Louisiana's Sazerac Cocktail

Find out where to enjoy “America’s First Cocktail” and learn a bit of Louisiana history when you sip a legendary Sazerac drink...even watching one being made is an experience not to be missed.

The bartender will first fill your glass with ice and muddle sugar and bitters together in another before adding the rye whiskey. Then the ice from the first glass is poured out and replaced with a rinse of absinthe or Herbsaint, which is dramatically swirled around to coat the inside of the glass. Then finally, the rye mixture is poured into the coated glass and a lemon twist garnishes the top....voila! The results are a perfect representation of Louisiana in a glass.

History of the Sazerac Cocktail

Considered the official drink of New Orleans, the Sazerac gets its name from the popular brand of Cognac named Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils that was first used to make the drink. It also featured two locally created ingredients in its mix — Peychaud’s bitters, invented around 1830 as a medicinal tonic by local Creole pharmacist Antoine Amédée Peychaud, and mystical Herbsaint, which was originally developed in 1934 as an anise-flavoured absinthe substitute by J. Marion Legendre and Reginald Parker, who learned to make absinthe while in France during WWI. Since true absinthe was illegal in America, the duo created a liqueur with no wormwood (the substance banned in the US until 2007) which is still used today as the classic glass rinse before a Sazerac is served.

Taste It!

Head to the illustrious bar bearing its name that also happens to boast an equally illustrious history as you step into The Roosevelt New Orleans hotel’s Sazerac Bar, an African walnut bar top borders a muraled wall and period décor creates an ambiance of timeless sophistication. Settle into a cosy banquette that feels like a warm hug and savour your taste of history.

“Sipping a Sazerac at The Sazerac Bar is like travelling through time,” describes bartender Rachel Shandersky. “The surroundings here transport you back to a different era of three-piece suits and fancy hats.” The hotel is a destination itself, featuring a lavish block-long lobby adorned with 90-year-old chandeliers, a piano belonging to the first African-American to have sheet music published, and a 12-foot marble and bronze sculpted grand clock.

Additionally head to the Sazerac House for a chance to immerse yourself in the city’s cocktail culture and even taste some of the unique spirits that make up its signature drinks. (Samples are free to visitors over 21.) The museum’s renovated building sits across Canal Street from the French Quarter. The first floor features a distillery where the Sazerac Company makes rye whiskey, the key ingredient in its namesake drink, plus three floors of exhibits open to the public. 

For more information on any of the above email louisiana@deep-south-usa.com