Sazerac
by Muddle Muddle | 60 Second Cocktails
The Sazerac is America's first cocktail, created by Antoine Amedie Peychaud in the mid 1800s. With his pharmaceutical background, he apparently served his customers toddies created with his bitters and Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac. The cognac has since been substituted for rye whiskey, but the rest of the cocktail is the same and his bitters are known the world over. Give it a try! The Sazerac is a local New Orleans variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud's Bitters, and sugar, although bourbon whiskey or Herbsaint are sometimes substituted. Some claim it is the oldest known American cocktail, with origins in pre-Civil War New Orleans, although drink historian David Wondrich is among those who dispute this, and American instances of published usage of the word cocktail to describe a mixture of spirits, bitters, and sugar can be traced to the dawn of the 19th century.
More +
Ingredients
- Rye Whiskey
- Angostura bitters
- Peychaud's bitters
- Absinthe
- Sugar
- Lemon
- Ice
Equipment
- Muddler
- Cocktail Strainer
- Peeler
Glassware
- Rocks Glass
Steps
- Fill one glass (glass A) to the brim with ice, let it chill.
- In the other (glass B), add one sugar cube.
- Add two dashes of Peychaud's bitters to the glass with sugar cube (glass B)
- Add one dash of Angostura bitters to the same glass (glass B)
- Muddle the sugar cube and bitters
- Add 2.5 oz of rye whiskey
- Discard ice that has been chilling in glass A
- Add a splash of Absinthe to the chilled glass (Glass A)
- Swirl to coat the Absinthe in the chilled glass
- Discard the contents in chilled glass
- Add the mixture from other glass to the chilled glass
- Rub a lemon peel around the rim and inside glass
- You’ve just made a New Orleans Sazerac. Cheers!