Not Just a Traditional Bar, But a Historic One: Sazerac Bar

The Sazerac Bar

There are drinking establishments that have an ambiance based on tradition and history. Then there’s the Sazerac Bar. Its name and lineage is entangled not only with the signature drink of its home city — even the Louisiana legislature has recognized the Sazerac as the official beverage of the city of New Orleans — but a drink that is also considered the world’s first cocktail. If that were not enough, in the days of the infamous Louisiana Governor Huey P. Long — the “Kingfish” — it was widely referred to as “Huey’s office.”

Coquetier – a distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients

Once upon a time, in about 1838, a New Orleans chemist with an adventurous spirit by the name of Antoine Amedie Peychaud began making a concoction, a kind of Brandy toddy — by 1850 the drink was being made with Sazerac French Brandy — and used an egg cup to in making and/or serving it. This item was a coquetier, pronounced “ko-k-tay,” and it’s how we ended up with the word cocktail, whose modern meaning Merriam-Webster describes as a drink of “distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients.”

The first Sazerac Bar, on Exchange Alley and known as Sazerac Coffee House — drinking establishments went by the moniker coffee house at the time — became famous for the drink. By the 1890s it had become the Sazerac Bar on Royal Street, then later it moved to the corner of Carondelet and Gravier, before taking up residence at Roosevelt Hotel in 1949 when the rights to the name were purchased from the Sazerac Company. Prior to this, since 1938, the space had been known as The Main Bar and had been based on the Art Deco bars of New York City.

Thus the glorious Art Deco masterpiece of today, which features four murals by the artist Paul Ninas, an elegant mahogany bar overseen by etched mirrors and vintage lighting, and rich paneling of African walnut. Seating consists of elegant bar stools and plush banquettes.

Along with Long’s running the state from the bar — he lived on the 12th floor of the hotel for much of his tenure — another bit of legend made at the Sazerac Bar is its history of openly admitting women. The story goes that a group of women got fed up at only being allowed in during Mardi Gras and a “Stormin’ of the Sazerac” occurred, with women crowding the establishment en masse. The anniversary is now celebrated annually, with vintage attire strongly encouraged.

Which Cocktails is the Bar Famous For?

Obviously, the Sazerac is the bar’s signature drink. It’s Sazerac Rye Whiskey (which replaced the brandy of the original recipe in 1873) with dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters and sugar in a Herbsaint-coated glass.

But the Sazerac has not just one, but two famous drinks to its name. The Ramos Gin Fizz was Huey Long’s drink. Legend has it he was staying in New York at a hotel that was supposedly the home of the Gin Fizz, found their version not to his liking, and had a bartender from The Sazerac flown up to teach the bartenders how it was done. The contemporary Sazerac version is made with Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, citrus, cream, egg whites, sugar, orange flower water, and club soda.

The Sazerac’s home, the Roosevelt Hotel, is a part of one of the premiere hotel chains in the world, Waldorf Astoria. CNN has named The Sazerac one of the 30 best hotel bars in the world. The location could not be better. The Roosevelt is on the west edge of the French Quarter, near the Orpheum and Saenger theaters. It is across the street from the famous Crescent City Books, seller of rare and out-of-print books. What better way to spend an afternoon than with an old book in one of the country’s most historic drinking establishments?