New Orleans awarded an official drink

by Ellen Slattery, Posted Jul 2nd 2008 @ 4:02PM

The Louisiana legislature (don't they have better things to do?) yesterday named the Sazerac - a mix of bitters, rye whiskey, and absinthe - as the city's official cocktail.

As NPR reports, the drink is found in bars across the city, and its bitters are what makes it unique and deeply beloved by brown drink lovers all across the country.

Want a taste of New Orleans, but don't feel like hopping on a plane? Whip up your own, slightly modernized version of Sazerac.

Sazerac (Makes one cocktail)

1 tablespoon Herbsaint
1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey, preferably Old Overholt or Sazerac rye
1/2 teaspoon simple syrup
4 to 5 dashes Peychaud's bitters
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 lemon twist with the white pith removed, for garnish

Pour the Herbsaint into a rocks glass and swirl to coat the inside. Discard any excess, and fill the glass with ice.

Combine the rye, simple syrup and Peychaud's and Angostura bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Cover and shake.

Discard the ice from the glass and strain the shaker mixture into the glass. Rub the rim of the glass with the lemon twist, add to the drink and serve immediately, with jazz playing softly in the background.

Source

Filed Under: Food News, Drink Recipes
Tags: absinthe, america, bitters, cocktails, spirits, whiskey, whisky

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-02-2008 @9:36PM Sam said... I'm sorry, but the drink of N.O. has always been, and will always be, the Hurricane.

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink4371.html
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7-03-2008 @3:25AM Skip said... I thought Absynthe was illegal in the USA???

SKIP
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7-03-2008 @3:25AM Skip said... Well Maybe it will post this time...

This is copyrighted material but I forgot the guy's name... OOoohhh It's "Erowid Absinthe Vault"

Traditional absinthe has been illegal to sell in the U.S. since 1912, because it contains the chemical thujone. However, in 2007 some products labelled as "absinthe" were approved for sale in the United Stated. The situation is somewhat complex, but the short version is that the agency that now regulates alcohol in the U.S. (the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) defines "thujone free" (an FDA requirement for any food made with Absinthe's defining herb wormwood) as meaning less than 10 parts-per-million (10mg/L) thujone. It is an ongoing debate whether "thujone free" absinthe should be considered authentic, with the common understanding being that traditional absinthe contained higher levels of thujone but current manufacturers arguing that vintage absinthe had similarly low levels of thujone. Whatever the truth of their arguments, the modern low-thujone absinthes are being widely publicized as the first legal absinthes in the U.S. since the 1912 ban.

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7-03-2008 @11:57AM Gobo said... Hey Skip, stop spamming the board.
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7-03-2008 @11:58AM Baron said... Sorry Sam, the Sazerac has been in NOLA for a lot longer than the hurricane. Here is a quick history of it:
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/beverages/sazerac.html

The hurricane didn't come around until the 1940's. I'm sure tourists drink more hurricanes (hand grenades are a possible second in the Quarter) than anything else, but anyone from the city would tell you that a Sazerac and probably a brandy milk punch are much more in tune to the city.
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7-04-2008 @11:29AM JMForester said... I have researched this and spoken over the past six months with the top experts on absinthe in the world, and in two weeks will be attending more seminars on absinthe at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans so I can write about it.

The latest info on thujone,absinthe, and the hallucinating and such is that the whole thing is false. Thujone in high amounts is toxic. But the levels in absinthe were, and are, way below that point. So much lower that it isn't a factor.

The hallucinations were caused by what is now known as delirium tremens. The effects of toxic alcoholism when a person stops using alcohol and has severe, and sometimes fatal, withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol and benzodiazapams are the only drugs that can be fatal if you stop using them suddenly. With alcohol it is exceptionally severe and you get hallucinations, heart attacks, strokes, etc.

This wasn't yet known medically back in the Belle Epoque era of absinthe. Absinthe is bottled at a much higher strength than many other spirits and so severe alcoholism and alcohol addiction was the norm. this led to severe withdrawal symptoms when the absinthe drinkers stopped using and went to the version of "rehab" they had back then. -JMF-
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7-07-2008 @11:07PM Pablo said... The sazerac is the best drink I've ever tried PERIOD. I've been in NOLA last April and became in love with the city and the sazeracs. In fact, almost the only souvenir I brought back to Canada are the ingredients to reproduce it.

I would make 2 changes to the recipe based on my experience:

1. 1 Tbsp of herbsaint is a waste to coat the glass; 1 tsp is more than plenty and it's still a little bit too much, depending on how big the glass is...
2. do not shake the drink! It'll become frothy and as you can see from the picture, it should not be... Unlike James Bond's martinis: stirred, not shaken.
3. if you can't find absynthe or herbsaint, replace with Ricard pastis. The Peychaud's bitters are pretty unique, though. You can buy them online from their manufacturer.

Enjoy!
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