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Buzzed: Chantal Tseng's Sazerac
Welcome to Buzzed, in which local bartenders show us how to make their favorite drinks—and let you in on their recipes. This week, Chantal Tseng of the Tabard Inn shows us how to make a Mid-19th Century Sazerac.
By
Alejandro Salinas
Published Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Heard of the Sazerac? It’s one of the oldest cocktails on record in the United States. The drink, credited to apothecary Antoine Peychaud, is made with absinthe and named after an imported cognac, Sazerac de Forge et Fils, once used in the making of the drink. Just recently, the Sazerac was named the official drink of New Orleans.
Neat facts, but do they ring a bell?
If not, we recommend a visit to the Tabard Inn’s bar, pronto. It’s there that you’ll catch Chantal Tseng crafting interesting variations on old classics. Digging up old, almost forgotten cocktail recipes is a passion of Tseng’s, and she’s constantly featuring old drinks on the bar’s menu as well as introducing playful reinterpretations on staples such as the Bellini or mimosa. During our visit, her knowledge about the history of cocktails impressed us just as much as her skills behind the bar.
But don’t take our word for it. Have a look at Tseng making the Sazerac for yourself below and get the recipe for the drink!
Sazerac
Chantal Tseng, Tabard Inn
2 ounces Old Overholt rye whiskey
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
½ ounce simple syrup (or sugar cube muddled with water)
Dash of absinthe or Herbsaint
Lemon zest or twist Check out last week's Buzzed, featuring EatBar's Gina Chersevani and her take on the Rickey! Related:
Happy Hour Finder
Bargain Happy Hours
More Recipes
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Comments
P.S. - And Stanley Clisby Arthur, author of Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em, would say to never leave the fruit rind in the glass, but just squeeze lemon rind oil over drink.
Posted by: GP, Mar 03, 2009 11:54:54 AM
Looks very well done.
I follow virtually the same recipe, except I prefer serving "up" in a chilled Martini glass. (The Victorian Lounge in the Columns Hotel turned me onto this. In New Orleans, the drink seems often served too warm in an Old Fashioned Glass.) I mix and gently stir the drink with ice in a cocktail mixer.
Crushed ice in the mixer and stronger simple sugar can also soften an otherwise great, but strong, cocktail.
Posted by: GP, Mar 03, 2009 11:52:32 AM
Ah, the Sazerac, a much proclaimed cocktail and rightly so. Chantal’s recipe is quite spartan and I’ll try it tonight. Having grown up in the Land of Cocktails, the Sazerac always had a bit more Peychaud and a couple of dashes of Angostura, to boot. Also key was not letting the Old Overholt sit too long in the ice, it does melt faster in the New Orleans heat and would water down the cocktail, so not much of a problem in DC., except in the heat of summer.
Posted by: Erica C, Feb 23, 2009 09:50:20 AM
I just had one of Chantal’s sazeracs last night. It’s quite tasty and certainly recommended.
Posted by: Christian, Aug 08, 2008 10:27:24 AM
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Posted at
03:10 PM/ET, 08/06/2008 in
Nightlife,
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