New Orleans was on fire this week as luminaries of the spirits world gather for Tales of the Cocktail, an annual shmooze-and-booze fest now in its 10th year. But for cocktail geeks not lucky enough to attend can at least get a taste of the Big Easy by making the city's official drink—seriously, the legislature passed an ordinance in 2008—the Sazerac.
This classic rye cocktail was originally a cognac drink invented in the 1830s by New Orleans native Antoine Peychaud, an apothecary owner best known for his bitters recipe, which to this day is a staple in most bartender's arsenals.
Creating a Sazerac is simple… but not necessarily easy. Its preparation is a ritual for many devotees, and there are many ways to make it. Some recipes call for simple syrup, others use sugar cubes. Rye is the most common base spirit, but bourbon or cognac is fine if that's your preference. It's OK to use Herbsaint (an anise-flavored liqueur) instead of absinthe. But if you want to call your cocktail a Sazerac, there are a few rules you must abide by:
1. Never shake your Sazerac. Always stir.
2. Do not drop the lemon-peel twist into the drink. Hang it on the rim. (It is the drinker's choice to drop it in.)
3. Do not serve it with ice. Stir it with ice and strain it into a chilled glass.
The drink itself is a sophisticated, civilized affair. The absinthe rinse gives the cocktail a good dose of its herbal scent and more than a hint of its strong flavor. The bitters balances out the sugar, making it a well-rounded, complex-tasting cocktail that's reminiscent of a Manhattan but is still in a league of its own.
Our Sazerac recipe is courtesy of Marvin Allen, head barkeep at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Louisiana. So you can bet this is indeed the real deal. Adyeu!
The Sazerac
What you'll need:
2 oz rye (such as Sazerac, or bourbon or cognac)
1/4 oz absinthe (such as Lucid)
4 or 5 drops Peychaud's bitters
1/2 teaspoon simple syrup
How to make it:
Fill an 8-ounce rocks glass with a few ice cubes and add the absinthe, twirling to coat the glass. Set aside. In a Boston shaker add the Sazerac, Peychaud's bitters, and simple syrup. Stir until well chilled. Empty the rocks from the glass; it should have a thin coating of the Lucid. Strain the chilled contents of the shaker into the reserved Lucid-coated glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. Sit back and enjoy a taste of New Orleans history.
Photo location courtesy of our friends at Rollin’ Greens in Queens, NYC.
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