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Sazerac

3 oz Rye
1⁄2 oz Simple syrup (or up to 3/4 oz to taste)
5 ds Peychaud's Bitters (to taste)
1 rinse Absinthe
1 twst Lemon zest (as garnish)
Instructions

Pack lowball glass with cracked ice. In a second lowball or mixing glass, stir ingredient with ice, empty serving glass and rinse with Absinthe, strain and serve without ice. May also be served in a flute or cocktail glass

Notes

This stout recipe can withstand liberal substitution of other spirits, including brandy, other whiskeys, and flavorful rums. Some use a sugar cube muddled with bitters (in the style of an Old Fashioned). A typical 1.5 oz pour will result in a rather small cocktail.

History

Chris McMillan uses 2 oz rye, 2 bsp simple, 2 dashes, and 2 bsp Herbsaint.

Cocktail summary
Picture of Sazerac
2009, Creative Commons, Infrogmation, Wikipedia
Posted by Dan on
Created by
Leon Lamothe, Sazerac Coffee House, New Orleans, LA
Year
1850
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, Ted Haigh

Curator
5 stars
User rating
4.5 stars
(70 ratings)
Yields Drink

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From other users
  • Delicious. Intense. Left the excess absinthe in and split the 3oz between rye and cognac. I've seen a split w/bitters, but I like all peychaud's.
  • I put a healthy amount of lemon zest in the before mixing....I strain it out and add the lemon peel. Delicious!
  • The first one of these I had was made by Andy at The Sazerac Bar in the Grand Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.
  • Leave a small bit of Absinthe after rinse, rather then discarding, for more back flavor - I find the rye holds up fine.
  • A New Orleans classic...ah the memories!
  • make amendments according to Death and Co. Less Rye and add 1/2 oz. cognac.
  • Used High West double rye and Stirrings simple. Very smooth.
  • 2oz rye, 5 dashes Pechauds
  • 2 oz rye, 1/4 oz simple, 3 dashes
  • Dale Degroff's version: 2 oz Rye Whiskey 3-4 dashes Peychaud's 1-2 sugar cubes swirl of Absinthe
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Comments
Zachary Pearson commented on 3/08/2011:

I made Sazeracs tonight, and it's just a delicious drink. I tend to like a mix of Ryes (Rittenhouse 100 and High West Rendezvous) to give me 1 1/2 oz, then an ounce of Cognac. I tend to rinse with Herbsaint, and I'm not careful about getting it all out. I also use probably closer to 1/4 oz. simple, as a sugar cube muddled with a splash of water. I also leave the fairly long lemon zest in the drink... I want the lemon punch to counteract the sweetness of the simple.

scerchio commented on 3/22/2011:

... in my house. And we make it with Rye and Lucid Absinthe, which I also don't bother to drain out, just ad a small splash to the glass, twirl and leave a little puddle in the bottom. I dont have Peychauds though, so use Angostura and recently Underberg (which seems a bit sweeter). Any comments on how Peychauds makes it different?

Zachary Pearson commented on 3/22/2011:

Angostura is all baking spices - heavy clove and cinnamon and allspice. Peychaud's isn't as bitter, and it gives the Sazerac a pretty reddish pink color. It also emphasizes the anise of the absinthe, with a 'tutti-frutti' overtone. My understanding is that some people use a dash of Angostura and 2-3 dashes Peychaud's, but both should be staples in any home bar.

Bevx commented on 8/18/2012:

I have committed sacrilege. Out of a combination of laziness and curiosity, I used 2 spoons of raspberry syrup in place of the simple... I know, I know: the cocktail gods are frowning on me. But they can keep on frowning, because it turned out delicious! The raspberry plays with the Herbsaint, Peychaud's and lemon beautifully!...

I've made it twice now, first with Rittenhouse, and 1 dash Ango & 2 or 3 Peychaud's. But the second time, I used Wiser's Legacy (a new-ish high-rye Canadian), and in place of the Ango, I subbed Bitters, Old Men's limited edition Raspberry Chamomile Bitters. Neither version were overly sweet; the main differences (naturally) being spicier on the first vs. more floral on the second... While this won't be my go-to Saz, it's definitely a fun change of pace!

jkim07 commented on 4/18/2015:

Reverting to small-batch cognac instead of rye, per old recipe(s), transforms this Classic Cocktail by tipping the familiar balance & allowing more herbal notes to emerge. A revelation.

lesliec commented on 9/24/2015:

Rather splendid tonight with Garvey's Esplendido Spanish brandy. Dial back the simple a little.

Luv4music commented on 8/03/2017:

I tried substituting bourbon barrel aged maple syrup in place of simple syrup to change things up a bit.  I think it came out pretty darn good.  Not much sweeter and a very mild flavor addition.

ArtWester commented on 8/01/2019:

This is the gold Standard for Sazeracs. How can anyone call some of those other concoctions posted a Sazerac? there oughta be a law! On the same scale of atrocities as chocolate milk and creme de menthe in a conical glass being called a Martini.

 

lesliec commented on 6/26/2020:

Works (perhaps surprisingly) well with a full-flavoured gin. And you really get the Peychaud's pink coming through.

The Rhymatist commented on 2/19/2021:

Reading the bottle of Herbsaint I have, the Sazerac website, and a few other "authentic" recipe sites I have noticed that there is no stirring of the ice and the whisky/bitters mixture; it just gets poured into the cold glass. So the drink is barely cold, and very strong. This recipe and a few others say to stir whisky/bitters with ice. Which one is correct?