Celebrate Mardi Gras At Home with The Gumbo Bros

Let the good times roll with a decadent Mardi Gras party right in your very own home.

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Don’t look now, but here come the flashy beads, sequined masks, and way-too-boozy hurricanes.

Yep, it’s officially Mardi Gras season. While the holiday is traditionally observed on the Tuesday following Ash Wednesday (this year it falls on March 1), New Orleans, in all its glorious “extra-ness,” celebrates the occasion with a week-long spectacle of parades, parties, and morning-after po-boys.

But what exactly is Mardi Gras and how did it become a notoriously debaucherous celebration with a booming bead economy? The tradition dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations around spring and fertility. The Romans celebrated these rites with their own brand of raucous parties (hi, Saturnalia and Lucpercalia), only to have them folded into Christianity when the religion began to spread throughout the region.

The result? A thoroughly indulgent prelude to Lent, the 40-day period of penitential preparation for Easter Sunday that includes fasting and giving up your favorite vice.

But before you get to the bunnies and eggs, there’s the not-so-small matter of Mardi Gras you need to attend to. If Bourbon Street isn’t in the cards this year, we’ve got some party planning tips and recipes from Adam Lathan, co-founder and chef of Nashville’s The Gumbo Bros, that’ll make your stay-at-home Mardi Gras bash one for the books.

How to decorate:

Now’s the time to splash your space with the traditional colors of Mardi Gras—purple, green, and gold. Streamers, tablecloths, balloons, and centerpieces filled with peacock and ostrich feathers will turn any room into a decadent NOLA den. “Beads and masks are a must, and glitter makes everything better,” adds Lathan. “I get all my stuff from Toomey’s Mardi Gras in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama and they ship nationwide.”

Add a few colorful throw pillows and layer those strands of beads across lighting and furniture for some added flair.

What you’re listening to:

New Orleans jazz is great playlist staple for this kind of occasion, but Lathan also suggests a good brass band followed by some NOLA rap and bounce music as the day progresses. (Think: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.)

How you’re celebrating:

Aside from music, you might want to have a few activities on hand to help break the ice. Think about setting out a table with all the supplies for creating DIY masks or hiring someone for face painting and jewel application. Organizing a photo booth area with a few props is great for creating memories and a fun take-home souvenir from your soiree.

What you’re eating and drinking:

“Drinking starts early, so set up a Bloody Mary bar for guests with fun toppings,” suggests Lathan. For later in the afternoon, mix up a few batches of Hurricanes—a blend of rum, lime juice, orange juice, passion fruit puree, grenadine, and simple syrup—ahead of time so you’ll have them on hand. Looking to level up your cocktail game? Grab the ingredients for a classic Sazerac and really impress the aspiring mixologists in the crowd. Po Boy sandwiches are a NOLA staple and welcome addition to any Mardi Gras party. Throw in some jambalaya and order a gallon of Gumbo-to-Geaux from Gumbo Bros to round out the meal. And don’t forget the King Cake, a New Orleans tradition that involves finding a small, plastic baby hidden inside the pastry. The person who finds it is tasked with throwing the next party. May the best host win. (The Gumbo Bros, 505 12th Ave. S, 615-679-9063; thegumbobros.com)

RECIPES

Shrimp Po Boy

(yields 4 po boys)

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1⁄4 cup Crystal hot sauce
  • 1⁄4 cup Cajun seasoning
  • 1 1⁄2 pounds Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined (31-40 size)
  • 3 cups AP flour
  • 1 tablespoon of salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning (for seasoning flour)
  • 6 cups canola oil, for frying
  • Mayonnaise
  • Iceberg lettuce (shredded)
  • 1 tomato (sliced)
  • Dill pickles
  • 4 loaves po boy bread or a good, soft French bread
  1. Combine buttermilk, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning into a container and mix. Add shrimp to marinade; cover and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Remove shrimp from marinade and drop in seasoned flour; roll around the shrimp to make sure they are completely dredged in the flour. Drop shrimp into 350°F oil and fry for two to three minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
  3. While shrimp are cooking, dress your po boy with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and pickles.

Sazerac

  • 1 sugar cube
  • 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • 5 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
  • 2 1⁄2 ounces Sazerac Rye Whiskey 1⁄4 ounce Herbsaint
  1. In a rocks glass, place a sugar cube at the bottom and dash the bitters over the cube. Then, muddle the sugar and bitters. Add rye whiskey and ice. Stir 10 times.
  2. Rinse another rocks glass with Herbsaint and discard. Strain the cocktail into the Herbsaint rinsed glass. Serve neat with a lemon peel garnish.