🥃 Sazerac

The Sazerac is the cocktail New Orleans calls its own: rye whiskey or cognac, sugar and Peychaud's bitters are stirred with ice and strained into a chilled glass rinsed with absinthe, then finished with a lemon peel. In 2008 the Louisiana state legislature named it the official cocktail of the city of New Orleans.

History. Pharmacist Antoine Peychaud opened a pharmacy in New Orleans in 1834 and sold his bitters to local coffee houses. The cocktail takes its name from Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac, which a local merchant imported; a drink based on it was served at the Sazerac House coffee house, mentioned in the press in 1852. The house was later owned by Thomas Handy.

Why whiskey. When phylloxera destroyed the French vineyards, cognac became scarce and bartenders switched to American rye whiskey; the Sazerac Company dates this to 1885. Absinthe was banned in the United States in 1912, so Herbsaint was often used instead; absinthe became legal again in 2007. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) still serves the classic version with cognac.

How it is made. According to Difford's Guide, 45 ml of rye whiskey, 7.5 ml of rich sugar syrup and three dashes of Peychaud's bitters are stirred with ice. The glass is rinsed with absinthe, the excess poured out, and the cocktail strained into it without ice. The IBA recipe is 50 ml of cognac, 10 ml of absinthe, a sugar cube and two dashes of bitters.

Why it matters to you. The Sazerac is a very strong cocktail: almost the whole glass is whiskey or cognac at 40% ABV or more, plus absinthe, which is often stronger still. Sazerac is also the name of the company that makes Sazerac Rye and Peychaud's bitters, so do not confuse the cocktail with a brand. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.