Sometimes a day calls for a good, stiff drink — with the emphasis on good.
Classic cocktails returned to favor over the past few years because they provide complex flavors without smothering the alcoholic wallop.
“They weren’t made to pound,” said Bill Chapman, bartender at The Saw Shop Gallery Bistro in Kelseyville. “They were made for conversation.”
The Sazerac speaks of convivial bars on Bourbon Street. It’s a measured combination of rye whiskey — some might argue cognac is more original — Peychaud’s bitters, sugar and a wash of absinthe. To order one is to bring the motion of the day to a nice, genteel pause.
One first must anticipate the cocktail. Bartenders prefer precise pours to freehand splashing, so the preparation takes some time. But there is a reward for patience.
“If we didn’t measure it right, it wouldn’t come together,” Chapman explained. “It has a nice balance.”
The aromas are delicate, almost floral. The steady anise from the swirl of absinthe leads, but sweet rye grain, citrus and a soft bouquet of wild grasses follow. The flavors showcase rye whiskey — Chapman prefers the herbal hints in Sazerac Rye or Bulleit Rye — with masculine scarred wood fending with candied zest and aromatic anise until a mellow calm settles over the swarthy spirit.
It is bold, yet intricate. It finishes with a sweet nudge.
“It is definitely a whiskey lover’s drink,” Chapman observed.
Still, there’s that troubling bit about cognac. A widely accepted story involves a particular brand of the spirit, Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils, formed the early versions of the cocktail. When a bug devastated the vineyards of France in the late 1800s, bartenders switched to American rye. New Orleans pharmacy owner Antoine Amedie Peychaud supplied the bitters all along.
Recipes more than a century old mention Angostura bitters in addition to Peychaud’s, perhaps to even out the terse medicinal quality in the latter. However, Peychaud’s brings out the floral, herbal notes.
And in a great classic cocktail, masking flavors is a mistake. The Sazerac at the Saw Shop is contemplative and cheerful, a cocktail to sit with.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
