My go-to recipes for many cocktails have changed over the years, but probably none so much as my Sazerac recipe. The one in my original Sazerac post is good, but the one below is great. Which is about what you’d expect, since it comes from Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails. The first section of the book contains Death & Co’s specs for classic drinks, and every one that I’ve tried has been the best version of that drink I’ve ever made. The Sazerac particularly impressed me, and I’ve been wanting to update this post for a long time.
The Sazerac was invented at the end of the 19th century during a liminal period in drinking history. Cognac had been the spirit of choice for some time, but the grape blight in France made it difficult to procure. Americans began to gravitate towards rye whiskey instead. The Death & Co recipe perfectly encapsulates this transition by combining both spirits in their Sazerac, resulting in a beautiful drink that takes on the best qualities of both versions. They also use a Demerara syrup instead of the muddled sugar cube I recommended in my original post. Demerara syrup is just a simple syrup made with Demerara sugar, a brown cane sugar that has a richer, more toffee-like flavor than white sugar. You can substitute traditional simple syrup (but use twice as much sugar as water – see recipe below). Either way, a syrup integrates much more easily into the drink than granular sugar.
And finally, Death & Co adds four whole dashes of the Sazerac’s most critical ingredient, Peychaud’s bitters. This balances out the sweetness and emphasizes the flavors that make the Sazerac special. The resulting drink is far more flavorful than my original, and I don’t see myself going back any time soon.
History: The Sazerac history in my original post was a little long-winded, so I’m going to try to present a more concise version here. The Sazerac was invented sometime between 1883 and 1899 by either Thomas H. Handy or his successor, William H. “Billy” Wilkinson, at the Sazerac House in New Orleans, located between Royal Street and Exchange Place. The establishment itself took its name from a popular brand of Cognac at the time, Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils.
I put the dates as 1883 to 1898 because 1883 was when Handy opened the Sazerac House (actually re-opened, but there’s a whole other story there about his rivalry with fellow liquor importer Vincent Micas, and it’s not really directly relevant to the creation of the cocktail). 1898 is date of the first written record of the Sazerac cocktail being served, at what was essentially a frat party, the 16th biennial conference of Alpha Tau Omega. Handy died in 1893, so it was Wilkinson who was serving the drinks at that point. It seems to me that either one of them may have come up with the recipe.
And here’s another thing I’m a bit fuzzy on: was the first Sazerac made with Cognac, or rye? I’ve heard it said many times that it was Cognac, but by 1883 it was pretty difficult to get. In 1885, one bartender was quoted as saying “brandy drinking in New Orleans… a thing of the past.” In 1900, Handy’s company started selling pre-bottled cocktails, including a Sazerac – made with whiskey. I haven’t found any evidence that it was made with Cognac at the beginning. Please fill me in if you know otherwise!
Sazerac
1 1/2 oz. rye whiskey
1/2 oz. Cognac
1 tsp. Demerara syrup*
4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
Herbsaint or Absinthe rinse
Pour a bit of Herbsaint into a small rocks glass and swirl to coat, dumping the excess. In a mixing glass, combine the remaining five ingredients with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into the prepared glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
*For Demerara syrup, combine 2 parts Demerara sugar and 1 part water in a saucepan and summer, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Let cool before using. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe adapted from Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails. Historical information from Imbibe!, The Whiskey Wash, and an article by Robert F. Moss that has since been taken down from his website.