Compère Lapin is turning its bar into a reunion stage next month, inviting six former bartenders back behind the counter for a three-night celebration of the cocktail program they helped build. The Fighting Bunnies Homecoming Weekend runs from Nov. 7 through Nov. 9, bringing alumni mixologists back to shake, stir and reminisce at the Warehouse District restaurant inside The Old No. 77 Hotel.
The lineup includes Ricky Gomez, Abigail Gullo, Scott Hicks, Joey Laura, J’Nai Williams and current bar lead Erika Flowers, according to myneworleans.com. Over the three nights, the alumni bartenders will bring back favorite cocktails they created during their time at Compère Lapin, alongside newer creations from the current program, the outlet reports. The event will also feature custom Fighting Bunnies pennants, pom-poms and cups, leaning into the homecoming theme with a bit of school spirit.
Restaurant co-owner Larry Miller framed the gathering as a tribute to the people who shaped the bar's identity. “These are people who helped make our bar what it is,” Miller said, per the same account. The bar opens at 4:30 p.m. during the event's regular evening hours, and Compère Lapin is located at 535 Tchoupitoulas St. in New Orleans.
A Cocktail Program Built by Generations of Bartenders
Compère Lapin opened in the Warehouse District in June 2015, according to nola.com, which also notes the restaurant is helmed by chef Nina Compton and operated alongside Larry Miller, who now also run a second restaurant in the Bywater. Ricky Gomez helped launch that original bar program, according to myneworleans.com's reporting. Eater New Orleans described Gomez as having singlehandedly crafted the opening drinks menu, underscoring how foundational his early work was to the restaurant's identity.
Abigail Gullo joined the beverage team in 2015 and worked alongside Gomez developing the restaurant's cocktail menu, according to Chilled Magazine. Her signature drinks at Compère Lapin included the Fontanarosa, a frozen cocktail made with kaffir lime vodka, lime, fennel and beet, and the Gentleman's Caller, built from gin, sherry, Aperol and Genepy, Eater New Orleans reported. Accounts of Gullo's 2016 industry recognition differ: Heaven Hill states that Gullo won the inaugural Heaven Hill Brands/Liquor.com Bartender of the Year competition that year, while Chilled Magazine described her instead as a finalist for that same 2016 award.
Caribbean Flavors Lead the Bar's Current Chapter
Erika Flowers was appointed bar lead at Compère Lapin on May 9, 2024, Biz New Orleans reported at the time. Flowers said she planned to build a bar program showcasing flavors of the Caribbean to pair with Compton's cuisine, aiming to highlight Caribbean-inspired drinks alongside the kitchen's dishes. That vision now carries into the homecoming weekend, where Flowers will serve alongside the very bartenders whose work set the program in motion a decade earlier.
For Miller, the gathering is as much about honoring a decade of bar talent as it is about throwing a good party. The three-night format gives New Orleans drinkers a rare chance to taste cocktails spanning the restaurant's full history in one visit, from Gomez's original creations to Flowers's newer Caribbean-leaning pours.
