New Orleans declares ‘Honey Badger’ the official drink of LSU’s BCS title run
All season entrepreneurs have capitalized on the LSU's "Honey Badger" craze — the nickname given to star cornerback and punt returner Tyrann Mathieu — and now restaurants and bars in New Orleans are doing the same in advance of Monday's BCS National Championship.
New Orleans taverns have created a signature drink called the "Honey Badger," which incorporates Baton Rouge's homegrown brew and a shot of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Whiskey.
Back in the summer, the Baton Rouge-based Tin Roof Brewing Company announced that it was creating a blonde beer that was tied to LSU's food science training program. The brew rolled out in November and was named the Bandit Blonde Ale — "a light-bodied, crisp American blonde ale" named for the 1958 defensive line, aka the "Chinese Bandits," that led LSU's run to its first national championship.
While the brewery and LSU have not yet worked out a licensing agreement, the brewery is donating 10 percent of Bandit Blonde sales to the LSU Foundation until licensing approval is completed. So LSU fans should feel good knowing that getting blitzed on Honey Badgers this week supports the university.
No word on whether the LSU compliance office will try to put the kibosh on the drink like it has all other "Honey Badger" merchandise, but if the drink doesn't explicitly use Mathieu's name or likeness, New Orleans restaurateurs should feel free to cash in.
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