Drink Matron

Tag: new orleans

  • The Sazerac

    The Sazerac

    656-square-sazerac-JNH_4742Around the 1850s in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Creole apothecary named Antoine Amadie Peychaud often served up a drink to his friends made from his own bitters concoction, french brandy, water, and sugar. Before long, the drink became quite popular and made its home at several local bars, most notably The Merchants Exchange Coffeehouse. Eventually that drink would become the Sazerac.

    Sewell Taylor

    The proprietor of the Merchants Exchange was Sewell Taylor, a man who, when given the chance, sold his business to become a liquor importer. One of his most popular products was a Cognac called Sazerac-du-Forge et fils. Probably as a tribute to Mr. Sewell and his popular product, the Merchant Exchange was renamed the Sazerac Coffee House by its new owner, Aaron Bird. With the new moniker, and their large bartending staff now using Sazerac-du-Forge et fils to mix Mr. Peychaud’s drink, the Sazerac cocktail was officially named.

    Thomas Handy

    In 1870, a new owner would once again change up this popular drink. Europe was in the midst of the phyloxxera epidemic, which devastated its wine crop and limited the supply of Cognac and other wines throughout the world. The Sazerac’s new proprietor, Thomas Handy, replaced the Cognac with rye whiskey, due not only to availability but to appease the American taste for good whiskey drinks. A coat of absinthe in the glass was also added, and remained until 1912 when absinthe was officially banned in the United States. As a replacement, locals looked to Herbsaint, a local anise liquor. The recipe has remained the same ever since, and is still served in the Sazerac Bar & Restaurant at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.

    New Orleans official cocktail

    In 2008, a bill was introduced in the Louisiana senate to make the Sazerac the official cocktail of the state. Although that bill was defeated, the state legislature recognized that the cocktail is a much beloved enterprise in New Orleans, and on June 28, 2008, it became the city’s official cocktail.

    The Sazerac

    This recipe comes from the website of Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Head Bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon. He also has an excellent post on The Dos and Donts of Sazeracs.

    Recipe

    Fill an Old-Fashioned glass with ice and water, and set aside to chill. Once cold, drain ice water and rinse with absinthe.

    In a 16-oz mixing glass, combine:

    1 tsp 2:1 simple syrup
    3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
    1 dash Angostura bitters
    2 oz rye whiskey*

    Fill mixing glass with ice and stir contents until well-chilled. Strain into absinthe-rinsed old fashioned glass. Twist lemon peel over drink to express oils, and discard peel. Serve.

    *Mr. Morgenthaler suggests you use Buffalo Trace’s Sazerac 6-Year rye.

     

  • Mardi Gras Cocktails: The Hurricane

    Hurricane CocktailInvented in New Orleans and made popular by Mardi Gras goers, the Hurricane is a proud American staple. But what makes this drink? Its history, its flavor or the glass?

    The history of the Hurricane is a story of logic. During World War II, whiskey was in low supply, so liquor salesmen would require bar owners to purchase up to 50 cases of the more abundant rum in order to purchase one case of whiskey. Bar owners had to come up with a way to sell the stock piles of rum they had.

    At Pat O’Brien’s French Quarter bar in New Orleans, the bartenders came up with a fruity cocktail that was tasty enough to use up their rum, and would eventually put the bar on the map. A few years later, the hurricane lamp glass was invented and adopted by O’Brien’s to serve the rum drink, supplying its infamous name.

    Mardi Gras

    Now popular throughout the United States, the Hurricane is the standard drink of Mardi Gras, especially in its founding city of New Orleans. Over the years, bars and liquor companies have come up with their own version of the drink, making Hurricane premixes and posting new recipes. Even Pat O’Brien’s has its own premix.

    The hurricane glass has also become quite popular. O’Brien’s gives souvenir glasses to patrons who try their famous Hurricane. According to their website, “The Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane glass is one of the most sought-after souvenirs in New Orleans. Many New Orleanians have one or more in their possession…” Tourists enjoy showing off to friends by displaying the shapely glass in their homes. It becomes a place to layer Mardi Gras beads or to hold spare change.

    The Hurricane Recipe

    • 2 oz light rum
    • 2 oz dark rum
    • 2 oz passion fruit juice
    • 1 oz orange juice
    • Juice from half a lime
    • 1 Tbsp simple syrup
    • 1 Tbsp grenadine
    • Orange slice and cherry
    • Hurricane glass or Tall glass

    Directions:

    1. Squeeze the juice from half a lime into the bottom of a Hurricane or Tall glass. Mix other ingredients in a shaker. Shake well. Pour mixture into glass onto ice. Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.
    2. For those who prefer a premix, the liquor store should provide a vast amount of mixes that range from generic to high end. For a premix Hurricane, just combine rum, premix and ice together in a glass. Garnish with an orange, a cherry, or both, and serve.