RECIPE BY JAKE SULEK, THE PROFESSORS LCC
The Sazerac Cocktail. Photo by Lucy Thomas
The Sazerac cocktail stands alongside the martini, the Manhattan and the Old-Fashioned as one of the greatest mixological creations of the 19th century. An easy-to-execute combination of spirit, sugar, ice, bitters and a tiny touch of absinthe, the official cocktail of New Orleans most closely resembles an Old-Fashioned.
The Sazerac’s history was written (and greatly romanticized) by Stanley Clisby Arthur in the 1937 book “Famous New Orleans Drinks.” But in 2017, cocktail historian David Wondrich debunked Clisby’s history in an article for The Daily Beast, revealing the Sazerac was created in the 1880-90s and sold at the Sazerac House saloon near the French Quarter as their bottled “Sazerac Whiskey Cocktail.” According to Wondrich, the original Sazerac was never made with cognac (it was always rye whiskey), and it wasn’t the first cocktail – he says those are myths perpetuated by Clisby.
Even more confusing is the cocktail’s name. “Sazerac” can mean different things: 1) the name of a company based out of New Orleans (they own Buffalo Trace Distillery); 2) the name of Buffalo Trace’s best-selling 6-year-old rye whiskey; or 3) the name of the classic cocktail. At a bar, you should always order it “Sazerac cocktail” to get what you want.
Ingredients:
• Absinthe rinse
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 0.25 ounces 2:1 sugar syrup (see additional note below)
• 2 ounces rye whiskey
Method:
Rinse your rocks glass with absinthe and set it aside. In a mixing vessel, add bitters, sugar syrup and rye whiskey. Fill the vessel with ice cubes and stir for 30-40 seconds. Strain into your rocks glass. For the garnish, express a lemon peel over the drink and discard the peel.
Additional Note:
A 2:1 sugar syrup can be prepared by adding two cups sugar to one cup water in a jar and shaking until the sugar dissolves.
Alternatively, you can combine the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is liquified. Using Demerara sugar makes for a great Sazerac cocktail.