"Official" bottled Sazerac Cocktail

[CrispyCritter]

I picked up a bottle of this the other night. The bottle indicates that it uses a mix of bourbon and brandy, plus "caramel and natural flavors." I poured some into an Old Fashioned glass and had it, and after I finished it, I mixed my own using Sazerac 6yo Rye/Peychaud's/Regan's/Herbsaint.

The official bottling is good, but the handmade version is better, IMO. I might try spiking the next pour of the official version with some extra Peychaud's, and maybe some Regan's Orange Bitters as well. I could clearly taste the brandy in the official version (and that is not a minus). I think it just needs a bit of perking up - maybe even an extra dash of Herbsaint.

I might also try experimenting sometime with something like 50% BT and 50% Cognac instead of rye in a future handmade mix.

[Gillman]

All excellent ideas. Brandy was the original spirit used, then rye, more latterly bourbon. Mixing brandy and bourbon is a tip of the hat to the distant origins of the drink. Making it from scratch with a decent dash of Herbsaint and bitters (and some syrup, just a little) results in a superlative drink whether or not the brandy is used.

Gary

[CrispyCritter]

I've used Chuck Taggart's Sazerac page as a source for my recipe (but I add some Regan's as well, even if it isn't necessarily "kosher" to do so). Old Overholt seems to be the "standard" rye for the modern version of the drink, at least if you were to order one in a New Orleans bar.

I've mixed them with WT rye, Rittenhouse BIB, and Saz Jr., and they've all been superb - and I just now mixed one with Saz 18 - ambrosia. I'm unlikely to repeat with the 18, though, since it so good on its own, and is effectively irreplaceable at this point (at least until the next Saz 18 release).

Even though I'm a Chicago native, I still like Mr. Taggart's comment: "Hurricanes are for tourists. Sazeracs are for natives."

*puts Pete Fountain on the playlist*

Oddly, my Old Fashioned glasses (freebies from a shopping trip) are labeled "Talisker." I guess they were intended as "rocks" glasses from a Talisker gift pack - but they are the right size and shape to be an Old Fashioned glass.

I'll have my Talisker neat, in a Glencairn, thank you.

[tlsmothers]

I've never seen this bottled mixture. I don't think I've had any bottled mix that is ever as good as from scratch.

I just ordered some "SAVE THE SAZERAC" t-shirts as part of a fundraiser for New Orleans hospitality industry. Can't wait to sport that one!

[CrispyCritter]

Well, I tried a few more variations on the Sazerac theme tonight. First up, some of the pre-mixed version, with a couple of extra dashes of Peychaud's added. This was a big improvement, IMO. The extra bit of bitters really perked it up!

Second, a homemade version, with VWFRR. This was very similar to the version made with 18yo Sazerac Rye.

Third, one mixed using Pierre Ferrand Reserve Cognac. Sublime! It was close to being too easy to drink! I might try using a bit less of the bitters for the Cognac version, but it was still wonderful. I might also try using Armagnac instead of Cognac - being single-distilled, Armagnac is a bit more strongly-flavored. Now that I know what it's like with Cognac alone, I think I'll try the BT/Cognac mix I was proposing earlier, as well.