Photograph by Mike DeFilippo
Posters lining the back wall at Hammerstone’s span every Mardi Gras in Soulard since 1997, the year the bar opened. Among the colorful collection is last year’s design, a masked vixen holding beads and a trumpet. Not to blow her own horn, but Cory Hammerstone—daughter of owners Denny and Lyn—tells us she created the illustration.
Besides lending the tradition her artistic abilities, Hammerstone’s manned the Mardi Gras front lines since 2003. The 33-year-old manager and bartender offers this advice: Bring ID, and dress warm. As for flashers hoping to keep crowds at bay? “Try electrified pasties,” she jokes.
In her Words…
- During our first year, it was chaos... It would take 15 minutes to walk from one end of the bar to the other.
- We do things a little differently every year. We went from opening the inside to the public to closing it to selling VIP tickets for inside; we switched from cans to tap; we tried different brands, but Bud Light’s always the most popular.
- We order 80 to 100 half barrels of beer, 120 gallons of Hurricanes, eight to 10 cases of Jäger. Every year, you’re like, “Are we gonna be OK?”
- Most of our staff has scratchy voices by the end of the day. Some of them have stained red lips because they were sampling the Hurricane all day. It’s the one day that we’re like, “You can drink—just don’t drink too much.”
- A lot of the memories revolve around the weather…though one year, after the pet parade, we had a llama on the patio. It was a little freaked out, just standing in the middle of the crowd.
- I’ve never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I’d be terrified—they have a massive crowd the entire time. We just have it one day.
- It’s always the most fun day of the year. Everybody’s dancing; all of our employees are smiling; people who don’t usually get along are best friends for that day.
- It’s a win-win situation. It’s great for the city, and it’s something to bring in revenue at a time that would otherwise be totally dead.
- I think it’s neat that the word Soulard, even though it was a guy’s last name, is also French for “drunkard.” It’s appropriate—it’s like all the stars aligned.
Stat Box: 20,000
Cory's estimate of the number of people served at Hammerstone's on Grand Parade Day.
