wouldn’t it be cool if this were true? well, it can be! but first, we have work to do… (spoken like the slave master capricorn i am)

Ann R. Tuennerman is the founder of the wildly successful Tales of the Cocktail annual event in New Orleans. She has been campaigning diligently to make the Sazerac the official cocktail of louisiana. Senator Murray is expected to broach it at the next appropriate chance he gets… which looks like this weekend. so, time is of the essence - join me in urging the senator to start the ball rolling on sazerac legislation! the exquisite city of new orleans deserves their own cocktail more than anyone. not only was the sazerac invented in new orleans, but after all they’ve recently endured… that town could sure use a drink!

here’s how to help:
send a short email to Senator Murray, and cc assistant Tonice Duncan (cc ann as well). The senator and his assistant have been very helpful. please show them that there is support for this bill and the sazerac is worthy of such a designation.

Murray, Sen. (District Office)
murraye@legis.state.la.us

Tonice Duncan
toniced@yahoo.com

Ann R. Tuennerman
ann@talesofthecocktail.com

here is a copy of ann’s original letter to senator murray:

Dear Senator Murray:

On behalf of the non-profit New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society and Tales of the Cocktail, I am writing to respectfully request that you sponsor proposed legislation that would establish the Sazerac Cocktail as the official State Cocktail of Louisiana.

As you may know, the Sazerac was invented in New Orleans by 19th century pharmacist Antoine Amedee Peychaud, who operated his apothecary in Royal Street in the French Quarter. Peychaud, a refugee of the slave rebellions of St.-Domingue (which became the nation of Haiti), concocted his own special blend of aromatic bitters, and added them to French Brandy, made by Sazerac des Forge et Fils of Limoges, France, along with a little Louisiana cane sugar. That classic libation, over the course of the 19th century, evolved into the drink we know today, the Sazerac, which is composed of rye whiskey, sugar, absinthe (or a substitute), and Peychaud’s Bitters. Regardless of whether it was the world’s “first” cocktail, it is among the first, and likely the Sazerac is the first cocktail born in the Crescent City.

As noted above, the Sazerac has evolved over time, and represents history in a glass. The substitution of rye for brandy, which historians have traced to around 1870, is reflective of the changing demographics of the city. With the wane of the French Creole influence on the city, and the increasing numbers of Americans, it was natural to substitute American rye whiskey, which was coming down the Mississippi on flatboats from distillers who carried their product for export via the rivers and canals of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Ohio Valley. The addition of absinthe reflects the popularity that oft-maligned spirit had in New Orleans, a
flourishing Bohemian and artisan community then, as it is now. But Peychaud’s Bitters, a local product, has remained the constant, beautifully marrying together the seemingly disparate flavors of the rye, the absinthe and the sugar. It is the ultimate sipping drink, created for contemplation, and it’s no wonder it was a favorite of notable characters such as Huey Long, O. Henry, and many others who have spent time in the Vieux Carre.

And the Sazerac is as important to tourism as any offering from the kitchens and saloons of Louisiana. It is a drink that is still made in the time-honored way, with the original ingredients. When folks come to New Orleans, they want certain things authentic and original to the Crescent City, be it a beignet, a po-boy, a cup of chicory coffee, Oysters Rockefeller, bread pudding or Bananas Foster. The Sazerac deserves a special place among the classic drinks that have their birthplace in Louisiana, and I can think of no drink more deserving of the honor of
Official State Cocktail than the Sazerac.
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