Victor Tango’s, Tales of the Cocktail, and the Sazerac Academy

Last week Victor Tango’s hosted Tales of the Cocktail and the Sazerac Academy. The history of the Sazerac Cocktail was presented brilliantly by Ann Tunnerman, whose resume is incredible, and who also happens to be the founder of Tales of the Cocktail. If you did not already know, Tales of the Cocktail is the internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and cultural event held annually in New Orleans. For more info go to their website Tales of the Cocktail. Another of Ann’s accomplishments is that she led the battle to make the Sazerac the Official Cocktail of New Orleans.

Ann took us through the rich history of the cocktail that was originally created by Antoine Amedie Peychaud, in the early 1800s. He was the owner of a New Orleans apothecary and creator of Peychaud’s Bitters.

The original recipe called for brandy or cognac. That was later changed to rye whiskey and absinthe.

The event was sponsored by the Sazerac Company who supplied the ingredients for all of the participants to make their own Sazerac Cocktail under the knowledgeable tutelage of Victor Tango’s mixologist. Above right are some of Tango's staff showing off their newly aquired Sareactavist Certificates that were awarded by Ann.

Now for the recipe that is most commonly used

 1 cube sugar

1½ ounces (35ml) Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Buffalo Trace Bourbon

¼ ounce Herbsaint

3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

Lemon peel

Pack an Old-Fashioned glass with ice
In a second Old-Fashioned glass place the sugar cube and add the Peychaud's Bitters to it, then crush the sugar cube
Add the Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Buffalo Trace Bourbon to the second glass containing the Peychaud's Bitters and sugar
Empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with the Herbsaint, then discard the remaining Herbsaint
Empty the whiskey/bitters/sugar mixture from the second glass into the first glass and garnish with lemon peel.

You Can also visit the Sazerac Compamy at their website for more information on their brands and more of the history of the Sazerac.

 Also if you want more info on Victor Tango's be sure to check out my earlier article about them... If you enjoy great cocktails made with fresh ingredients, all I have to say is Victor Tango’s

 So I hope everyone will give this cocktail, that is sometimes refered to as "History in a Glass" a try because, until you have had the real thing, you just don't know what you are missing.

Cheers And Happy Shaking...