De La Louisiane Cocktail Recipe (Cocktail à la Louisiane)

The De La Louisiane is what happens when a Sazerac and a Manhattan meet in New Orleans. It keeps the Sazerac's rye, Peychaud's bitters and absinthe, adds the Manhattan's sweet vermouth and a measure of Bénédictine, and is served up in a coupe with brandied cherries instead of a lemon peel. It was the house cocktail of the Restaurant de la Louisiane, and Stanley Clisby Arthur recorded it in Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em in 1937, the same book that fixed the Sazerac's own legend in print.

The recipe below is Jim Meehan's rye-forward version from The PDT Cocktail Book (2011), as PUNCH publishes it. Arthur's equal-parts original, the Sazerac House's version and Chris Hannah's are set out for comparison, with how the drink sits against the classic rye Sazerac and which rye carries it.

What the De La Louisiane Is

Read the ingredient list as two drinks laid on top of each other. Rye, Peychaud's and absinthe are the Sazerac. Rye, sweet vermouth and a cherry are the Manhattan. The Bénédictine, a honeyed herbal liqueur, is the bridge between them and the reason the drink tastes like neither parent: sweet, herbal and rounded, with the anise and the Peychaud's spice riding over the top. The absinthe is dashed into the mixing glass rather than used as a rinse, which spreads it through the drink instead of leaving it on the surface.

Its nearest relatives are the Vieux Carré, which uses the same Bénédictine-and-vermouth idea with Cognac added and is served on the rocks, and the Monte Carlo, a Manhattan cousin built on rye and Bénédictine without the vermouth. The De La Louisiane is the richest of the three.

Four Specs, One Drink

Arthur's original is equal parts, mixed with lumps of ice and strained onto a cherry, and the Sazerac House keeps those proportions at ¾ oz each. PUNCH notes that the equal-parts version can taste syrupy, which is why Meehan's PDT spec pushes the rye to 2 oz against ¾ oz each of the modifiers; that is the version on the recipe card and the one to make first. Chris Hannah's build at Arnaud's French 75 Bar goes further in the same direction, trimming the Bénédictine to half an ounce, swapping Peychaud's for Angostura and finishing with a lemon peel, which turns it into a drier, more Manhattan-like drink. All four are documented; the difference is how much sweetness you want.

How It Compares with the Classic Rye Sazerac

The same rye and the same bitters produce a very different glass. A Sazerac carries about a quarter ounce of sweetener; the De La Louisiane carries an ounce and a half of sweet modifiers, which is why it drinks like an after-dinner cocktail where the Sazerac drinks like an aperitif. The anise is the other difference: rinsed and discarded in a Sazerac, it is an aroma; dashed in here, it is a flavor. If you want the Sazerac's structure with a Manhattan's richness, this is the drink; if you want the Manhattan side-by-side, read Sazerac vs Manhattan. The classic build is the rye Sazerac recipe.

Choosing the Rye

An ounce and a half of sweet modifiers will bury a soft rye, so proof and spice matter more here than in the Sazerac. Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye (100 proof, guide price $26.99) is the bottled-in-bond default and has the pepper to cut through the Bénédictine. Knob Creek Rye (100 proof, $47.99) brings more oak, which suits the vermouth. Pikesville Straight Rye (110 proof, $41.99) is the choice if you are making Arthur's equal-parts version and need the rye to hold its ground. For the Sazerac House's own spec, use Sazerac Rye (90 proof, $26.99), which it names. The ranked shortlist is the Bottle Library.

Vermouth, Bénédictine, Anise and Bitters

The vermouth is a quarter of the drink and it fades; keep it refrigerated and fresh, and choose a classic Italian rosso rather than the richest Torino styles, which stack on the Bénédictine. The sweet vermouth guide covers styles and storage. Bénédictine has no substitute in this drink; it is the ingredient that makes the De La Louisiane itself rather than a Sazerac with vermouth in it. For the anise, the PDT spec says absinthe and the Sazerac House says Herbsaint; either works, and the differences are in absinthe vs Herbsaint. Three dashes of Peychaud's is the figure in the Sazerac House and PDT specs; Arthur gives 3–4; the Peychaud's guide explains why its anise-and-cherry profile ties the drink together, and why Hannah's switch to Angostura changes its character.

The New Orleans Family

• Vieux Carré: rye, Cognac, sweet vermouth and Bénédictine with both Peychaud's and Angostura, on the rocks. See Sazerac vs Vieux Carré and the Vieux Carré recipe.
• Monte Carlo: rye and Bénédictine, the Manhattan cousin; the Monte Carlo recipe is in the Manhattan Corner.
• Every Sazerac riff: the Cognac build, the split base, the bourbon version and the Improved Whiskey Cocktail are in Sazerac variations; the full recipe list is in the recipe room.
• Arthur's book and the legend: what Famous New Orleans Drinks got right and wrong is in the history of the Sazerac.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in a De La Louisiane cocktail?

Rye whiskey, Bénédictine, sweet vermouth, absinthe and Peychaud's bitters, stirred and served up with a cherry. The PDT version is 2 oz rye, ¾ oz Bénédictine, ¾ oz sweet vermouth, 3 dashes absinthe and 3 dashes Peychaud's, garnished with three brandied cherries.

Is it 'De La Louisiane' or 'Cocktail à la Louisiane'?

Both names refer to the same drink. Stanley Clisby Arthur recorded it in 1937 as the house cocktail of the Restaurant de la Louisiane in New Orleans; 'La Louisiane' is the short form the Sazerac House and Difford's use.

What is the difference between a De La Louisiane and a Sazerac?

A Sazerac is rye, sugar and Peychaud's in an absinthe-rinsed glass with no ice. The De La Louisiane adds sweet vermouth and Bénédictine, dashes the absinthe into the drink and is served up with a cherry. It is sweeter, richer and more herbal.

What is the difference between a De La Louisiane and a Vieux Carré?

Both use rye, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine and Peychaud's. The Vieux Carré adds Cognac and Angostura and is served over ice; the De La Louisiane uses absinthe instead of Cognac and is served up.

Can I use Herbsaint instead of absinthe?

Yes. The Sazerac House's version uses 3 dashes of Herbsaint where PDT uses 3 dashes of absinthe. Arthur's 1937 recipe, written when absinthe was illegal in the US, calls for an absinthe substitute.

Why does PDT use 2 oz of rye instead of equal parts?

Arthur's original is equal thirds of rye, vermouth and Bénédictine, which PUNCH notes can taste syrupy. Meehan's 2 oz of rye against ¾ oz of each modifier keeps the drink spirit-forward.