Recipe Detail Page

Where better to savour a Sazerac than in the dimly lit splendour of the Sazerac Bar, just off the gold-columned lobby of the gorgeous Fairmont hotel? After Antoine Peychaud first mixed his bitters with brandy, the recipe was developed by a friend of his who imported a popular Cognac from the house of Sazerac-de-Forge & Fils. Later the spirit was changed to rye whisky, and a dash of absinthe and a little sugar were added. The modern cocktail, as made by barman Pedro Ferrer in the Sazerac Bar, is a gem – not unlike a Manhattan but with a sly, aromatic complexity of its own. Though Ferrer uses specific ingredients unavailable in Ontario – Wild Turkey Rye Whiskey, Peychaud Bitters and Herbsaint (like Pernod), this version offers perfectly acceptable substitutes.