Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris is a decades-old, family-run restaurant chain that originates from Bourbon Street in the French Quarter and now maintains several locations in New Orleans as well as this Emerald Coast outpost far to the east in Destin’s HarborWalk Village. Strong, slushy daiquiris are the specialty, but the place covers its food bases (semi-randomly) with pizza.
The restaurant is best known for its exclusive signature daiquiri, the Jester, advertised as “Bourbon Street’s Strongest Drink.” That’s a pretty bold claim, but we’ll allow that the Jester—a “Mardi Gras-green” drink invented in 2004 and made with Strawberry Kiwi, Everclear, and 151 Dark Rum—definitely packs a punch.
There’s an extensive arsenal of other daiquiris to choose from besides the Jester, though, including the Hurricane, the White Russian (which swaps rum for vodka, of course), the Margarita, and the chocolaty Mudslide. We reckon Mr. Ernest Hemingway, a dedicated connoisseur of the frozen daiquiri, would have likely set out to sample them all, and perhaps you will too, though that should be a task spread out over many visits given the potency of these boozy slushies.
And, heads up: You can order daiquiris to go, too.
The drinks are unquestionably the main focus at Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris, but there’s food on offer here, too, and specifically of the pizza kind. It’s an interesting combination, pizza and daiquiri: They maybe don’t go together quite like bread and butter, but after a few sips of the Jester a slice may just start calling out your name.
The restaurant offers a variety of house gourmet pizzas in small or large pies (and, for a few of the options, by the slice), including the Meat Lovers, the Veggie Delight, the Five Cheese, the Hawaiian Five-O, and the Jester Pizza (which features a blend of the house marinara and alfredo sauces and includes Italian sausage, pepperoni, and ham alongside black and green olives, red and green peppers, mushrooms, and—like all the other pizzas—mozzarella). You can also build your own pizza.
These thin-crust pizzas are, for the most part, pretty average, though some Jester customers swear by them and at least occasionally come here just to eat.
Let’s have a look at some Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris menu highlights—namely some of the top daiquiri options:
The Jester
Of course, right? On a first-time visit to the place, you’ll want to give the famous Jester a go. It comes served in a specially labeled Styrofoam cup, though for a bit extra you can buy a collectors drinking vessel: a mischievously grinning jester to sip from.
The Banana Daiquiri
Combine banana with 151 Dark Rum, and you’ve got a mighty tasty adult fruit smoothie, essentially.
The Pina Colada Daiquiri
If you’re a pina colada fan, why not try one given the daiquiri treatment?
Insider Tip:
Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris offers a military discount, so inquire if that applies to you.