The Sazerac: A Cocktail with a Complicated Past
The original Sazerac wasn’t made with whiskey at all—it began with Sazerac de Forge et Fils brandy, which also lent its name to the drink. According to the Sazerac Company, this iconic cocktail was first mixed around 1838 by Antoine Peychaud, who used his own bitters in the creation. They even claim it as the world’s first cocktail.
That’s a bold statement—especially since the term cocktail appears in print as early as 1806. Still, maybe what they mean is that this was the first cocktail truly worthy of the name.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because cocktail history tends to follow a pattern: multiple origin stories, conflicting timelines, and a final version shaped by who’s telling it. Welcome to the wonderfully murky world of spirits and storytelling.
Recipe Evolution
By 1850, Aaron Bird—owner of the Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans—helped popularize the cocktail using the classic combo: Sazerac brandy and Peychaud’s bitters.
That version reigned until the 1870s, when phylloxera devastated French vineyards and brandy production dried up. Rye whiskey stepped in as the new base spirit, and absinthe was added for a touch of botanical drama. The cocktail evolved again in 1912 when absinthe was banned in the U.S., thanks to fears over wormwood’s supposed hallucinogenic effects—a panic not unlike the “reefer madness” of the 1960s.
In New Orleans, bartenders swapped in Herbsaint, a local anise-flavored liqueur, and that substitution stuck. Today, Herbsaint remains part of the official Sazerac recipe, which was finally codified by the Louisiana legislature in 2008.
In Search of the Perfect Sazerac
Naturally, I had to investigate this storied drink myself—purely in the name of journalistic integrity, of course. I journeyed to New Orleans and sampled every Sazerac I could find in the French Quarter and beyond.
Oddly enough, each one seemed better than the last. My notes grew less detailed and my judgment more enthusiastic, until finally—through exhaustive and totally unbiased research—I reached enlightenment.
I found the perfect Sazerac.
And this… is that recipe. The best there ever was, or will be.
You’re welcome.
The Sazerac
Rye whiskey, sugar, peychauds and absinthe
Ingredients
- 1 cube sugar -or- 1 tsp sugar
- 2–1/2 oz rye whisky
- 1/4 oz absinthe – for the rinse
- 3 dashes peychaud’s bitters
- Lemon peel – garnish
Instructions
- Pack a single rocks glass with crushed ice to thoroughly chill
- Place the sugar cube and add the bitters to a mixing glass, then crush the sugar cube
- Add the whisky to the mixing glass and stir to dissolve the sugar
- Add cubed ice and stir to chill
- Empty the ice from the rocks glass, rinse with the absinthe and pour out any excess
- Pour and strain into the rocks glass and garnish with the lemon peel