<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2TmndJ_1GwgS48500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2TmndJ_1GwgS48500" width="1797" height="1153" ><figcaption>Danyell Prestridge poses for a portrait with a frozen Malort at Buffa’s on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK Enan Chediak</figcaption></figure>Danyell Prestridge doesn’t particularly enjoy drinking Malört. But, then again, does anyone?The bitter digestif has long been a rite of passage for locals in its hometown of Chicago, admired there for its intense flavor despite being described by its own distiller as “not a drink for most people.”Yet, a little over two years ago, Prestridge noticed that many of the New Orleans service industry workers who haunt Buffa's Bar &amp; Restaurant during her graveyard shift were searching for Malört. The liqueur has been gaining steam nationally since its first step outside Illinois in 2013, championed locally by bars like Pepp’s Pub.Buffa’s didn’t stock the stuff, though, so Prestridge convinced her bosses to buy a single experimental bottle to see if it would sell. She even offered to cover the cost if it didn’t.“And it moved,” Prestridge said.Within a week, that first bottle was gone. Soon Buffa’s was buying Malört by the caseload and offering beer and shot specials like the “trailer park handshake,” a shot of Malört paired with a can of Paradise Park. Prestridge ran with it, and, like any good Louisiana native would, she put Jeppson’s Malört in a blender with ice, simple syrup, triple sec and lemon juice, concocting what must be a one-of-a-kind frozen.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2DkUp7_1GwgS48500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2DkUp7_1GwgS48500" width="1897" height="1092" ><figcaption>Danyell Prestridge works the bar at Buffa’s on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK Enan Chediak</figcaption></figure>A sign standing outside Buffa’s for some time read, “Frozen Malört. You read that right.” People wandering in off Esplanade Avenue still often felt the need to ask, “Is that real?” before ordering a round for their friends.“A lot more people drink it than I realized,” Prestridge said. “People like it — I think.”It’s that keen eye for what the people really want, plus a flair for novelty, that has made Prestridge a fixture at Buffa’s in her four years at the 24-hour Marigny bar.Born and raised in Marksville, the 40-year-old Prestridge has been tending bar off and on since she was 17. Her first gig, at a late-night club that often hosted dance parties and featured live music, was her introduction into the world of nightlife. It suited her.“I’m kind of a vampire anyways,” she said.She’s worked different jobs in other fields and at all kinds of sports bars, fine-dining restaurants and everything in between in the years since. But somehow she always finds herself back behind the bar of a dive, usually late at night.“I just like the laid back atmosphere,” she said. “… It’s the interaction with customers, getting to have regulars that you are gonna see everyday, becoming friends with those people.”The graveyard shift, which at Buffa’s runs from about 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., is not for the faint of heart, Buffa’s co-owner Christy Bagley said. Bartenders working those late hours have to be able to hold things down on their own. They have to be willing to do what it takes to keep staff and customers safe.Prestridge, Bagley said, has been able to do all that while keeping the party going.“We as owners task her with a great deal of responsibility and accountability,” Bagley said, “and she has always accepted the challenge.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0tlhyC_1GwgS48500" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0tlhyC_1GwgS48500" width="1762" height="1176" ><figcaption>Danyell Prestridge makes a frozen Malort at Buffa’s on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. STAFF PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK Enan Chediak</figcaption></figure>Prestridge’s clientele is made up largely of New Orleans locals heading home from work in the French Quarter or stopping in for a bite to eat before clocking in. She often finds herself acting as a sounding board for post-shift venting sessions, and she’s happy to provide the service.“You have to basically be somebody’s psychiatrist for a little bit,” she said. “You gotta talk to people about their life and their issues and whatever’s going on with them.”But you have to be careful at Dr. Buffa’s. Word has it the go-to prescription there is a shot of Malört.Love New Orleans food? Pull up a seat at the table. Join Where NOLA Eats, the hub for food and dining coverage in New Orleans.Follow Where NOLA Eats on Instagram at @wherenolaeats, join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group and subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats biweekly newsletter here. </div></body>

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Danyell Prestridge doesn’t particularly enjoy drinking Malört. But, then again, does anyone?. The bitter digestif has long been a rite of passage for locals in its hometown of Chicago, admired there for its intense flavor despite being described by its own distiller as “not a drink for most people.”

This New Orleans bartender holds down Buffa’s graveyard shift with an unlikely weapon: Malört

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Danyell Prestridge doesn’t particularly enjoy drinking Malört. But, then again, does anyone?. The bitter digestif has long been a rite of passage for local

This New Orleans bartender holds down Buffa’s graveyard shift with an unlikely weapon: Malört

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