The Sazerac
The Sazerac is one of the oldest known cocktails and synonymous with New Orleans, but its exact origins and, crucially, its base spirit is one of the bartending world’s longest running arguments. So, should it be made with rye or cognac…or both?!
Ingredients
Cognac Sazerac
60ml (2oz) cognac
5ml (1/6 oz) sugar syrup
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
10 – 15ml (1/3 – 1/2oz) absinthe to rinse
Lemon twist to garnish
Rye Sazerac
60ml (2oz) rye
10ml (1/3 oz) sugar syrup
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
10 – 15ml (1/3 – 1/2oz) absinthe to rinse
Lemon twist to garnish
Split Base Sazerac
30ml (1oz) rye
30ml (1oz) cognac
7.5ml (1/4 oz) sugar syrup
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
10 – 15ml (1/3 – 1/2oz) absinthe to rinse
Lemon twist to garnish
Equipment
A jigger
A mixing glass or other rocks glass
A barspoon
A julep strainer
A small rocks glass
A shot glass
Method
Traditionally Sazeracs are made using two rocks glasses – one to mix the drink in and one to rinse with absinthe and serve in. It doesn’t honestly make too much of a difference but I find it easier to stir and control the dilution in a regular mixing glass.
Sazeracs are served up, i.e. not on ice, but in a rocks glass which is fairly unusual. It’s quite nice though, because if you have any cute glasses which are too small for Old Fashioneds, now is their time to shine!
Prepare a small coin of lemon peel.
Fill your serving glass with ice and add the absinthe, drizzling around as much as possible.
Give it a stir and leave to chill.
Add all of the other ingredients to your mixing/other rocks glass.
Fill with ice and stir by pushing the ice around with the back of your spoon against the inside of the glass.
Once chilled and diluted, strain the absinthe in to the shot glass and discard the ice; strain the drink in to the serving glass.
Fold your lemon peel sharply over the drink from a height to expel the oils, and discard.
Serve your Sazerac with the absinthe on the side (if you like!).
Suggested Ingredients
We couldn’t not use Sazerac rye, but any good quality all rounder like Knob Creek will work great, or Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond for something more savoury.
We’ve used Pierre Ferrand cognac here as it is deliberately made to mimic the fruity and spicy flavours of cognac from the 1800s, but any good quality one from the big houses (Hennessey, Martell etc) will work fine, or feel free to use a good quality local brandy – Cognac doesn’t have the monopoly any more!
Peychaud’s is the one true bitters here – I’m normally all for substitutes but if you don’t have Peychaud’s, it’s not really a Sazerac.
The Absinthe is just a rinse so doesn’t have to be fancy, but it is such a finely balanced cocktail you can certainly use something special if you can spare it. I’m using Pernod but La Fee is another inexpensive option.
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