One of the key ingredients of the Sazerac cocktail is Peychaud's bitters, developed and produced by Antoine Peychaud back in the early 1800's. He was a pharmacist in New Orleans and had created his own special recipe for bitters, which he would use as a medicinal cure-all for his customers. One way in which he would administer his bitters, was in the form of a mixed drink that consisted of brandy, sugar, a few dashes of his bitters, and a few dashes of absinthe. Where this starts to explain the word "cocktail", is in the way which the drink was served. It is claimed that he would serve his concoction in an egg cup. One of those little ceramic cups you serve a single hard-boiled egg in (which looks sort of like a bartenders jigger). In French, these are called "coqueteir", and it wouldn't take too much imagination to see this word getting mangled into
"cocktail", especially after you might have had a couple of them.
Unfortunately, this story is easily dispelled. We know that the word cocktail existed as early as 1803, which happens to be the same year that Antoine Peychaud was born, thus making it difficult for him to have been manufacturing bitters, much less serving them to customers in little egg-cups.
But enough of a history lesson, let's dive into making ourselves a drink. Here is how I make a Sazerac:
Sazerac
- 1 scant teaspoon simple syrup
- 2 to 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- 2 to 3 dashes absinthe
- 2 ounces rye whiskey
Add the simple syrup, bitters, and whiskey to a small rocks glass. Add a couple chunks of ice and stir briefly to chill.
In a second glass, add the absinthe (or appropriate substitute, such as Herbsaint, Pernod, or other anise flavored liqueur) and swirl to coat.
Strain the contents of the first glass into the second.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Note: I actually keep my absinthe in a small atomizer bottle and just spray the glass with this to coat.
You might notice that my recipe (properly) uses American rye whiskey instead of the brandy that I list in the description of how Antoine Peychaud originally made this drink. Brandy was the original ingredient; in fact it was "Sazerac" brandy, which also gave the drink its name. But in the mid 1800's they switched to using rye whiskey instead, and it's been that way ever since. There are also some who would use Angostura bitters instead of, or in addition to, the Peychaud bitters. This is a modification born out of the fact that Peychaud bitters is nowhere near as easy to find as Angostura bitters. The two however are very different in flavor, and so one is not a proper substitute for the other, especially in a drink such as the Sazerac. So take the time to hunt down a bottle of Peychaud’s and give this drink the respect that it deserves.
