Bob Heiss is a foodie savant. He and his wife Mary Lou own Cooks Shop Here on King Street. It’s a must-stop in. Even if you don’t think you’re a foodie (foody? Jim Foudy?) they have an impressive rack of candy worth a visit right inside the door.
Bob hosts a weekly radio show I produce called Off the Burner (podcasts of it available for a listen here) on Saturdays at 9:30am. This week he talks about the spirit rye and its importance in the cocktail of New Orleans, perhaps the first American cocktail, the sazerac. The guy is a thoughtful host because for the taping he brought along the ingredients for me to taste my first sazerac.
Here they are:
2 oz. rye (or brandy – the original is brandy, but the traditional recipe calls for rye)
3 shakes of Peychaud’s bitters
A shake of Angostura’s bitters
A mist of lemon oil from the thin rind of a lemon
pastis (an anise-flavored liquer)
(The pastis is a mediocre replacement for absinthe. Rumor has it wormwood-free absinthe is available out there so if that’s the case, have at it with the absinthe.)
Put all the elements into a cocktail shaker containing three ice cubes. GENTLY stir the contents, DO NOT SHAKE. And then pour into the pastis-coated rocks glass.
It’s a lovely sipping cocktail. And rye is all the rage right now. Even Anchor Steam Brewing Company got into the mix with their Old Portrero 18th Century Style Whiskey.
