Your Cart is Empty
OCTOBER BOXES SOLD OUT - ORDER NOW FOR NOVEMBER CLUB DELIVERY
Illustration — AI-generated. Not documentary photography.
A Sazerac looks like an Old Fashioned and drinks like something else. It's rye, a little sugar, and Peychaud's bitters, stirred cold and poured into a glass that's been rinsed with absinthe. There's no ice in the glass and no fruit, only a lemon peel twisted over the top. The first thing you notice is the anise. The rye shows up right behind it.
The absinthe rinse sounds fussy. It takes about ten seconds, and it's the step that turns this into a Sazerac.
In this piece: The Sazerac recipe · What each part is doing · Rye or cognac? · Why we use Pursuit United Double Oaked Rye · Two Sazerac variations · FAQ: Sazerac questions
| Makes | 1 drink |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Glass | Rocks glass, chilled, no ice |
| Garnish | Lemon peel, expressed over the drink |
Peychaud's is a bright red bitters from New Orleans, lighter and more floral than Angostura, with a noticeable anise note. It's the backbone of the drink, so don't swap it out. A single dash of Angostura alongside it is a common addition if you want a little more spice.
The absinthe is there for smell. You pour nearly all of it out, and what's left on the glass hits your nose every time you take a sip. A bar spoon is plenty. A whole quarter ounce left in the glass will bury the rye.
The lemon peel goes in the same direction. Its oils brighten the top of the drink. Plenty of recipes say to throw the peel away after twisting it. Dropping it in won't hurt anything.
No ice in the glass, because the drink is meant to be finished while it's cold, a few sips at a time. That's also why the glass gets chilled first.
This is the Sazerac's real argument. The International Bartenders Association's official spec calls for cognac and notes that rye replaced it after the Civil War, when cognac got hard to come by. Most American bars make it with rye today, and so do we. Rye's spice stands up to the anise; cognac makes a rounder, fruitier drink. Both are correct, and the split-base variation below lets you try them side by side.
A Sazerac has nowhere to hide. There's no juice and no vermouth, just sugar, bitters, and a film of absinthe, so the rye carries the whole drink.
Pursuit United Double Oaked Rye starts from the same base as Pursuit United's standard rye, then gets a second round of aging on French oak staves that were lightly toasted and heavily charred. It's bottled at 108 proof. That proof is what we're after here: it keeps the rye loud enough to stand next to the absinthe, and it's strong enough to take a full 30 seconds of stirring without going thin.
It's $80. If you'd like a gentler, less expensive rye, Pursuit United Triple Mash Rye at $50 and 88 proof makes a softer Sazerac; stir it closer to 20 seconds.
Any rye that works in a Manhattan works here. The full shelf is on our rye and bourbon for a Manhattan page.
Use 1 oz rye and 1 oz cognac in place of the 2 oz rye, and make everything else exactly the same. The rye keeps the spice, the cognac adds fruit and a rounder texture, and the drink lands somewhere between the old version and the modern one.
No absinthe on hand? Rinse the glass with Herbsaint, an anise liqueur from New Orleans, or with a French pastis. Both are sweeter and gentler than most absinthe, so you can leave a few extra drops in the glass. The drink stays recognizably a Sazerac.
What is in a Sazerac? Rye whiskey, a sugar cube, Peychaud's bitters, an absinthe rinse on the glass, and a lemon peel twisted over the top. It's stirred with ice and served in a chilled rocks glass with no ice.
What's the difference between a Sazerac and an Old Fashioned? They're built the same way: whiskey, sugar, bitters, stirred. A Sazerac uses Peychaud's instead of Angostura, adds an absinthe rinse, swaps orange peel for lemon, and is served without ice. It drinks lighter than an Old Fashioned, and the anise comes first.
Can you make a Sazerac without absinthe? Herbsaint, an anise liqueur from New Orleans, is the most common stand-in, and pastis works too. The drink needs the anise smell more than it needs absinthe specifically. Leaving the rinse out entirely gives you a tasty rye Old Fashioned with Peychaud's, but it won't taste like a Sazerac.
Should a Sazerac be made with rye or cognac? Both are correct. Most American bars use rye. The International Bartenders Association's spec uses cognac and notes that rye replaced it after the Civil War. A half-and-half split is a popular middle ground.
Want a new rye to stir with every month? See the Whiskey-of-the-Month Club.
