Sazerac Cocktail Recipe

A powerful, brawny cocktail of rye, absinthe, and Peychaud's bitters, the Sazerac is timeless for a reason.

By
Paul Clarke
Paul Clarke
Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.
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Updated May. 21, 2019
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Vicky Wasik

If you were to select the nation's cocktail capital, New Orleans would have to be at the top of the list. Sure, New York City and San Francisco have some of the best and brightest bartenders working today, but in terms of history, endurance, and sheer joie de vivre, the Big Easy has plenty in its favor.

Credited as being among the first true cocktails, the Sazerac is a New Orleans original. As stiff as they come, it combines rye, absinthe, and Peychaud's bitters, served, unusually, in a rocks glass without ice. One sip of its hazy, lusty character tells you everything you need to know about living the good life.

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Recipe Facts

4.5

(2)

Active: 3 mins
Total: 3 mins
Serves: 1 serving

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Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

  • 3 or 4 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

  • a few drops water

  • 2 ounces rye whiskey (such as Sazerac Rye)

  • 1 teaspoon Herbsaint, Pernod, pastis, or absinthe

  • lemon peel

Directions

  1. Chill an Old Fashioned glass or small tumbler in your freezer.

  2. In a mixing glass, combine sugar, Peychaud’s Bitters, and a few drops of water. Mix until sugar is dissolved, and add rye. Add plenty of ice, and stir for about 30 seconds.

  3. Pour Herbsaint, pastis, or absinthe into your chilled glass, and rotate glass until the inside is well coated; discard the excess. Strain the liquid from your mixing glass into the serving glass. Twist a piece of lemon peel over the drink. Indulge.

Special equipment

Mixing glass, cocktail strainer

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
166 Calories
0g Fat
5g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories 166
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg 32%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 9mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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