Sazerac Cocktail History

The cocktail which continued to be served at the sazerac bar was further adapted in 1912 when absinthe was banned in the us. It was popular in new orleans during the waning days of french creole culture and at some point it made the acquaintance of absinthe and sugar and peychaud s bitters resulting in the sazerac cocktail. Legend has long held that the historic nola drink might even be america s first cocktail and while there are some holes in that story the origins of the sazerac are fascinating even without that.

Olivia Luz

The official cocktail of new orleans the sazerac boasts two locally created ingredients in its recipe peychaud s bitters and herbsaint. In the late 19th century when the phylloxera epidemic wiped out whole swathes of french vineyards thus reducing cognac supplies bartenders substituted american rye whiskey and the sazerac that we know today was born. There s sazerac de forge et fils of limoges france the original 19th century old world company that exported its brandy to the new world. The namesake brand sazerac de forge et fils was the original spirit used in the sazerac cocktail and by the mid 19th century became a natural choice for the name of the original sazerac coffee house. Both the mixer and the cocktail were invented by antoine amédée peychaud the owner of a pharmacy in new orleans back in the 1830 s.

The original drink was made with sazerac de forge et fils cognac and peychard used to serve his blend warmed up to his waiting customers when dispensing prescriptions. 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. They say he first served it to his fellow masons after hours in an egg cup a coquetier a word that some insist morphed into cocktail. On june 23 2008 louisiana legislature immortalized the cocktail formerly known by the name sazerac as the official cocktail of new orleans. Some claim it is the oldest known american cocktail with origins in pre civil war.

The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey absinthe peychaud s bitters and sugar although bourbon whiskey is sometimes substituted for the rye and herbsaint is sometimes substituted for the absinthe. As a drink passionately challenged amongst bartenders the world over the true story of the sazerac is as much a history of the american cocktail as it is of creole new orleans. 1630s the sazerac family establishes a vineyard and distillery to make eaux de vie in the cognac region. Sazerac de forge et fils. In the 1890s the sazerac company began to bottle and market the sazerac cocktail now made with rye whiskey instead of cognac.

RELATED ARTICLE :

grammies raspberry meringue cookie bars
green bean casserole recipes with fresh green beans
goulash german spaetzle

The sazerac and its ingredients. The original sazerac was made with an imported french cognac that gave it its name. The story goes that back in 1838 creole apothecary antoine peychaud invented the sazerac in his shop at 437 royal street. The sazerac and its ingredients. The drink is most traditionally a combination of cognac or rye whiskey absinthe peychaud s bitters and sugar although bourbon whiskey is sometimes substituted for the rye and herbsaint is sometimes substituted for the absinthe.

The story goes that back in 1838 creole apothecary antoine peychaud invented the sazerac in his shop at 437 royal street. The original drink was made with sazerac de forge et fils cognac and peychard used to serve his blend warmed up to his waiting customers when dispensing prescriptions. The official cocktail of new orleans the sazerac boasts two locally created ingredients in its recipe peychaud s bitters and herbsaint.