As a New Orleans expat living in New York, I’ve been on a never-ending quest to find the holy grail of cocktails in this urban metropolis, the Sazerac.
The Sazerac is the original cocktail created in New Orleans during the mid 19th century. It is a relatively simple drink to mix, consisting of rye whiskey, Peychaud’s bitters, simple syrup or muddled sugar cube, in an absinthe (or herbsaint) coated old-fashioned glass with a lemon peel.
The resulting flavor can be described as sweet with a licorice taste (due to the absinthe) with a hint of bitterness from the Peychaud’s.
In New Orleans, there are many venues in which one can order a traditional Sazerac including, my favorite, The Sazerac Bar inside the Roosevelt Hotel.
Unfortunately, New York City has not been as quick to adopt this southern delight. Because of this cocktail deficiency, I have taken it upon myself to seek out, record, and rate the best Sazeracs this side of the Mason-Dixon line.
Please stay tuned into my blog for updates on where to order your next Sazerac in NYC and who is doing them right.
As they say in the Big Easy, Laissez Les Bon Temps Roule!
Sazerac Blog
Campbell Apartment inside Grand Central
This is my go-to for a traditional sazerac or any other classic cocktail for that matter. For the perfect sazerac, however, you need to order from the bartender Paris, who works weekday afternoons and evenings. He is a man of few words, but will make a sazerac almost as good as the Roosevelt Hotel in NOLA. Update – Campbell Apartment is closed 🙁
BLK Market Ave A 5/14/11
old overholt, simple syrup, lemon zest too big, didn’t ice the glass, real absinthe, peychauds, great knowledge of origins, never been to NOLA. Name is Luke.
Ella 5/28/11
Aaron bartender. Rittenhouse Rye. Peychauds bitters. No Sazerac rye. Too bitter, forgot the lemon zest until I asked. Seemed to understand that it was an ingredient.
Delta Grill 6/1/11
Served in a martini glass, too sweet, not peychauds, not sure on the type of rye, poor presentation, terrible taste, overall one of the worst sazeracs I’ve had. Update 3/10/2014: sazeracs are still bad, but food has improved tremendously. They also have a ton of Abita beers on tap, so if you’re looking for a decent po-boy or fried catfish and a cold abita to wash it down with, check out Delta Grill. Update – Delta Grill now closed 🙁
Bars & Books 1st Ave. 6/4/11
Out of Sazerac rye, used Templetons. Had Peychauds, used brown sugar cubes. Made with Herbsaint and lemon zest in ice packed old fashioned glass. Added a tiny bit of club soda, made it taste watered down in my opinion. Taste was good overall. A bit heavy on the lemon, can’t really taste the bitters or sugar, but not unbalanced.
Niko Restaurant SoHo 7/23/11
Had Sazerac Rye on the menu, asked if bar tender could make Sazerac cocktail, said yes, told waiter proper ingredients. First one came back a bit watered down with out enough absinthe taste. Asked waiter what type of bitters was used, said bartender used Peychauds because “that is the only bitters that can be used.”. Ordered a second one, much better, recommended that they add it to their cocktail menu. Lemon zest was too large and left on the side, not in the actual drink. Presentation was remarkable, brought to Table on a saucer.
Empire Lounge 8/1/11
Bartender said he knew how to make a proper Sazerac but tried to pour it on the rocks. I said “no ice” and he answered if I wanted it in a martini glass instead… He used Rittenhouse 100 proof rye and Peychauds bitters. Drink overall was not an original style saze, but was good nonetheless, very sweet with lots af simple syrup (I like it sweet, may be too sweet for others) not a lot if lemon or absinthe. Good presentation in old fashioned glads with small lemon zest floating ontop. Would recommend for a different twist on the drink, but not for a purist. Bartender name is Ben.
Anfora west village 8/15/11
Good variety of rye, but no Herbsaint. Had peychauds and made a decent, if not too bitter, of a sazerac. Would go back.
Ward 3 8/20/11
Ordered a saz at the bar, asked if they knew how to make it and if they had peychauds, bartender said “of course.”. Drink did not have Sazerac rye, no peychauds , not enough absinthe. Bad taste overall, friends agreed.
Maison Premiere 9/3/11
Great ambience, very romantic. Sat outside in the garden. Place smells like absinthe, hence the large amount of absinthe in my Sazerac. No lemon zest, however a lemon taste was present. Glass was chilled and presentation was top notch. Waitress said they pride themselves on sazeracs. I was pressed for NYC standards, but a purists would be disappointed in the bitter/sweetness ratio (more on the bitter side) and lack of zest. I believe it contained Sazeracrye and for sure has peychauds. Would recommend but would sit at the bar to ensure proper mixation.
Rye 9/3/11
Was very excited to come to Rye as they advertise a great old fashioned. Came in on a sat night on labor day weekend. Had an interesting bartender, female, strange eyes, booby top. Asked for a saz, said yes could make it. I asked for Sazerac rye, they did have, but I went with Rittenhouse 100 for a change. asked what type of bitters. She pulled out a bottle of what looked like Campari and said she drinks bitters on the rocks. I was a bit taken aback at this statement and asked for peychauds. She was unfamiliar with it and had to look for it. Was able to find peychauds and made a decent saz with spray absinthe abs lemon zest. Actually enjoyed it when it came poured in a cocktail shakes in a generous portion. My entourage agrees it was on the sweeter side but nonetheless good. Would like to come back and try a different bartender’s rendition.
Other places that claim to make sazeracs
Pegu ontop of dos Caminos
Redhead 13th between 1st and 2nd
Blueprint
5th ave BK
Old OV, peychauds, herbsaint, sugar cube, on menu.