The Sazerac is a sipping beverage to be sure, and although it’s reddish in colour (thanks to the bitters), it’s by no means an effeminate drink. The cocktail was named after Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils, the imported cognac originally used for the cocktail. To accommodate American tastes and because of the difficulty of obtaining cognac, the recipe was later altered to replace the French brandy with American rye whisky, and a dash of absinthe was added.
The defining feature of the Sazerac is the preparation using Peychaud’s Bitters and two chilled old-fashioned glasses, one swirled with a light wash of absinthe
for the slight taste and strong scent. The second chilled glass
is used to mix the other ingredients, and then the contents of that are poured or strained into the first.
Until 2007, absinthe was illegal in a lot of countries and even in India it is hard to find. Various anisettes such as Pastis, Pernod, Ricard, and Herbsaint are common substitutes for absinthe when it is not available.
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