Sazerac

A New Orleans staple, the Sazerac is basically an Old Fashioned with Cognac and more thrown in for good measure. And like the Old Fashioned, it's pretty easy to make if you have the ingredients on hand.

The original version of this cocktail only used Cognac rather than both Whiskey and Cognac. Even more, some modern versions of this mixed drink get rid of the Cognac all together and only use Whiskey. You're welcome to go in whatever direction you'd like to suit your taste. That's half the fun.

This is a tasty cocktail for people who want to have a little bit more than an Old Fashioned, so go and make one.

Total Time 5

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

40 mL Rye or Bourbon
40 mL Cognac
15 mL Simple Syrup*
3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Absinthe to rinse glass.
Garnish with lemon peel

Instructions

Rinse a rocks glass with Absinthe and set aside.
Muddle the Simple Syrup with both bitters in mixing glass.
Add Rye and Cognac to the mixing glass and stir with ice until things are cold.
Strain neat into your rocks glass.
Rub lemon peel on the rim of your glass, then place it in the drink.
Enjoy.

Notes

*To make your own Simple Syrup at home, see the recipe here.

Use a good Rye for this to make sure you get the best out of this cocktail. This is a variation on the Old Fashion, and it's clear it's very Rye forward, so don't waste it!

This cocktail is older than old, so you can imagine there are some variations on the recipe as well as some different stories on how this drink came to be. Some even say that the Sazerac is the oldest American cocktail, which feels doubtful. While it could be, modern recipes, especially recipes that contain Whiskey have obviously changed things a fair bit.

What is known about this drink though is that it's the official cocktail of New Orleans. For some reason this idea was originally shot down by the government, but later approved.

Our Review of the Sazerac

This review is going to be a bit biased because, honestly, the Sazerac is the cocktail that got me into cocktails. I’ve always been a big Whiskey drinker so naturally enjoyed an Old Fashioned from time to time. This allowed me to dip my toe in the water that is cocktail making, but I wanted to find something that was a little bit more. And that was the Sazerac.

The Sazerac takes everything that’s wonderful about the Old Fashioned and just makes it more. It adds more flavour, depth, and complexity to an otherwise tried and true cocktail recipe. All the ingredients and tastes stand out while also mingling together.

While it’s obvious that I really enjoy this cocktail, one problem with it is that it tends to be quite boozy. Cocktails by nature are generally quite high in alcohol, but the Sazerac has fairly ample portions of both Rye and Cognac. It’s a cocktail you just want to keep drinking, but you have to stop drinking too soon. Thankfully the Sazerac is relatively dry, with not enough Simple Syrup to really go against the other flavours, especially the bitterness of the Absinthe (which goes a very long way). This makes the Sazerac a relatively slow sipper, prolonging the enjoyment.

If you’re new to cocktails, whether you’re making them at home or enjoying them at the bar, the Sazerac is a great choice to start expanding your horizons and generally starting your cocktail making and drinking journey.

10/10

Review by Chas

Looking for other cocktails to use up your bottle?

We have more than a few cocktail recipes on this site, so if you’re digging the Sazerac and have the bottles out, perhaps you’ll find something else you like:

Top 20 classic cocktail recipes: this, as the name would suggest, is our favourite classic cocktail recipes. Have a look.

Top 10 Whiskey cocktail recipes: our favourite whiskey cocktail recipes. Hey, if you have the bottle of Whiskey open to make a Sazerac, keep it open!

All Rye Whiskey cocktail recipes: if that’s not enough for you, peruse all of the Rye Whiskey cocktail recipes that we have on file. You’ll be sure to find something.

All Whiskey cocktail recipes: if you want to stick with the Whiskey but want to switch to something like Bourbon or Scotch, we have plenty of cocktail recipes for you to take a look at.

All Cognac cocktail recipes: you need a bottle of Cognac to make a Sazerac, so you may like some other uses for it too.