Sazerac
The New Orleans original. Almost.
by Erin Henderson
"We are Sazerac evangelists," starts the recipe from New Orleans' cocktail royalty Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan, proprietors of the famed Commander's Palace Restaurant.
Years ago, I was gifted their book, In the Land of Cocktails: Recipes and Adventures from the Cocktail Chicks. It's a charming and riotous read, as addictive for the wild stories of New Orleans legend as it is for their tried-and-true cocktails. And chief among them, the Sazerac.
This heady concoction filled with whisky and danger-seeking absinthe is the obvious drink for winter, but don't turn up your nose during the summer months. After all New Orleans is not known for its cooling temperatures. A splash of the hard stuff around a fire at the end of a long summer day is quite a lovely thing indeed.
Your next read: Dave's Manhattan
Sazerac
The women sagely advise paying attention to detail – which I have to imagine is a foreign concept to most knees-up New Orleanians.
However, they warn, there are as many awful Sazeracs made as there are good ones. Ignore measurements at your peril.
At the time of this writing, American spirits aren't available in Ontario, and Herbsaint is tough to get easily. I've swapped Herbsaint for Absinthe, and the recommended Old Overholt for Canadian rye.
Makes: 1 cocktail
Bartender level: Moderate
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon Absinthe*
- 1½ oz rye (such as Bearface or Wayne Gretzky)
- ½ tsp simple syrup
- 4-5 dashes Paychaud's bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Lemon twist, for garnish
How to Make It:
- Pour the absinthe into an empty tumbler and swirl the glass to evenly coat the inside. Discard the extra.
- Fill the glass with ice to chill while you make the drink.
- Combine the rye, syrup, and both bitters in a shaker filled with ice and shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds.
- Discard the ice from the glass and strain the Sazerac into the empty tumbler.
- Rub the rim with the lemon twist the drop it in the drink. Serve immediately.
