Sazerac
Rye, sugar, Peychaud's bitters, absinthe rinse — New Orleans's oldest cocktail.
- Lemon peel expressed and discarded
- Strained into the absinthe-coated glass — no ice
- Rye + syrup + bitters stirred in a separate mixing glass
- Discard water; coat interior with absinthe; discard excess
- Rocks glass chilled with ice water
How to make it
- Chill a rocks glass with ice water and set aside.
- In a mixing glass, combine rye, demerara syrup, and Peychaud's (and Angostura if using) with ice. Stir for 25–30 seconds.
- Discard the water from the rocks glass. Pour a small amount of absinthe in, swirl to coat the interior, then discard the excess.
- Strain the stirred cocktail into the coated glass — no ice in the finished drink.
- Cut a wide strip of lemon peel, express the oils over the drink, and discard the peel.
The history
The Sazerac's lineage runs to Antoine Peychaud, a Haitian-immigrant apothecary in New Orleans's French Quarter in the 1830s, who mixed his proprietary bitters with Cognac and sugar in an eggcup called a 'coquetier' — a plausible origin, if disputed, for the word 'cocktail' itself.
The Sazerac Coffee House at 13 Exchange Alley began serving a house cocktail with Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac; when phylloxera destroyed European vineyards in the 1870s and Cognac became scarce, American rye whiskey replaced it. The absinthe rinse (originally Herbsaint, its Louisiana-made replacement during the 1912 absinthe ban) was added in the late 19th century.
In 2008 the Louisiana state legislature named the Sazerac the official cocktail of New Orleans. It is one of a handful of American cocktails with a genuinely traceable 19th-century pedigree — most 'classic' recipes were written down decades after the fact.
Common mistakes
- Absinthe in the drink, not on the glass
The absinthe is a rinse. It coats the glass and gives an aromatic top note; poured into the drink it dominates.
- Ice in the finished glass
The Sazerac is stirred cold, then poured into an empty (chilled) rocks glass. Ice in the finished drink over-dilutes it in minutes.
- Dropping the peel in
Express the lemon peel over the surface and discard. Its job is aromatic; leaving it in muddles the finish.
Variations
- Cognac Sazerac
The 19th-century original. Substitute Cognac for rye — softer, rounder, less spicy.
- Herbsaint Sazerac
Rinse with Herbsaint instead of absinthe. The traditional New Orleans post-1912 form.
- Improved Whiskey Cocktail
A close cousin — rye, sugar, bitters, maraschino, absinthe. Same skeleton, sweeter.
Frequently asked
- Rye or Cognac?
- Both are historically correct. Rye is the modern standard; Cognac is the original 19th-century base. Try both.
- How much absinthe on the rinse?
- About 5 ml poured in, swirled, then discarded. You want the aroma, not the liquid.
- Peychaud's vs Angostura?
- Peychaud's is essential — its anise-cherry character is the drink's signature. Angostura is an optional supporting dash for depth.
- Can I skip the absinthe?
- You will make a rye Old Fashioned with Peychaud's — a fine drink, but not a Sazerac.