Sazerac is a classic alcoholic cocktail made using the “old-fashioned” “build” method, in which the ingredients are mixed directly in the glass without a shaker. The drink is considered the standard of bartending culture, and visitors who order it become connoisseurs in the eyes of the bartender. Because of the anise flavor, reminiscent of medicine, not everyone likes it. With the right ingredients, this cocktail is easy to make at home.
Composition and proportions:
- bourbon (whiskey, cognac) – 50 ml;
- absinthe – 10 ml;
- sugar – 1 cube;
- bitter Peychaud’s – 3 drops;
- ice cubes – 200 grams;
- lemon zest – 1 piece.
The original recipe used cognac, but modern bartenders add bourbon. For the sake of historical justice, in some cases whiskey and cognac are mixed in equal proportions.
Pichot is an anise-flavoured sweet bitter, originally created as a medicinal product, now used as an ingredient in cocktails, adding just a few drops to give drinks a red tint and a characteristic anise flavor.
Cocktail recipe Sazerac
1. Pour absinthe into a pre-chilled glass (preferably rocks). Twist the glass in your hands so that the drink washes the walls, set aside.
2. Fill another similar glass with ice. Add bourbon, sugar and bitters. Mix with a spoon.
3. Through a strainer (to remove the ice) strain the mixture from the first glass into the second (with absinthe).
4. Garnish with a piece of lemon zest.
Historical information
In 1821, French-born pharmacist Antoine Amédée Pichot arrived in New Orleans from Saint-Domingue (a French colony on the island of Haiti), where a slave uprising had begun. In the 1830s, a settler opened the Royal Street Pharmacy.
Antoine was a member of the Masonic Concorde Blue Lodge. After secret meetings, he closed with other members of the brotherhood in his pharmacy and treated guests to a liqueur (herbal bitter), prepared according to a family recipe based on brandy.
In 1838, Antoine’s bitter called “Peychaud’s” went on sale. Officially, it was a medicinal tincture, but the locals liked to add a couple of drops of bitter to cognac. New Orleans is the capital of the state of Louisiana, which used to be a French colony, so the drinks of the historical homeland are still popular here.
In 1859, importers of the (now defunct) Sazerac brand of cognac opened The Coffee House opposite Antoine Pichot’s pharmacy. The institution’s favorite drink was a cocktail consisting of cognac and a few drops of Peychaud’s bitters.
In 1870, the cognac house and coffee changed hands, who renamed the establishment The Sazerac House. In Europe, the phylloxera insect destroyed up to 90% of vineyards, so cognac became very expensive. It was replaced with bourbon (American corn whiskey) and absinthe was added to Sazerac. In this form, the recipe has been preserved to this day.
In 2007, Sazerac became Louisiana’s official cocktail.