Sazerac (low-calorie)
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 33.7% ABV ∙
This low-calorie Sazerac stirs bourbon with a sugar-free syrup and Creole bitters, strained into an absinthe-rinsed glass. Cold and silky on the tongue, with a whisper of anise clinging to the rim and a bright citrus snap lingering through a spiced, warming finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour Absinthe 10 ml into the glass, fill with ice and water, and set aside
- In a mixing glass, stir the remaining ingredients with ice: Bourbon 50 mlSugar-free sweetener syrup 10 mlCreole-style bitters 3 dashesAngostura aromatic bitters 1 dash
- Discard the contents of the glass and strain the cocktail into the Absinthe-rinsed glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and discard
Tips
- Swirl the absinthe fully around the glass before discarding it — a thin, even coating is enough to perfume the drink without pooling.
- Chill the glass well ahead of time; a warm glass melts the ice bath faster and thins the absinthe rinse before you can discard it.
- Stir the bourbon mixture over ice only until well-chilled; over-diluting flattens the sugar-free syrup's thinner body compared to a classic syrup.
History
This version of the Sazerac has no separate creation story of its own: it is a modern lower-sugar, lower-calorie build of the classic recipe, substituting a sugar-free sweetener syrup for the traditional sugar so the drink keeps its familiar profile with fewer calories.
The Sazerac itself is a New Orleans cocktail traced to the city's mid-19th-century coffee house culture, when brandy from the firm Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils was served with locally made bitters; the drink's creation has long been credited to Creole apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud, though drink historian David Wondrich and others dispute this popular account and argue the cocktail more likely emerged from a bottled Whiskey Cocktail sold by the Sazerac company. Rye whiskey replaced brandy as the base after the phylloxera blight devastated French vineyards, and absinthe, added by the 1870s, was itself replaced by anise liqueurs such as Herbsaint after absinthe was banned in the United States in 1912.
FAQ
How many calories are in a Sazerac cocktail?
This low-calorie Sazerac has about 154 calories per serving, thanks to a sugar-free sweetener syrup standing in for regular sugar syrup.
What is a substitute for absinthe in a Sazerac?
Herbsaint, an anise-flavored liqueur created in New Orleans in 1934, is the traditional stand-in for absinthe in a Sazerac and is used the same way, as a glass rinse. Pastis or another anise-forward liqueur also works in a pinch, though the anise note will taste sweeter and less herbal than absinthe.
What cocktail is lowest in calories?
Among whiskey cocktails, this low-calorie Sazerac is a strong option at about 154 calories per serving, since it swaps in a sugar-free sweetener for standard syrup. Generally, spirit-forward drinks stirred with little or no sweetener or juice run lower in calories than shaken, juice-heavy, or cream-based cocktails.
