Sazerac
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 29.9% ABV ∙
The Sazerac is a New Orleans cocktail of brandy, rye, and bourbon with sugar syrup and Creole bitters, stirred and strained into an absinthe-coated glass.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass and a shot glass
- Pour the Absinthe 5 ml into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice, top up with Chilled water and stir
- Strain the contents of the old-fashioned glass into the chilled shot glass to be served as an optional extra alongside the Sazerac
- Stir the remaining ingredients with ice: Brandy 20 mlRye whiskey 20 mlBourbon 20 mlSugar syrup 10 mlCreole-style bitters 4 dashes
- Strain the drink into the Absinthe-coated glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- The absinthe belongs only on the walls: swirl it with the ice and chilled water until it coats the inside of the glass.
- Stir for about 30 seconds: the drink is served without ice, so it has to chill and dilute in the mixing glass.
History
The Sazerac grew out of a New Orleans coffee house. Around 1850, Sewell T. Taylor sold the Merchants Exchange Coffee House to become a spirits importer, bringing in the Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils cognac; the new owner, Aaron Bird, renamed the bar the Sazerac Coffee House and served a "Sazerac Cocktail" using that cognac and bitters made by local apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud.
When Thomas Handy took over around 1870, the base shifted from cognac to rye during the Great French Wine Blight. At some point before Handy's death in 1893, he recorded the recipe, which first appeared in print in William T. "Cocktail Bill" Boothby's The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them (1908), though that printed recipe called for Selner Bitters rather than Peychaud's. New Orleans named it the city's official cocktail in 2008.
FAQ
What is in a Sazerac cocktail?
Equal parts brandy, rye and bourbon (20 ml each), 10 ml sugar syrup and four dashes of Peychaud's-style Creole bitters, in a glass coated with absinthe.
What's the difference between an Old Fashioned and a Sazerac?
The Sazerac is served without ice in a glass coated with absinthe, which gives it an anise aroma, and it uses Peychaud's-style bitters. An Old Fashioned uses aromatic bitters and is served over ice. Both are stirred drinks of spirit, sugar and bitters.
Is a Sazerac a strong drink?
Yes, at about 29.9% ABV. It is whiskey and brandy with only a little sugar syrup and bitters, served without ice, and there is no juice or soda to stretch it. The only water comes from the stir.
Can you drink a Sazerac straight?
Yes. It is served straight up: stirred with ice, then strained into a chilled glass with no ice.
What is a substitute for absinthe in a Sazerac?
Herbsaint, pastis, or Pernod all work as substitutes for the absinthe rinse. In New Orleans, Herbsaint is the traditional stand-in, since it was created locally in 1934 during the decades absinthe was unavailable in the United States.
What glass is a Sazerac served in?
A chilled old-fashioned glass, without ice. The glass is first coated with absinthe and chilled water, which are strained off into a shot glass that can be served alongside.
