Sazerac - my new favourite

Made my first Sazerac tonight (well, my first two Sazeracs). I like…a lot. Here’s what I did:

Chill an old-fashioned glass (or rocks glass)
Meanwhile, in another glass, muddle a cube of raw brown sugar with a few drops of water (I suspect a little club soda would work as well). Add 2-oz of rye whiskey (or cognac, as the original recipe apparently called for). Add about 4 dashes (or slightly more) of Peychaud’s bitters. Add some ice and stir (don’t shake).

Take the chilled glass and add a half-splash of absinthe (or Herbsaint or Pernod). Roll around the glass until coated; discard excess. Strain the whiskey mixture into the coated glass. Pinch a twist of lemon over the drink to release the oils (purists say to not drop the twist into the drink, YMMV).

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

That’s a truly classic recipe and it’s great to see some love for Herbsaint (and you’s GOT to use Peychauds).

Be careful, those are sneaky bastards…

Agreed, as I mix my third one of the night. My local mixologist (a true stud in his profession) makes a version of this with grand marnier infused with duck fat. He is my hero.

Please tell me he does not call the result of that a Sazerac…

Oh God no, he does not. It is called “Quarter Duck” on his list. But, it is eerily reminiscent of the drink in front of me, just taken to a different level. However, his is much better.

Good. I broke a perfectly good Duvel glass (and very NEARLY a very nice Sony TV) once when Andrea Immer made a Grasshopper (Green Creme de Menthe, CREAM, ect) on the Food Network, poured it in an up glass and pronounced it to be a “Mint-tini”…

You can’t help those people, Roberto. You really can’t…

God knows I’ve tried…“What’s the best Vodka for a Martini?” “Junipero or maybe Old Raj!” “Whah??? That stuff tastes like spices and herbs and stuff…I don’t want any aftertaste…it’s a Martini!”

If I recall correctly, Herbsaint is a thing of the past - no longer made. I still have a couple of bottles in the liquor cabinet, along with the Peychaud’s. Love sazeracs.

It’s actually being made again but was off the market for a bit .

Jumping in late on this one…bravo for making a REAL Sazerac! I use to drink them all the time…but I’ve become lazy…I go for Sazerac rye whiskey, 1 small ice cube, and and orange twist…

cheers!

I want to try this, but I don’t want to sound like a moron. Is it pronounced pretty much like it looks? SAZ-er-ack? Or is there some fancy frenchified (not Todd) pronunciation?

That’s the correct way to pronounce it

Ann, the bartender at Custom House in Chicago introduced me to this drink several years ago. One of my favorites.

Herbsaint is definitely on the market, we just took in a case (we go through a lot of it as a budget alternative to Pernod for cooking).

They are not always sneaky. One…or maybe several…hit me like a two by four about 30 years ago when we lived in New Orleans!

Does anyone use Cognac, isn’t there a pretty perceptible difference?

I ordered Peychaud’s Bitters from Amazon and intend to try this (have not seen it locally)

What rye do people use for this?

Had a very nice, proper Sazerac last night at the Bristol. A real pleasure, but I can’t drink them seriously unless they drop the sugar cube.

Very interesting article about the Sazerac:

The Sazerac Cocktail" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Makes quite a few specific suggestions, including the judicious use of Angostura bitters…

Very informative and well-written article, Frank. [welldone.gif]