In the mid-1800s (1850ish) a man named Sewell T. Taylor sold his bar, named “Merchants Exchange Coffee House”, to a man named Aaron Bird. Taylor then started importing spirits, like Cognac, and Bird changed the name of the bar to the Sazerac Coffee House. At some point Bird started using Taylor imported Cognac (Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils) and bitters made by a local apothecary named Antoine Amedie Peychaud to create his “Sazerac Cocktail”.
Around 1870 Thomas Handy because the owner, which the same time phylloxera was destroying huge swaths of vineyards in France. This made any grape-based drink hard to come by, including Cognac, and so Handy switched the main ingredient in the Sazerac from Cognac to Rye Whiskey. The actual creation of the cocktail has also been credited to Antoine Amédée Peychaud himself.
Regardless, the important piece to us, this being a whiskey site, is Handy switching to Rye Whiskey in the recipe. Rye is what I use when making a Sazerac 90% of the time, but sometimes I’ll use a Bourbon (always high-rye) and every-now-and-then I’ll even whip up an OZ Saz using Cognac. Making it with Cognac is interesting, and tasty, but honestly, I find it to be a hair too sweet for my tastes.
— This cocktail recipe contains affiliate links in the equipment section. If you use these links to buy the recommended equipment I might earn a commission. Cheers.
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Cocktail Recipe: Sazerac
A classic recipe with origins in New Orleans, the Sazerac is a lightly sweet and herbaceous cocktail well suited for before or after a meal. Course DrinksCuisine CocktailKeyword Absinthe, Bitters, bourbon, Lemon, rye, sugar Prep Time 5 minutesCook Time 0 minutes0 minutes Servings 1 Calories 160kcalEquipment
- Rocks glass
- Bar spoon
- Large ice cube
- Jigger
- Peeler
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Absinthe
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2-3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- 2 oz Whiskey (Rye or Bourbon)
- 1 peel Lemon
Instructions
- Place rocks glass in freezer for 5 minutes to chill
- Remove glass
- Add Absinthe, rinse/swirl in the glass, dump
- Add sugar and bitters, stir
- Add whiskey, stir
- Add ice cube, stir
- Express lemon peel, garnish
- Enjoy
Video
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Notes
There are a lot of cocktails I'll play with, adjust and shift ratios around with based on my mood, but the Sazerac isn't one of them. The core recipe and ratios I stick with every time and the only modification I make to this is exact recipe is changing the type of bitters used. Sometimes chocolate, sometimes orange, Angostura, pepper etc. But that's it, changing the bitter type. SIDE NOTE: I never actually "dump" or discard the Absinthe. I always drink it after doing the rinse :DNutrition
Serving: 1glass | Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 2.3g | Sugar: 2.3gI’m a big fan of the Sazerac cocktail, though I usually drink them in the late spring, summer and early fall and usually after a meal. It definitely works well before a meal, but I don’t typically like to have something this herbaceous and sweet before a meal or with a meal. Though all of those qualities are exactly why I like mixing one up after, it’s the perfect cap on a nice dinner.
In the recipe above I said I rarely stray from what’s laid out except with the variation of changing the bitters type. And this is true, but I have experimented with other whiskey types and, if you’re curious, the best variation I’ve made has been using peated Scotch. Laphroaig, particularly, does very well in this and can make for a sweet, smoky and herbal night cap.
If you make this, or a variation, be sure to let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram. Cheers!
