Before we get started I want to state that there are many stories on where and when the word “cocktail” originated, but this is in my opinion the best one.
We are in New Orleans, around the year 1830 and it all begins with a pharmacist called Antoine Amedee Peychaud and the creation of a Gentiana-based liquor, he would call a “Peychaud’s bitter”.
This medicine was sold as a cure for anything, from a stomachache to more serious conditions.
As “Peychaud’s bitter” became more famous, he started to invite some friends to his pharmacy after closing hours. There he would mix cognac and absinthe, with his famous bitter, to give more complexity and flavor. These drinks in little cups, usually used for hard-boiled eggs, also known as “coquetier”, which after years of mispronunciation, became what we today know as “cocktail”.
A decade later, Sewell Taylor owner of the Merchants Exchange Coffee House, decided to use Peychaud’s bitter, mixed with “Sazerac de Forge et Fils” cognac and absinthe, creating the first Sazerac Cocktail.
It would only be with Thomas Handy, who changed the “Merchants Exchange” name into “Sazerac Coffee House”, that we can see rye whiskey as the main ingredient instead of cognac. This decision was made because of the Phylloxera that destroyed most of the French vineyards during the late 19th century, making cognac more expensive and rare.
This is the first of a series of articles that will focus on the history and legends of cocktails all around the world. If you want to keep up to date, subscribe with your email.