Sazerac - the Forbidden Sip

The drink of the sages

 Now the best of New Orleans history is being highlighted as known as Sazerac. It is behalf the whiskey it is made with - Sazerac Rye. This cocktail is not just legendary, it is thought to be even older than the Old Fashioned. In other words, 'the First Official Cocktail', which, unfortunately, is not confirmed, because the word cocktail was not official by the time this was mixed ..

 The most interesting part of it is the way it is mixed. No shaking for this cocktail, but we need 2 Old Fashioned glasses. There comes the issue - why we use OF-glass, if is older? - It was not as popular as the Old Fashioned ... . Back to the topic, we will use the first glass for absinthe container, and then we will mix the rest of the cocktail in the other glass. We will stir it and pour into the 'container', from which we will drink the cocktail.

 As I said, the cockail is named on Alcohol Brand - it is 'Sazerac-et-Forge and Fils'. Initially they used Sazerac Cognac, which they mixed with sort of Bitters they had in the local, which was made from - Antoine Amedie Peychaud - Did you get it? - the Bitters was unofficial by this time. Later they substituted the cognac with Sazerac Rye, which remained unchanged till now. It happened that after few decades absinthe was banned, so they replaced it with Herbsaint.

 The interest in the Sazerac-like cocktails were lost and so its popularity. That was the time of the Old Fashioned and it took a century, therefore several generations, to look back to the Sazerac, which had its peak in the late 19th century. Its recipe was almost lost, because it was practically forgotten and useless. Not sure how, this cocktail survived and is present today.

 Nowadays, the Sazerac is the official cocktail of New Orleans. It is the most shiny symbol of the city as well. But one question is still un-answered. Is the Sazerac older than the Old Fashioned or Not?


Recipe of Sazerac

2 oz - Sazerac Rye or Brandy
1/3 oz - Absinthe
Dash of Peychaud's Bitters
A sugar cube

Mixing the ingredients

Do not use ice for this cocktail. Take a Old Fashioned glass and place napkin over it. Place a sugar cube over the napkin and soak it wet with Peychaud's Bitters. remove the napkin and drop the cube in the glass. Pour Sazerac Rye or Sazerac Brandy and muddle, until the cube dissolve. Take another OF-glass and pour Absinthe. Try to was the inside of the glass with and then pour the other glass over the absinthe. Take a peel of lemon and squeeze over it, rim the edge with the zest and then drop it in. Now sip from the centuries-old drink.