SAZERAC

Full Sazerac recipe

Is Sazerac the first cocktail?

The Sazerac is one of those famous cocktail names that qualifies as a classic. This is in part due to the possibility that it is one of the world's oldest cocktails.

In the 1830s, Antoine Peychaud opened up a drugstore in the French Quarter of New Orleans. One of the products that he sold was his own special brand of bitters that he sold as "Peychaud's Bitters." At the time bitters were considered a way to invigorate good digestion and promote good health. Mr. Peychaud would combine his bitters with Brandy and offer the mixture to his customers as a cure for their ailments.

Just down the street, Sewell Taylor, a friend of Mr. Peychaud, opened up a "coffee house" called the Sazerac Coffee House (named after the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brandy, which he imported and sold to his customers). Mr. Peychaud's brandy and bitters cocktail became a popular drink at the gathering spot. Naturally, the Sazerac Coffee House used Sazerac Brandy, and soon the drink became known as the Sazerac.

	TRIVIA Trivia Peychaud's bitters are still popular today and are available throughout North America. Peychaud, originally from France, created his bitters in Santo Domingo and brought his recipe with him to New Orleans.

By the 1870s the ownership of the Sazerac Coffee House changed and so did its name -- to Sazerac House. At that time the base spirit of the cocktail was changed from brandy to rye, and absinthe was added as an ingredient.

The new recipe for the Sazerac cocktail had become a combination of rye, bitters, sugar, and absinthe. This is still the basic recipe that you will find today, with absinthe replaced with Pernod. Like so many recipes there are variations on this "original" -- they include the use of Peychaud's bitters and Angostura bitters, or trying bourbon instead of rye as the base spirit.

The original Sazerac House has reappeared in a couple of formats over time and arguably the closest to the original today is the Sazerac House, which moved in 1949 to The Roosevelt Hotel and remains today in the Fairmont Hotel.

Is Sazerac the original cocktail? Peychaud’s friends and customers, who were the first drinkers of his bitters and brandy blend, drank from a “coquetier,” which is the French word for an egg cup. Did the mispronunciation of cocquetier result in the first use of the word cocktail?

The Sazerac company From the bar, a company was born. In 1870, Thomas H. Handy purchased the Sazerac Coffeehouse and began to acquire and market brands of liquor. He bought the rights to Peychaud's Bitters. In the 1890s his company began to bottle and market the Sazerac cocktail, now made with rye instead of brandy. In addition, the company operated the Sazerac Bar on Royal Street. Later, Handy's former secretary, C.J. O'Reilly, chartered the Sazerac Company. Ever since (except for a stint as a delicatessen and grocery vendor during Prohibition), the Sazerac Company has distilled an ever-increasing line of fine spirits. For more, visit: www.sazerac.com.