During Alan Walter’s time as a celebrated mixologist in New Orleans, he earned the nickname “Spirit Handler,” a nod to a nervy, yet intentional approach to cocktail craftery. His drinks gained a reputation for deploying unexpected ingredients, but in ways that produced smooth, balanced results. These days, you can taste Walter’s liquid handiwork at Bin Q Liquor, where he’s hosting Thursday night pop-ups, and through his new cocktail catering business, Sprezzatura.
Walter shifted his professional focus from New Orleans to Baton Rouge in late 2021. Until mid-January, he was a consultant with City Group Hospitality, tweaking some of its restaurants’ bar programs before settling into The Brakes Bar, the restaurant group’s boutique Mid City speakeasy. Also in January, he was named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category, the first culinarian in the Capital Region to earn a James Beard nomination.
Four years in Baton Rouge have given him plenty of time to amass a following.
“I’ll send out a text, and see who shows up,” Walter says, characteristically dressed in a refined-but-roguish style—a lot like his cocktails.
Disciples show up on Thursdays between 5 and 8 p.m. at Bin Q for the recently launched Alan Walter Thursdays, during which the Spirit Handler serves limited menu cocktails made with fresh fruits, herbs and juices, high-end spirits and the oddball enhancements Walter is known for, among them pine needles, toasted birdseed and fresh muscadine juice.
The menu is organized vertically—literally—with the names of that night’s drinks scribbled on small cards and pinned to a table stand along with vintage postcards, black and white photos, a $2 bill, a disc from a View-Master reel and other curated cast-offs. Patrons grab a stool and choose from the Thai chili Old Fashioned; the Chien et Loup made with gin, grapefruit, lemon, Cointreau, Campari and Regan’s Orange Bitters; and a gin and lychee cocktail with basil and pineapple balsamic. There’s also a reposado with roasted plantain; a Bellini 75; a mescal Negroni; and a daiquiri made with two rums, lime and cantaloupe.
Walter’s hands move deftly while making the Paloma for the Ages, peeling off a generous wedge of grapefruit rind from a fresh orb, and muddling it before blending blanco tequila, oleo saccharum (citrus syrup) and pamplemousse liqueur with a finish of sparkling water. Meanwhile, vibey music plays—Walter brings the tunes—while a dozen or so patrons sit among soft lights, eclectic statuary, bouquets of basil and magnolia leaves and upcycled tchotchkes. What a way to forget about the gridlock outside on Perkins Road.
While Walter is the featured act on Thursday, he’s also helped Bin Q up its cocktail game, preparing fresh syrups and infusions on site, and designing both a fall drinks menu and the Tiki Tuesday menu, says store owner Ben Jones. The spirit shop’s lively bar, located at the rear of the store, has become a draw for its customers.
“It just kind of sets us apart,” Jones says.
Walter plans to continue his signature nights at Bin Q for the foreseeable future, he says, while also launching Sprezzatura, Italian for making the difficult look easy, or effortless grace.
“The focus will be on small gatherings,” says Walter, before turning back to make the difficult look easy. Find it on Facebook.