Episode One: The Spirit Troublemaker

Cocktails of Note:  The First Cocktail

In the beginning, man was tired.  He had worked a long day, and desired greatly in his heart to relax.  He wanted to sit and drink, for he was thirsty.  And if his thirst could be quenched while enabling the relaxation of his mind and body, then THAT would be good.

So, man discovered alcohol, and it was… morally ambivalent.   

Now the alcohol was created from the fruit of the vine, or the grain of the ground, or the honey of the bees, or the rice of the pad, or the agave plant, or sugar cane, or…whatever the heck ouzo is made of.  It was even distilled from wormwood.  Basically, man found that if he could get a healthy buzz off it, he would distil and drink it; and damned be the possible insanity or resulting blindness.

But what of the cocktail, that great combination of flavors that allow a man to achieve relaxation (while often failing to achieve other things… which, is hardly worth mentioning because there’s about 1,000 pills for that now) and sophistication?  When did that come about?  What was the first cocktail?  It’s a mystery like the location of the Ark of the Covenant...

the T.O.E. formula...

or why Kim Kardashian is famous.

Well, others may wonder, but this is America.  And while others may ponder, we will discover!  Or at least take credit!  So, in the world of cocktails, in the beginning, there was:

The Sazerac

2 oz. rye whiskey

1 sugar cube

5 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Absinthe

Lemon Twist

Fill an old-fashioned/martini glass with ice and top with water.  In the 2^nd glass, combine the sugar and bitters, muddle with the back of a spoon or a muddler.  Add rye and stir.  Discard water and ice.  Coat glass with absinthe.  Strain rye mixture into glass.  Rub the rim with lemon twist and garnish.

This cocktail is the official drink of New Orleans, and, according to drunken lore, is the first cocktail created on American soil.  Named for the Sazerac House, which first offered the cocktail with Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils cognac as the main ingredient.   

They used Peychaud’s bitters because they were made by the local druggist, Antoine Amedie Peychaud, as a cure all for everything from upset stomach to hiccups. 

By 1870, the primary ingredient changed to rye whiskey.   

Why Rye?  Because a grape epidemic in France killed so many grapes that cognac became rare and expensive.  Meanwhile, rye was easily grown on American soil, hence the change (in my opinion for the better) of ingredients.

By the way, Absinthe (for those of you concerned) is legal in the United States again.  It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absintium, commonly referred to as "wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel.  It is often green in color and is nick-named “The Green Fairy.”  Despite what you may hear to the contrary, Absinthe does not cause hallucinations! 

This cocktail has a great herbal flavor that plays nicely with the sweetness of the sugar (Please do not use simple syrup because it makes the drink entirely too sweet.), and the smoothness of the Rye Whiskey.  You feel like you should be sitting in a slightly smoky (but not over-powering) tavern or bar, where everything is made of wood with deeply grooved grains.  There should be barrels of wine, beer, cognac, and whiskey stacked up on a wall, and the amber glow of soft overhead lights or candles should illuminate your half-shut eyes as some gothic soul reads Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry out loud.  

Supposedly, the Sazerac was Poe’s poison of choice.

Ideally, you want a flavor of New Orleans and the South as you drink this.

Ere go, I recommend New Orleans native Allen Toussaint's Southern Nights.  

Now, you could grab Louis Armstrong's greatest hits, but Allen Toussaint combines so many of the rich musical traditions of New Orleans; from Dixieland jazz, to Gospel, to blues, to Calypso beats, and fuses them together, that you just FEEL like you're in New Orleans.  

Above: Allen Toussaint

In 2006, Allen Toussaint collaborated with Elvis Costello on The River in Reverse, and while the blues/rock triumph that results is great, Southern Nights is the album that sounds like a Sazerac tastes.  

It starts a bit rowdy with "Last Train" (that's the absinthe streak), but it also mellows into a smooth comfortable rhythm with "What do you want the Girl to Do?" (that's the whiskey). In between you might make love with "Back in Baby's Arms" (ah, there's the sugar cube sweetener) or sway to the groovy scene of "When the Party's Over" (the bitters mixing everything up without overdoing it.)  Just check out the last track: "Cruel Way to go Down"

Great Artist.  Great Cocktail.

Thanks for drinking,

The Giant