Cocktails at home: The Sazerac

private virtual cocktails whiskey tasting at home

Before the pandemic upended our lives, most of us relied on the services of a talented bartender to mix our favorite cocktail from time to time. At the Whiskey Library, when we’re not busy with our virtual whiskey tastings, we see pandemic life as an opportunity to perfect our favorite cocktails at home as we celebrate virtual happy hour on Zoom (though we certainly look forward to the day when we can patronize our favorite cocktail spots and bartenders again).

When it comes to cocktails, it’s no surprise that many of our favorites at the Whiskey Library are spirit-forward. In spirit-forward cocktails, it is still possible to taste the base spirits because they have not been completely masked by sugars and fruit juices. Today, we’re talking about one of the oldest, if not the oldest, cocktail: the Sazerac. Greg on our team has taken to making it at home for his partner Aimee, who helps with our marketing and photos.

History

The Sazerac dates back to 1850s New Orleans, where, so the legend goes, Aaron Bird assumed proprietorship of a bar called Merchants Exchange and changed its name to Sazerac Coffee House. Around that time, Bird began serving the "Sazerac Cocktail", made with Sazerac cognac imported by the bar's previous owner, and allegedly with bitters being made by the local apothecary, Antoine Amedie Peychaud.

Although originally made with cognac, around 1870, the primary ingredient shifted to rye whiskey, thanks to the shortage of wine and wine-based spirits because of the phylloxera epidemic that devastated the vineyards of France (and was eventually overcome by grafting French grapes onto American rootstock).

Our version

Today, the Sazerac can be made with cognac or rye, or both — as in this version that we have been making at home. It mimics the Sazeracs we’ve been craving from the fine folks behind the bar at Allegory. The result is sweet, spicy, and herbal - and packs enough of a kick that we recommend sticking to just one before dinner.

private virtual cocktails whiskey tasting at home

You’ll need:

  • A rocks glass

  • A cocktail mixing glass (we like this one; a second glass will do in a pinch)

  • A cocktail mixing spoon and strainer (something else to stir and strain will do in a pinch)

  • A cocktail jigger for measuring (though a measuring spoon will work in a pinch, as long as you keep the proportions of the ingredients the same)

  • Ice

  • 3 shakes Peychaud's bitters

  • .25 oz. absinthe (we keep a bottle of Leopold Bros. Absinthe Verte in our collection)

  • 1.5 oz. rye whiskey (our go-to is Sazerac Rye for this cocktail)

  • 1.5 oz. cognac (we like Remy Martin VSOP , but by all means use whatever cognac you happen to have lying around, if you have cognac lying around)

  • .25 oz (~1 spoonful) simple syrup

  • Lemon peel, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Begin by packing your rocks glass with ice, and setting it aside to chill. Then add a small scoopful of ice (about 2 inches’ worth) into your cocktail mixing glass.

In the cocktail mixing glass, add the simple syrup (traditional recipes call for sugar or a sugar cube, but for at-home, we find simple syrup so much easier, and we keep a bottle in the fridge next to our pickles and vermouth), then the rye and cognac (if you prefer, you can use only rye or only cognac — just double the amount to 3 oz), then the 3 shakes of Peychaud’s bitters. Stir until well-mixed using the mixing spoon.

Return to the rocks glass. Dump out the ice and any accumulated water, and add the absinthe. Rotate the glass at various angles until the inside of the glass is thoroughly coated, then dispose of any excess absinthe still in the glass (this is called an absinthe rinse or absinthe wash). Strain the cocktail (using a cocktail strainer to strain out the ice) into the rocks glass with the absinthe rinse. Since you’ve gone to all this bother, garnish with a lemon peel (here’s how it’s done). Since you’re at home and it’s a pandemic, we won’t tell if you’re out of citrus and/or just can’t get the lemon peel garnish down.

A final at-home cocktail tip: Unless you live alone, the last step is to thoroughly wipe down the counter with some spray cleaner to keep it from being very sticky, before your partner/roommate/parents/cat notices and judges you.

Sip and enjoy. Cheers.

Aimee Custis