment in the Fountain Lounge will be provided by Tom Hook and Wendell Brunious, and the first 50 women in costume will receive complimentary Stormin' gift bags.

Guests from the Fountain Lounge and Blue Room will unite at 4 p.m. to "storm" the Sazerac Bar, where mid-20th century fashion again will rule.

                Also featured during the Stormin' event will be:

  • The hotel's Emporium gift shop collection of Sazerac kits, Blue Room and Sazerac memorabilia, specially designed Roosevelt Hotel holiday decorations and ladies' hats in a variety of styles.
  • Complimentary makeup touch-ups from the Waldorf Astoria Spa in the Blue Room and Fountain Lounge.
  • A pre-sale of 1940s-style and other hats from Les Dames Chapeaux in the Blue Room and Fountain Lounge.
  • Fashion items of the Stormin' era by models from Retroactive, along with accessories for purchase.
  • Signature pieces from Fleurty Girl, including "Stormin' of the Sazerac" t-shirts.
  • Specialty cocktails, including the Hayworth, Bette Davis, Ingrid and Hedy's Sparkler, all featuring ingredients from the Sazerac Company, Absolute Vodka and Plymouth Gin.

The re-creation, which this year falls on the same date as the original Stormin' 65 years ago, marks the occasion when women, normally admitted to the renowned Sazerac Bar only on Mardi Gras, stormed the popular gathering place insisting on access equal to that of men; in other words, at any time. Fashion at the 1949 event may have been pure period, but expectations of the "Stormers" were very modern. What they demanded were the revered Sazerac cocktail, Ramos Gin Fizz and other cocktails that previously only men sipped at the Sazerac - and they succeeded.

Blue Room luncheon tickets are $49 each, including tax and gratuity. Complimentary parking is available. Tickets may be ordered by visiting http://therooseveltneworleans.com/hotel/specials/stormin-of-the-sazerac.html or calling 504-335-3131.

 

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