{11.06.13} Food & Drink

Spirits Week
 

The Sazerac

 

Before the recipe was ever printed, the sazerac—known as one of the world's oldest cocktails—was basically an elixir concocted by a New Orleans pharmacist. Antoine Amedie Peychaud, a Creole descendant of escaped slaves, had created a bitter that he'd drop into brandy and serve to guests. Soon, Peychaud's eponymous bitters were being manufactured on a larger scale and the brandy was replaced with American-made rye whiskey. By the mid 1850s, the cocktail had become immensely popular and the appeal hasn't really waned. Why should it? Straightforward and potent, it's a manly sort of tipple. And like most drinks that have stood the test of time, it's not really hard to make. The key is a proper layering of flavors. We asked Russ Bergeron, the beverage manager of New Orlean's Roosevelt Hotel, home of the famed Sazerac Bar, for their house recipe. "You want to use a good six to eight year-old rye whiskey such as Old Overholt, Rittenhouse or Sazerac, of course," says Bergeron. "And while the cocktail is traditionally made by dissolving a sugar cube, you can make the process a little easier, like we do at the bar, by substituting simple syrup." Herewith, his technique.

Ingredients
 
1 tsp. simple syrup
 
3 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters
 
1 1/2 ounces of rye whiskey
 
1/4 ounce Herbsaint (Absinthe)
 
Lemon peel,
for garnish
Technique
1

Pack an old-fashioned glass with ice.

 
2

In a second glass, add the simple syrup along with three dashes of Peychaud's Bitters. Then add your rye whiskey.

 
3

Add the ice from the first glass and stir. Then coat the sides of the now-chilled glass with the absinthe and discard any excess.

 
4

Strain the whisky mixture into the chilled absinthe-rinsed glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

 
 
  •  
    Go There:
    The Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne Street,
    New Orleans, LA 70112
 
 
 
 
 

{11.06.13}

 

The
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