Sazerac Recipe

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WHAT IS THE SAZERAC COCKTAIL?

The Sazerac is the quintessential New Orleans cocktail and is arguably one of the oldest cocktails ever recorded dating back to as early as 1838! 

This cocktail will appeal to those that enjoy an Old Fashioned, though the distinct difference is that this cocktail uses Peychaud’s bitters instead of Angostura bitters – though we add a small amount of Angostura bitters to further enhance the flavour profile of the drink.

Peychaud’s bitters are named after the original creator of this drink, Antoine Amedie Peychaud.

Antoine was an apothecary in New Orleans and created a proprietary bitter (made from herbs and spices) which later came to be known as Peychaud bitters.

For the original Sazerac recipe, a cognac by the name of Sazerac-de-Forge-et-Fils was mixed with Peychaud bitters at the original Sazerac Coffee house in New Orleans.

In the late 1890s, the cognac was replaced by rye whiskey and a modern Sazerac can be made using either a cognac (brandy) or a rye whiskey. 

Different types of rye whiskey will change the flavour profile of the cocktail changing either the smoothness, spice, or sweetness of the cocktail.

If you want to test out a truly original Sazerac, opt for the branded Sazerac Rye Whiskey which – as the name suggests – is a whiskey made specifically for the Sazerac cocktail. 

HOW TO MAKE THE SAZERAC RECIPE

SAZERAC INGREDIENTS 

10ml Absinthe

50ml Rye Whiskey

1 tsp Sugar*

3 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

1 Lemon Peel

* A muddler is needed for this cocktail, if you don’t have a muddler or don’t feel confident using one, replace the sugar with 15ml sugar syrup.

METHOD

The first step is an Absinthe rinse. Take a rocks glass filled with ice and pour over the Absinthe.

Swirl the Absinthe around the glass and leave it to sit while you prepare the next step.

Take a mixing glass and add the sugar, Peychaud’s bitters, Angostura bitters and a lemon peel to a mixing glass.

Muddle the ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved.

Add ice along with the Rye Whiskey and stir all ingredients together to blend the ingredients together and chill the drink. 

Stir the mix gently, you only want to combine the ingredients and chill them so be careful not to create a froth.

Pour away the Absinthe and ice from the rocks glass and strain the contents of the mixing glass into your rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. 

GARNISH

Lemon Twist

DID YOU KNOW

Having reportedly been invented in New Orleans in the very early year of 1838, the Sazerac has since been named as the official cocktail of New Orleans in 2008.

EXPERT TIP

When preparing the cocktail, the Absinthe is used to coat the glass (Absinthe rinse step) and provide an aroma for the drink.

Most bartenders, however, consider it a shame to waste the absinthe used to coat the glassware.

Therefore, we’d recommend adding an additional step when making a Sazerac. 

Instead of pouring away the Absinthe that you used to pre-wash the glass with, strain it into a shot glass and serve as a side accompaniment to the Sazerac cocktail.

WHAT TO DRINK AFTER THE SAZERAC RECIPE?

As this is in essence a riff on the classic Old Fashioned recipe we’d recommend this or a variation like the Maple Old Fashioned. The Bobby Burns also never disappoints.

However, absinthe plays a large part in the profile of the drink, so cocktail lovers should also try the Death in the Afternoon or the Necromancer.