The Sazerac is a bootlegger cocktail from New Orleans, 1850s. Built on rye whiskey, served in a old fashioned, around 34% ABV. The Sazerac was born in 1850s New Orleans as a brandy drink, switched to rye whiskey after the European phylloxera blight wiped out cognac stocks in the 1870s, and survived Prohibition by going underg.
What goes in a Sazerac?
- ·2 oz rye whiskey
- ·1 sugar cube
- ·3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- ·1 dash Angostura bitters
- ·Absinthe rinse
- ·Lemon peel
How do you make a Sazerac?
- Chill an Old Fashioned glass with ice and a splash of absinthe.
- In a mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube with the bitters until dissolved.
- Add the rye and ice. Stir 30 seconds.
- Discard the absinthe-rinse ice from the chilled glass. Strain the rye mixture in.
- Express the lemon peel oils over the surface and drop it in.
What should you know before making a Sazerac?
- Use Old Overholt or Rittenhouse Bonded rye, not bourbon. The drink is built around rye spice.
- Peychaud's bitters is non-negotiable. Angostura alone tastes wrong.
- Do not pour the absinthe into the drink. It coats the glass; the rinse is the entire point.
Where did the Sazerac come from?
The Sazerac was born in 1850s New Orleans as a brandy drink, switched to rye whiskey after the European phylloxera blight wiped out cognac stocks in the 1870s, and survived Prohibition by going underground. The City of New Orleans declared it the official cocktail of the city in 2008.
According to first codified by William Boothby in The World's Drinks & How to Mix Them (1908).
What cocktails are similar to a Sazerac?
Common questions.
What is a Sazerac?
The Sazerac is a New Orleans cocktail of rye whiskey, sugar, Peychaud's bitters, and a glass rinsed with absinthe. It is the official cocktail of the City of New Orleans and one of the oldest documented American mixed drinks.
What's the difference between a Sazerac and an Old Fashioned?
Both are spirit-forward cocktails with sugar and bitters. The Sazerac uses Peychaud's bitters and an absinthe rinse, which gives it an anise-herbal character. The Old Fashioned uses Angostura bitters and no absinthe.
Can you make a Sazerac without absinthe?
No. The absinthe rinse is the defining flavor. If you cannot find absinthe, Herbsaint (a New Orleans pastis substitute created during Prohibition) is the historically correct stand-in.
What rye should I use for a Sazerac?
Old Overholt or Rittenhouse Bonded are the standard pours. Both are 100-proof or close, with the spice the cocktail was designed around. Bourbon makes a different drink.