Vino’s classic cocktail hour is heading back down to N’awlins this Thursday! You may recall our dalliance with Mint Juleps last month; this week we’re bringing you the Crescent City’s quintessential cocktail: the Sazerac!
The Sazerac is one of the oldest known cocktails; indeed the origins of this drink date back to before Civil War. It is believed to have been created by Antoine Amédée Peychaud in the 1830s, making it (according to some reports) the first cocktail to be invented in America. It was named by John Schiller in 1859 to coincide with the opening of his Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans (both names probably derived from Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils, a popular brand of Cognac).
Women clamoring for Sazerac’s at the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel, New Orleans, 1949.
Peychaud’s Sazerac was essentially a combination of Cognac and bitters, although the recipe has continued to evolve over the years. Various versions still abound today, but the modern Sazerac is invariably made using rye whiskey, Peychaud’s bitters, and absinthe or pastis. In 2008 it was declared by the Louisiana State Senate as the official cocktail of New Orleans.
Cocktail Hour
SAZERAC TASTING
Thursday, July 22
5:30-7:30pm
Tasting is free, no reservation required. For more information please contact 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.