Among the things that we missed yesterday because we are so damn slow is the official Toast that kicks off Tales of the Cocktail. What was special about this year's toast is that they were making the announcement that New Orleans has been granted an official cocktail, The Sazerac. Of course we knew this already because of the unrelenting emails sent out by the festival, and also this article by Eric Asimov in yesterday's Times. New Orleans is supposedly the only city in the country that has won legislative approval for an official cocktail.
I knew that I wanted my first drink in New Orleans to be a Sazerac, and I wish that it had been with the festival folks. Because when I finally sat down at a restaurant (Cafe Degas) and ordered one, what came to the table was a syrupy sweet glass of liquid that only hinted at whiskey with an even fainter whisper of Herbsaint. Also, they served it on ice. Not sure but if memory serves you serve it chilled in a chilled glass... the New Orleans cocktail police need to get out there and straighten this out if the Sazerac is going to be the city's official cocktail. But I suppose in the city that still has that morbid Hurricane Katrina "graffiti" on many buildings, cocktail standardization will be a long time coming.
Meanwhile, I think we need to get to work on Austin's official cocktail. (My suggestion: NOT the Batini!!)
Comments (3)
Seems that a lot of Sazerac recipes call for ice cubes so don't get too bent out of shape - one oldtime recipe has Absinthe in the mix! At least you're in a city where you can safely order a Sazerac. It's no worse than ordering a Margarita in Austin where you can wind up with just about any sort of limey concoction that may or may not resemble a Marg. Cheers!
Posted by keith evans | July 20, 2008 7:40 AM
Posted on July 20, 2008 07:40
I have seen some recipes that call for ice as well. I just prefer this type of drink served up.
Robert Hess discusses it here at drinkboy
http://www.drinkboy.com/cocktails/recipes/Sazerac.html
The absinthe, though not in the original drink, was added very early on. Then with the absinthe ban, Herbsaint was developed as a substitute. Tipsy attended the seminar yesterday about Legendre, who started Herbsaint, which is an anagram for Absinthe.
My bigger beef with the Sazerac in question was the snow cone-sweet nature of it. Over the last few days in New Orleans I have had many Sazeracs and they have all been different. Regardless of the range of quality, it is great being in a place where you can order a Sazerac without having to explain what it is.
Regarding the Margarita Madness in Austin, it is a shame that many if not most of the margaritas--our unofficial official cocktail--are so poor. I just attended Robert Hess's seminar on the Margarita and will post some notes as soon as I get a chance.
Posted by Tex | July 20, 2008 2:52 PM
Posted on July 20, 2008 14:52
Thanks for posting the drinkboy link, and providing the additional info on Herbsaint (now I'm starting to wonder what a Sazerac made with Absinthe would taste like!)... at any rate, the Sazerac is long overdue for a comeback IMHO. I agree that you would not want to encounter an obvious sugar taste with this drink.
Posted by keith evans | July 22, 2008 12:50 AM
Posted on July 22, 2008 00:50