Brandy recommendation for Sazerac?

November 10, 2006 8:16 AM

Advice for making a brandy-based Sazerac.

I'm going to making some Sazeracs tomorrow as part of a birthday celebration. I've got all the ingredients for the modern rye whiskey version, including the Peychaud's bitters (using Ricard instead of Herbsaint or another absinthe-substitute).

But I'm interested in having a bit of a whiskey version vs. old-school brandy version taste-off. Can anyone recommend a good, widely available brandy (cognac, I presume, but perhaps I'm off base) that would work in a Sazerac and be satisfying for drinking straight as well? I'm not well up on brandies, and the only type I've bought recently is calvados, which is clearly not called for here...

posted by BT to food & drink (9 comments total)

I can't help you with the brandy version, but I like to make mine with George Dickel #12 Tennessee Whiskey and Herbsaint. You should really use Herbsaint, because it has a unique flavor that's quite different from Pernod.

I'd recommend against using a real high-end whisk(e)y or Bourbon, because you don't want a huge smokiness coming up in the drink. It clashes with the Herbsaint, which should be the dominant flavor. The same goes for brandy.

Here's some background, which you may or may not have already seen.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 8:40 AM on November 10, 2006

Thanks Mr. Gunn. I like Herbsaint too, but my local source (and her distributor) are out right now. So we'll try a pastis version instead. I have Rittenhouse rye, which is a terrific mixing rye -- smooth, but plenty of character, and of course it has that rye bite as opposed to the bourbon sweetness. Makes a great Manhattan and should be good in a Sazerac.
posted by BT at 9:23 AM on November 10, 2006

If you can get access to Absente, it tastes like classic ansinthe, and is perfectly legal. It's a pity you don't have access to Herbsaint -- the Sazerac was invented in New Orleans, and Herbsaint was an absinthe before it was a pastis, and has retained its flavor.

If you want to use cognac, Hennessy is a perfectly good mixing liquor, but pretty much any wine-based brandy will do (steer clear of fruit brandys). Brandys tend to all be made using the same double-distilling process the makes cognacs, and, as part of a mixed drinks, the subtle disctinctions between brandys aren't so important. Generally speaking, though, cocktails taste better with top shelf liquors. Keep the brandy cooler -- it tends to get a little thin and fruity at warmer temperatures.

Bravo on making a classic sazerac, by the way. It's arguably the first cocktail, and, in the style of pre-prohibiton cocktails, is designed to highlight quality alcohol, rather than bury the flavor of cheap liquors. I had the devil of a time finding a bartender who knew how to make the brandy sazerac even when I was in New Orleans, but if you can poour a modern Sazerac, you can pour the classic. It's a terrific drink.

One final warning: Make certain that you use just a few drops of your absinthe substitute to line the glass. It's very easy to have the flavor of thed rink overwhelmed by the absinthe.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:58 AM on November 10, 2006

Thanks, AZ -- I'll see what my local wine guy in Brooklyn has in the way of brandy, and I'll pick up some Hennessy if there's no obviously better affordable choice.
posted by BT at 2:31 PM on November 10, 2006

AZ has good advice, but I would disagree on one fundamental point. Absente is nasty. Really and truly nasty - and it tastes nothing like real absinthe. It has an oily, overly-syrupy, black jellybean sort of taste to it. The bootle of Absente that I bought to try wound up mostly being poured down the drain.

Actual absinthe is ligher on the palate and much more herbal in flavor. If you can spring for it LDF has a variety of actual distilled (as opposed to oil-mix, which I believe Absente is, iirc) absinthes that are much, much better. Your taste buds will thank you.

That's the only advice I would add. Good luck with your sazeracs!
posted by kaseijin at 9:46 PM on November 11, 2006

Bootle? Why - that's bottle, of course. Though bootle should be a word.
posted by kaseijin at 9:48 PM on November 11, 2006

Thanks for the advice -- for the record, the Ricard worked OK, but had to be used very sparingly, ditto for the sugar (simple syrup) and Peychaud's -- my first attempt was overly anise-y and too sweet. (I'll try to get some Herbsaint next time -- though it would be fun to try one of those pricey new absinthes from kaseijin's link. I'm not quite that devoted to my home mixology, but one can fantasize.)

Subsequent attempts, however, were as nice as the sazeracs I've had made by experienced hands, and the brandy version -- with a nice cognac that switched to after-dinner sipping duty later, some single-estate brand whose name I forget now -- was excellent. In fact, after last night, I'd tentatively say I prefer the drink with brandy. It's a little smoother in overall flavor than the rye version. A slight preference, but I think that's what I'd say today.

Again, thanks for the help. A nice change from the usual round of Manhattans.
posted by BT at 8:34 PM on November 12, 2006

If you're in Brooklyn, you may want to swing by LeNell's -- don't know about their brandies, but they've got an amazing whiskey selection (especially Bourbon and rye) and might be able to suggest some other options.

And ditto on the utter foulness of Absente.
posted by Vidiot at 10:24 AM on November 14, 2006

FYI, Vidiot, should you return to this thread, it was Lenell herself who recommended the Ricard in the absence of Herbsaint...
posted by BT at 6:40 PM on November 19, 2006