We show you how to make a Sazerac. Often overshadowed by the Hurricane, the Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans. We served it as part of our Big Easy Dinner Party.
According to NewOrleans.com, the Sazerac is the world’s first “cocktail.”
The site states that “back in 1838, Creole apothecary Antoine Peychaud invented the Sazerac in his shop at 437 Royal Street.” He served it to his fellow Masons after hours in an egg cup, or “coquetier.” It’s this word that some insist morphed into word “cocktail.”
The name Sazerac comes from Peychaud’s favorite French brandy, Sazerac-de-Forge et fils. Somewhere along the line, American Rye-whiskey was substituted for the cognac and, in 1873, bartender Leon Lamothe added a dash of Absinthe. Absinthe was banned in 1912 for allegedly causing hallucinations. So Peychaud’s special bitters were substituted in its place.
Step by step, here’s how to make a Sazerac:
Ice cubes
1 sugar cube
1/4 tsp. Peychaud’s bitters
1/8 tsp. Angostura bitters
1 tsp. water
1/4 cup rye whiskey
2 tsp. absinthe
1 lemon peel twist
Fill old-fashioned glass with ice and set aside. Place sugar cube in another old-fashioned glass. Pour bitters, then water over sugar, and muddle with back of spoon until sugar dissolves. Add ice to fill glass, then add whiskey. Let stand, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Discard ice from first glass; add absinthe. Swirl to coat inside of glass, then pour out absinthe. Strain whiskey mixture into glass. Twist lemon peel above cocktail and run along lip of glass. Discard lemon. (Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit)
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