The Sazerac is a template as much as a recipe. Two ounces of spirit, a little sugar, Peychaud's bitters, stirred cold and strained into a chilled rocks glass that has been rinsed with Herbsaint or absinthe and emptied — swap the spirit and the frame holds, but the balance moves. Rye gives the dry, peppery New Orleans standard; Cognac rounds it into fruit; the two together are what several top bars pour; bourbon softens it; Oloroso sherry turns it into an aperitif.

This hub walks through every base a reputable source has published a spec for, and no others. Rye remains the reference — the heritage and structural case is made elsewhere — and every other build is described by how it departs from it.

Quick-Reference: Every Spirit at a Glance

Rye: The Reference

Everything on this page is measured against the rye Sazerac, because that is the drink New Orleans has poured for as long as the name has been in print. Rye's pepper and dryness are what let three dashes of bitters and a coating of anise register as seasoning rather than sweetness, and a 90–110 proof bottle survives the stir with its spine intact. Chris Hannah, formerly of Arnaud's French 75 Bar, adds a useful refinement: Herbsaint is sweeter and lower-proof than absinthe, so pair it with a spicy rye around 50% ABV — he names Rittenhouse — and save the gentler 40–45% ryes for an absinthe rinse. The Sazerac House's own build uses Sazerac Rye, and Cure's does too. PUNCH's 2018 blind-tasting judges found rye possessed the ideal flavor, and all three placing drinks in 2024 were rye. The rye Sazerac recipe is the canonical build, the Bottle Library ranks the bottles, and the Rye Sazerac: Why Rye gathers the whole case.

Cognac: The Traditional 'Original'

The IBA's official Sazerac is a Cognac drink — 50 ml Cognac, one sugar cube, two dashes of Peychaud's, a chilled old-fashioned glass rinsed with 10 ml of absinthe, lemon zest — and the IBA repeats the traditional story that rye replaced Cognac after the Civil War when Cognac became hard to obtain. The Sazerac Company tells the same story with Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils Cognac and dates the switch to 1885; Difford's dates it to the 1870s. David Wondrich's research for the Oxford Companion finds the whole account resting on Stanley Clisby Arthur's error-ridden 1937 book: the Sazerac is first mentioned in print in 1899, and the Sazerac House's drink was a rye whisky cocktail. PUNCH describes the Cognac theory as largely discarded. We present it as legend, and the drink as a legitimate and good variation.

In the glass, Cognac trades rye's pepper for grape, dried fruit and a softer spice; PUNCH's 2018 judges called Cognac Sazeracs delicious but said rye possessed the ideal flavor. Hennessy's own page gives 4 parts V.S.O.P to 1 part simple syrup with 4 dashes of Peychaud's and a ¼ oz absinthe rinse, served in a rocks glass with a lemon twist. Recipe and the story in full: Cognac Sazerac; the direct comparison: Cognac vs rye Sazerac.

Rye and Cognac Together: The Split Base

The split base is the modern bartender's answer to the rye-or-Cognac question. Tom Macy's Clover Club spec — 1½ oz rye (he suggests Hochstadter's), ½ oz Cognac (Louis Royer Force 53), a teaspoon of rich demerara, four dashes of Peychaud's, one dash of Angostura and a Pernod rinse, with the lemon peel expressed four to six inches above the glass — tied for first in PUNCH's 2018 blind tasting of fourteen Sazeracs, the only Cognac-containing entry to place. Split-base entries from Rye House and Long Island Bar were praised in the same tasting. Difford's splits three ways: ⅔ fl oz each of Cognac, 100-proof rye and bourbon, with rich syrup, four dashes of Peychaud's, one of Angostura and an absinthe rinse, thrown rather than stirred, with an absinthe-and-water shot alongside. Recipe: split-base Sazerac.

Bourbon: The Soft Version

Bourbon has more license here than most people assume. The Sazerac Company's recipe as published by New Orleans & Company reads "1½ oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Buffalo Trace Bourbon," with one sugar cube, three dashes of Peychaud's and ¼ oz of Herbsaint; Jerry Thomas's 1876 Improved Whiskey Cocktail allowed "Bourbon or rye whiskey"; Merriam-Webster still defines the Sazerac as a bourbon drink; and the bourbon-based Zazarac of 1910 is its documented cousin. What bourbon changes is the balance: corn sweetness and vanilla replace rye's pepper, so there is less to push back against the anise rinse and the drink reads softer and sweeter. Hold the sugar at a single cube and do not add Angostura. Recipe: bourbon Sazerac; comparison: bourbon vs rye Sazerac.

Sherry, and the Sazeroy

Two documented builds stretch the base further. The Sherry Sazerac, or Jerezerac, from Lustau ambassador Steven Dragun as adapted by Difford's Guide, replaces the whiskey with 2 fl oz of chilled Oloroso and keeps the rich syrup, three dashes of Peychaud's and the absinthe rinse; Difford's computes it at about 16% ABV and calls it a tasty sherry-based Sazerac; one Difford's reader comment says it lacks a Sazerac's depth and strength, which is also its point. The Sazeroy, Giovanni Bruno's 2015 drink from the Blue Bar at The Berkeley in London, is Cognac-led with Lillet-style rouge and small splashes of 100-proof rye and blended Scotch, served up in an absinthe-rinsed coupe — Difford's calls it a spirituous after-dinner sipper reminiscent of a Sazerac. Neither has its own page here; both are described in full in Sazerac Variations.

What Isn't Here, and Why

No Scotch, Irish, Japanese, Canadian or agave Sazerac appears on this page because we did not find a reputable published spec for one, and this corner does not invent recipes. The Sazeroy's splash of Scotch is as far as the record goes. If you want to experiment, the adaptation rules below will get you close; if a good source publishes a spec, it will be added.

How to Adapt the Build for Any Spirit

1. Match the rinse to the spirit's proof. Herbsaint is sweeter and lower-proof than absinthe (Chris Hannah): higher-proof, spicier spirits take Herbsaint; gentler ones take absinthe.
2. Hold the sugar. One cube, or ¼ oz of rich syrup, whatever the base. Sweeter spirits (bourbon, Cognac) do not need more; the sherry build already drops to ⅙ fl oz.
3. Keep Peychaud's. Two to four dashes in every published spec on this page. Angostura is the optional extra, and only alongside rye or the split base.
4. Keep the method. Chill the glass with ice, empty it, rinse it, strain the stirred drink in with no ice — how to make a Sazerac — whatever the spirit.
5. Finish with lemon. Expressed over the surface every time; the Sazeroy adds a cherry alongside the lemon twist.

Where to Go Next

The sugar, bitters and rinse variations live in Sazerac Variations; every recipe in the corner is indexed in the Recipe Room; the Manhattan's spirit tour, which covers eight bases, is at Manhattan by Spirit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make a Sazerac with any whiskey?

Rye is the New Orleans standard and the reference. Bourbon has the Sazerac Company's own blessing — its recipe reads 'Sazerac Rye Whiskey or Buffalo Trace Bourbon' — and the rye-and-Cognac split is poured by several top bars. We have not found a reputable published spec for a Scotch, Irish or Japanese Sazerac.

Is a Sazerac made with Cognac or rye?

Rye in New Orleans; Cognac in the IBA's official spec. The traditional story says Cognac came first and rye replaced it later in the century (1885, by the Sazerac Company's date), but David Wondrich's research finds the drink first named in print in 1899, already as a rye whiskey cocktail.

What is a split-base Sazerac?

Rye and Cognac in one glass. Tom Macy's PUNCH spec is 1½ oz rye, ½ oz Cognac, a teaspoon of rich demerara, four dashes of Peychaud's, one of Angostura and an absinthe rinse; it tied for first in PUNCH's 2018 blind tasting.

Which spirit makes the sweetest Sazerac?

Bourbon, because corn sweetness and vanilla replace rye's pepper and there is less to push against the anise rinse. Keep the sugar at one cube and skip the Angostura.

Can you make a low-alcohol Sazerac?

Yes — the Sherry Sazerac (Jerezerac) replaces the whiskey with 2 fl oz of chilled Oloroso sherry and keeps the syrup, Peychaud's and absinthe rinse. Difford's puts it at about 16% ABV.

Does the rinse change with the spirit?

It should. Chris Hannah's rule: Herbsaint is sweeter and lower-proof than absinthe, so use it with a spicy rye around 50% ABV; use absinthe with a gentler 40–45% rye. Cognac and bourbon builds in the published specs use either.

Frequently Asked Questions (Voice Search)

Rye or Cognac for a Sazerac?

Rye is the New Orleans standard and the drink the record shows from 1899; Cognac is the IBA's spec and the traditional 'original'. Rye gives pepper and dryness, Cognac gives fruit and roundness — or split them 1½ oz to ½ oz.

What is the IBA Sazerac recipe?

50 ml Cognac, one sugar cube and two dashes of Peychaud's bitters, stirred with ice and strained into a chilled old-fashioned glass rinsed with 10 ml of absinthe; lemon zest.

Can you make a Sazerac with bourbon?

Yes. The Sazerac Company's published recipe allows Buffalo Trace Bourbon in place of Sazerac Rye: 1½ oz, one sugar cube, three dashes of Peychaud's, ¼ oz Herbsaint rinse, lemon peel.

What is a Sazeroy?

A 2015 London riff by Giovanni Bruno: Cognac with Lillet-style rouge, splashes of rye and Scotch, rich syrup and Peychaud's, served up in an absinthe-rinsed coupe.