About us

Commander’s Palace alum T. Cole Newton opened the New Orleans Mid-City “cocktail dive” Twelve Mile Limit in 2010, taking over a bar that had operated for over 100 years but was almost destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Twelve Mile Limit has gone on to receive great acclaim, routinely listed as one of the top bars in the city and embracing its role as a community center and neighborhood hub. Newton's book Cocktail Dive Bar: Real Drinks, Fake History, and Questionable Advice from New Orleans's was published by Running Press in 2021.

Meet Cole

Born and raised in Washington, DC, T. Cole Newton moved to New Orleans to volunteer in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and found his first full-time bartending job at Commander's Palace, the culinary alma mater of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. In 2008 he developed and implemented the cocktail program as a founding staff member of the newly opened uptown bistro Coquette. Inspired by that experience, Cole opened Twelve Mile Limit in 2010.

Cole still volunteers extensively, having served as national President of the United States Bartenders' Guild and Board Secretary of the New Orleans Women and Children's Shelter. Running Press published Cole's book, Cocktail Dive Bar: Real Drinks, Fake History, and Questionable Advice in Spring 2021 and is available nationwide. Cole also enjoys skiing and horror movie-themed board games, and he recently beat Super Mario Bros. 3 for the first time without using a warp whistle.