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Here’s a suggestion for an entertaining evening in New Orleans’ French Quarter: Walk into a bar and order a Sazerac. As you finish it, ask the bartender: “Where should I go for my next Sazerac?”Â
Follow that advice. Then repeat. A bartender at Sylvain may tell you to go to Peychaud’s, where you’re told to go to Bar Tonique, from which you’re sent to Jewel of the South. It’s like a game, but with no winners and one in which everyone gets a participation prize at every stop in the form of a delicious drink. Stop when your vertical-to-horizontal aspect becomes complicated.Â
Travel can often be most enlightening when you view local culture through a narrow lens. You might make it your mission to eat lobster rolls at a half-dozen spots on the Maine coast, or oysters all along the Puget Sound. New Orleans offers plenty of options for the culinary tourist. Still, it’s also fascinating when seen through the bottom of a glass — preferably a faceted rocks glass, one that holds the official cocktail of the city.Â
The Sazerac dates to the 19th century and has never really fallen out of fashion in the city where it originated. (In 2008, the Louisiana State Legislature saw fit to designate the Sazerac as ”the official cocktail of New Orleans.”) The drink is essentially a whiskey Old Fashioned tarted up with a hint of absinthe or a similar anise-inflected spirit. The drink doesn’t vary all that much, nor should it — if you color too far outside the lines, it’s no longer a Sazerac. But subtle differences in the drink persist across the city, and the vibe and environment in which it’s consumed offer a wide spectrum of experiences, each subtly flavoring your experience of the drink. Â
Here’s a potential pinball route in pursuit of the perfect Sazerac.
Arnaud’s French 75 Bar
Courtesy of Arnaud’s French 75
White-jacketed bartenders, tiny white tiles on the floor, and French chanteuse music wafting overhead give this bar annex of the noted restaurant Arnaud’s a firm footing in the past.Â
The classic Sazerac, made with a rinse of Herbsaint — an anise-flavored liqueur created as a substitute for absinthe after it was banned in the U.S. — is an ideal introduction to the city. Part of the magic can be ascribed to this mahogany-toned oasis of elegance just a half-block from the garish clamor of Bourbon Street.  Â
Sylvain
Courtesy of Sylvain
Sylvain’s slogan on its T-shirt is “Too Dark & Too Loud,” although that seems more aspirational than actual. The bar, part of a well-regarded restaurant, has the feel of a traditional American bar circa 1940, with some New Orleans detours in style and attitude. The bar is a great spot to start your evening; consider heading to the inviting courtyard for a meal to accompany your beverages. The Sazerac here is made with rye and cane sugar, and it skews slightly sweet. But remember what they say: “a spoonful of sugar, etc.”
Sazerac Bar
Courtesy of The Sazerac Bar
It’s a lock that at least one bartender will suggest the Sazerac Bar. It’s situated just off the elegant lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel and has a delightful dusky, faded grandeur to it. The bar features a remarkable mural of city socialites painted in the 1930s by artist Paul Ninas. This is among the most expensive Sazeracs in town, but the atmosphere makes it worthwhile, especially when the bartenders send the glassware spiraling skyward as they coat it with Herbsaint.
The Will & The Way
Courtesy of Ashley Estave
This French Quarter bar is halfway between raucous Bourbon Street and refined Royal Street, and captures the best of both worlds. (Actual slogan: “Kinda Divey Kinda Not.”) It does something equally unexpected: it serves up a courtly Armagnac Sazerac, made with Cognac’s more rough-and-ready cousin. It’s less delicate and more brash than the rye version, and seems to provide an elevated perspective on the world around you, as if you’re on the second floor rather than the first.
Peychaud’s
Courtesy of Peychaud’s
It’s no surprise that you’ll get an excellent Sazerac at Peychaud’s. Not only is this the place for classic New Orleans cocktails done right, but it’s set in a building where Antoine Amédée Peychaud once resided. The bright, fruity bitters that he birthed in the mid-19th century are considered a vital component of the Sazerac, so a stop here is as much a pilgrimage as a destination. On the fine New Orleans days that are neither too hot nor too cold, the courtyard in the back is without parallel.
Bar Tonique
Courtesy of Bar Tonique
Bar Tonique at the raggedy upper edge of the French Quarter on Rampart Street defies economic gravity: it has a chalkboard of classic cocktails from which to order, and the great majority are less than $10. What’s more, these are well-crafted cocktails, and the $9 Sazerac, made with Deadwood rye whiskey, will stand up to any other served in the city.
Manolito
Courtesy of Manolito
This Cuba-inspired bar, just off Decatur Street, is not surprisingly best known for its Daiquiris and other rum drinks. But they also craft an excellent Sazerac. If you get chatting with a bartender, they may tell you that it’s not much of an anomaly — it was on the menu of Prohibition-era cocktail lounges in Havana. (It was misspelled at Sloppy Joe’s as a “Zazerac,” which Manolito copied for a time.) Sit in the cozy front room, which has the feel of a Cuban bodega, or enjoy some elbow room in the courtyard or mezzanine. Â
Jewel of the South
Courtesy of Jewel of the South
Caution: controversy ahead. This James Beard Award-winning bar and restaurant features a rye-based Sazerac on its cocktail list that’s pre-batched, kept in the refrigerator, and includes heretical additional ingredients such as fortified wines, like Madeira and rancio sec — a dry, oxidative wine. Does it taste like a Sazerac? Not really — it’s deeper and richer, and tells a somewhat different story. But as Esquire magazine put it a couple of years ago: “If the Jewel Sazerac is wrong, you don’t want to be right.”
Pat O’Brien’s
Courtesy of Pat O’Brien’s
Pat O’Brien’s, really? The home of the famous Hurricane cocktail, and a must-go Bourbon Street destination for visiting frat boys for at least three generations? In a word, yes. Ask to be directed to the “locals’ bar,” a quiet, clubby room off the St. Peter Street entrance. It’s a welcoming spot for day drinking — many of the other bars mentioned don’t open their doors until evening — and has a settled, genial atmosphere you wouldn’t expect this close to the impending hurricanes. The Sazerac is classic, well-made, and a few dollars cheaper than most others in the Quarter.
