You deserve a drink. There's something special about sitting down with a delicious cocktail that just puts your mind at ease, and we all know Louisianians know a thing or two about drinking. While Louisiana's official drink is actually milk (yes, that's true), The Pelican State did play a huge part in the history of the cocktail, and it all began with the Sazerac. If you've never had one of these iconic drinks, you're in for a treat.
The Sazerac is known as America’s first cocktail, having been around since 1850.
As legend would have it, Antoine Amedie Peychaud, the owner of a local apothecary, began making a brandy toddy to serve to his friends using his own "Peychaud’s Bitters" to make the specialty cocktail.
By 1850, the Sazerac Cocktail was a very popular cocktail with locals. So popular in fact, that it became the first “branded cocktail.”
Originally made with Sazerac French brandy and Peychaud’s Bitters, the recipe was tweaked to replace the French brandy with an American Rye whiskey and also a dash of absinthe.
In 1933, the Sazerac Cocktail was bottled and sold by the Sazerac Company of New Orleans.
And then in 1940, the official recipe was altered to include Herbsaint as the absinthe.
You can learn to make this iconic drink at home.
And you’ll probably have all, if not most of, the ingredients in your home!
You’ll need a sugar cube, some Sazerac Rye Whiskey, Herbsaint, Peychaud’s Bitters, two glasses, and a lemon peel.
First, you’ll want to fill an Old-Fashioned glass with ice. In the second glass, place the sugar cube and add the bitters to it, then crush the sugar cube into the glass. Add the whiskey and set it aside for a moment.
Now empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with a thin coat of Herbsaint.
Toss out any extra and then add the contents from the second glass to this one, and garnish with a lemon peel.
Even with all the steps, it’s an easy cocktail for most people to pull off.
And once you get the hang of it, you can start to experiment with different bitters to make your very own version of the Sazerac.
Where's your favorite place to grab a sazerac? Let us know in the comments below!
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