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HUFFINGTON
06.30-07.07.13
DRINK
As we started to dream up our
Independence Day cocktail menu,
celebrating the best, brightest and
earliest American cocktails, we
knew two things: the Sazerac had
to be on the list, and we needed to
get the cold, hard facts regarding its
history. For that, we reached out to
our booze spirit guides at Liquor.
com. Here’s what they had to tell us:
The Sazerac gained popularity
in the mid-1800s at the Sazerac
Coffee House in New Orleans,
which was named for the Sazerac
de Forge et Fils brand of cognac.
The drink was originally made
with cognac, but the phylloxera
epidemic of the late 19th century
that destroyed European vineyards
forced a switch to rye whiskey.
Peychaud’s Bitters, which are
a must for the Sazerac, were also
created in New Orleans, in the
1830s, by a pharmacist named
Antoine Amedie Peychaud (in
fact, the cocktail was actually first
mixed by Peychaud, before it even
had a name).
Despite what some claim, the
Sazerac is not the original cocktail.
The word ‘cocktail’ was first defined
in print in 1806 as a mix of spirit,
water, sugar and bitters —
basically an Old Fashione d.
READY TO GIVE THE SAZERAC A TRY?
Check out Liquor.
com’s recipe:
INGREDIENTS
■ 2
■
■
■
■
■
oz. Russell’s
Reserve Rye
Whiskey
1 tbsp. Absinthe
1 sugar cube
(Demerara or white)
dashes
3
Peychaud’s Bitters
dashes
2
Angostura Bitters
1 slice lemon peel
1
2
Rinse a chilled
In a mixing
rocks glass
glass, muddle
with absinthe,
the sugar
discarding
cube and both
any excess,
bitters.
and set aside.
3
4
5
Add the rye,
fill with ice
and stir.
Strain into
the prepared
glass.
Twist a slice of
lemon peel over
the surface
to extract the
oils and then
discard.