Sazerac still a favorite cocktail

New Orleans' best cocktails: The Sazerac

Published: Thursday, July 12, 2007, 9:29 AM     Updated: Monday, January 30, 2012, 8:21 AM

 By Keith I. Marszalek, NOLA.com 

Complete New Orleans cocktail archive

If you're in New Orleans, it must be time to enjoy a nice cold drink. And as sure as the sun will rise, watering holes from the Marigny to Uptown and from Downtown to Mid-City are ready to lend a helping hand.

But what makes one bar or bartender better than another? The quality of drinks they pour is as good a place as any to start.

Each week we pick a popular local beverage and ask you to lend a hand by telling us who makes the hands-down, bottoms-up best.

Week seven: The Sazerac

The Sazerac

Throughout the years, a number of bars have championed the cause of this cocktail. One of the more famous of recent times was the Sazerac Bar which was located in what was the Fairmont Hotel (which was the Roosevelt at one time). Other establishments like the Carousel Bar, Pat O’Briens and the Ritz-Carlton’s Library Lounge have picked up where others have left off.

The Sazerac

• Ice
• 1 sugar cube
• Water
• 2-3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 2 ounces Rye Whiskey
• A few drops Herbsaint or Absinthe
• Lemon zest

Fill a rocks glass with ice and water and set it aside. Drop a sugar cube into a separate rocks glass and splash with bitters and the water. Muddle the concoction until the sugar cube is diluted. Fill the glass with ice and pour whiskey over it. Empty the water filled rocks glass and pour a few drops of the Herbsaint into it, rolling ht eliquid around the inside of the glass to coat it. Strain your cocktail into the coated glass and finish it off with lemon zest.

So now it’s your turn, speak out and tell us who you think makes the best Sazerac in town.

Be sure to check back in Friday afternoon as the Ritz-Carlton’s master mixologist Chris McMillian lends a hand and walks us through the history and proper preparation of these classic cocktails.

For a recap of previous week’s cocktails, visit our dining section.

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