Sazerac co*cktail Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between an Old Fashioned and a Sazerac? ›

An Old Fashioned contains Bourbon, while the Sazerac favors rye whiskey. Both contain sugar and bitters, but a traditional Old Fashioned tends to use Angostura bitters. while the Sazerac demands New Orleans's own Peychaud's Bitters, which was integral in the creation of the drink.

The absinthe is only used for a glass rinse, so you just need a tiny bit, but if you can't find it or don't want to invest so heavily in a bottle, you could substitute Pernod, anisette, or ouzo. The bitters that are used for a classic Sazerac are Peychaud's.

Sazerac rye whiskey is a 90-proof liquor. Even if you dilute it slightly by stirring it with ice, the Sazerac co*cktail is really no different than drinking the whiskey straight—it's merely enhanced. This means the Sazerac is in the 45 percent ABV (90 proof) range and is one of the strongest mixed drinks you can make.

The Sazerac may very well be America's oldest co*cktail. It's also the official co*cktail of New Orleans—a fitting designation, since it was invented there in 1838!

In 1992, Sazerac acquired the George T. Stagg Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, at which time the company's primary focus became the production of bourbon whiskey, a product that is primarily distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky, later changing its name to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1999.

The Old Fashioned is known to traditionally call on bourbon as its base, while the modern Sazerac favors rye whiskey. Bourbon tends to be sweeter, while the rye offers a more peppery profile. The reason this choice works so well for the Sazerac has to do with the drink's absinthe rinse.

Absinthe Legalized in 2007

In October 2007 the TTB issued new guidelines that made Absinthe containing thujone legal as long as the bottle contained less than 10 parts per million of thujone. In there words, if it contained less than this amount it was considered “thujone free” and was therefore legal.

Because of its popularity, the Temperance League lobbied against absinthe due to the high rate of alcohol related crime and false claims that it made you hallucinate or “go crazy” (which it did not). Absinthe was banned in most of Europe between 1905 and 1910, and the United States followed in 1912.

Wormwood, or artemisia absinthium, the plant that gives absinthe its name, does contain a chemical compound called thujone that allegedly has hallucinogenic properties. But the thujone content of absinthe is – and always was – so low that you'd pass out or die of alcohol poisoning long before you felt those affects.

The famed Sazerac Coffee House was founded in New Orleans in 1850 and soon became known as the home of “America's First co*cktail,” the Sazerac. Using rye whiskey (in place of French brandy), a dash of Peychaud's Bitters, and Herbsaint, what eventually became the official co*cktail of New Orleans was created.

Who drinks Sazerac? ›

Official co*cktail of New Orleans

After further debate, on June 23, 2008, the Louisiana Legislature agreed to proclaim the Sazerac as New Orleans' official co*cktail.

Made from rare, top-shelf ingredients that nod at the Sazerac's origins (both the co*cktail's and bar's), this glass of booze rings in at a whopping $125. But before you write off its three-figure price tag, consider all that goes into the drink, including its legendary history.

The Sazerac is the New Orleans classic co*cktail, often thought of as the first co*cktail to originate in the city. The co*cktail is said to date back to 1838 New Orleans when a Creole apothecary mixed it up for his fellow Masons with the name coming from the creator's favorite French brandy, Sazerac-de-Forge.

What is this? Sazerac 18 is considered one of the best rye whiskeys you can buy, but with once-a-year releases of a limited supply, it's incredibly difficult to find. Lucky for all of us, the 6 year “baby” is more attainable, even with its own limited (but less so) supply.

History of The Sazerac

They say he first served it to his fellow Masons after hours in an egg cup –a coquetier—a word that some insist morphed into “co*cktail.” The name of the drink comes from Peychaud's favorite French brandy, Sazerac-de-Forge et fils.