Complex, seductive and (if well made) smooth, the sazerac is the cocktail that started it all (some claim it’s the first cocktail ever made).

Hailing from New Orleans, the sazerac was originally made from absinthe (New Orleans was, with the exception of Paris, the absinthe capital of the world at one time), Peychaud’s bitters and cognac – but then the recipe evolved and it’s now traditionally made with rye whiskey instead of cognac.

In Australia, however, you’ll have two problems when making a sazerac: finding Peychaud’s bitters and finding good quality rye.

Quite frankly, I couldn’t get my hands on Peychaud’s for a long time. I trawled Sydney’s bottle shops, I asked bar staff to slip me some on the sly, but all to no avail. As such, I originally used Angostura instead since it’s also based on the gentian herb but then a number of bartender friends had harsh words with me and said that I was committing a cocktail sin (and, in retrospect, that’s fair enough). Finally, one of them did pass me a bottle on the sly and another recommended I try Cocktail Kingdom in the US. Since then, I have never looked back.

As for the rye: well, I found Jim Beam Rye whiskey at Dan Murphy’s (it comes with a yellow label) and while it worked a treat in a whiskey sour, I didn’t like it in the sazerac. The problem is that a sazerac relies heavily on the spirit for flavour so it’s worth using something that tastes deep and complex. Bourbon, however, is usually too sweet for a sazerac, which is already being sweetened by sugar, although Woodford Reserve does apparently have a high rye content and is more complex than most bourbons. I tried it in a sazerac and the result worked well, although if I were to do it again I’d use less sugar.

However, I prefer using either a good cognac, an Islay single malt whisky (which adds a nice smokiness) or an aged blended whiskey (I tried an 18-year-old Jamesons Irish whiskey – which I usually like straight – and it worked a treat). It might be decadent to use such a great whiskey* on a cocktail, but then cocktails ought to be about decadence. However, out of everything I’ve tried so far, I prefer using Hennessey VSOP cognac. I’ve also had two knowledgeable bartenders suggest using a mix of cognac and rye.

I have, however, finally found a place that sells a wide range of rye whiskeys (they have a shopfront in Double Bay) – World of Whisky. The rye I’d choose would probably be either Rittenhouse or the Sazerac brand.

As for the absinthe: well, the most traditional absinthe for this would be the Jade Nouvelle Orleans, which is distilled in France by a New Orleans native and is closer to the type of absinthes made in New Orleans over a century ago than anything else you can come across.

The final result is a stiff drink that, as far as construction is concerned, is as traditional a cocktail as you’ll find – namely a mix of spirit, bitters, sugar and ice. I even stuck with muddling a sugar cube rather than using sugar syrup to be historically accurate.

As such, without further ado, here’s the sazerac recipe:

• 1 sugar cube
• 1 shot of rye whiskey (although some recipes call for up to two shots) or cognac
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 dash Angostura bitters (although you can leave this out**)
• absinthe
• lemon peel

Instructions

1. Chill one tumbler or Old Fashioned glass with ice.
2. In a second Old Fashioned glass (or mixing glass or shaker, although traditionally it’s done in an Old Fashioned glass), muddle or crush a sugar cube with the dashes of bitters (some also add a few drops of water). Add ice cubes and whiskey/cognac and stir until cold.
3. Empty the first glass of ice and pour a small amount of absinthe into it – just enough to coat the inside.
4. Strain the second glass (filled with the whiskey, bitters and sugar) into the first, chilled glass with the absinthe.
5. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel, although I like using grapefruit or orange peel for this. Rub first around the rim and twist over the drink to release some of the peel’s oils. Some people refuse to drop the peel into the drink afterwards – but this is up to you.

Voila!

*PS If anyone’s spell checking this story out of boredom and wondering why I spelt whisky in two different ways, remember that it’s (usually) spelt with an e for American and Irish distillers and without one for Scottish, Canadian and other international distillers. Incidentally, I’ve yet to taste an Australian whiskey, although we do have some distillers here …

** PS 2 I find that if I only use one shot of whiskey or cognac then it’s best not to add Angostura – but if I use two shots then a dash of Angostura on top of the Peychaud’s works well.

Sazerac recipe, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

 

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