SAZERAC

Herbsaint started out as an anise-flavored liqueur initially created to be an absinthe-substitute in New Orleans Louisiana in 1934. Created by J. Marion Legendre and Reginald Parker, the duo learned to make absinthe in France during WWI. Originally produced under the name Legendre Absinthe, the brand is now produced by Sazerac. The spirit was introduced just after Prohibition had ended, and was designed to mimic absinth, which was banned in 1912. Herbsaint was never considered absinthe, as it did not contain wormwood, absinthes signature ingredient. The Federal Alcohol Control Administration also opposed Legendres use of the word absinthe, and the name was changed to "Legendre Herbsaint, French Creole for "Herbe Sainte" (Sacred Herb), the Artemisia absinthium. Legendre Herbsaint is the vintage-styled Herbsaint, inspired by the World War I era spirit, it has more floral, herbaceous qualities. It is cut to a bold 100 proof and bottled. Pick up your bottle today!

In 1838, a Creole immigrant named Antoine Peychaud opened the doors to a pharmacy on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. While Peychaud was an apothecary by trade, he was also a natural mixologist. He would often invite friends over to his pharmacy after it had closed and mix drinks for them, including a drink he crafted from brandy, absinthe and a proprietary blend of bitters.Peychauds cocktail became wildly popular throughout New Orleans. In 1850, Sewell Taylor owner of the Sazerac Coffee House located on Exchange Alley institutionalized the cocktail by using only Sazerac de Forge et Fils Brandy, a brandy which Taylor imported and sold exclusively. By 1869, Thomas H. Handy had purchased the Sazerac Coffee House from Taylor and by the turn of the century, a phylloxera epidemic forced coffee houses (at the time, the term "coffee house"was used to refer to a cocktail bar) to use rye whiskey rather than brandy in the making of the Sazerac.Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey is rumored to be made from a mash of 51 percent rye, 39 percent corn and 10 percent malted barley. Following distillation, the whiskey is aged for a minimum of six years in the Kentucky heat, before a small batch of barrels are married together. The whiskey has a copper-bronze color, along with an aroma of rye, malt, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. The aroma gives way to notes of chewy caramel, vanilla, spicy rye and candied citrus on the palate, and ends with a touch of dried fruits and rye.Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey earned a score of 94.5 points from Jim Murrays Whisky Bible, and a score of 95 points from Wine Enthusiast, which called it a "Best Buy." In addition, it earned the Best American Rye Whiskey Award at the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition, and the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.Pick up a bottle today!