Crescent City Clown Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Not bad at all.Unfortunately they were out of Peychaud's, so no saz for me. But props to the bartender for saying no to my request instead of trying to fake it. They have it now. Thanks to a friend.-me. Billy makes a fine one, and this is from someone who is one short streetcar ride (not a trolley, Goddammit!) from some of the best in the world. And, believe me, a streetcar is the play after a few of those things. Driving is a dangerous option. I'm constantly doing what I can to straighten out our nation's capital. You guys need the help. We watch the news. We know. Uggh. On the other hand, we had a late dinner at the Gastropub the other night, the one in Columbia Heights (near the house) and it was stunningly surprising. I loved it. Food was damned good. Wish they had called me about the beer, but, aside from that, really good. Big crowd,even late, and service was excellent. Highly recommended. Make sure that, for an app, yoiu get the scotch eggs. Well cooked and enticingly served. Oh, and while I'm at it. Pete's Appizaria is putting out a great pie. Seriously delicious crust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 They have it now. Thanks to a friend.-me.Billy makes a fine one, Hmmm. I tried one a few days ago, and it was not good. Actually, it was the worst of all I've tried since starting this search. It didn't even taste like a Sazerac. I don't know the name of the bartender who made it, though. One thing's for sure: it's the bartender, not the bar, that counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkduggins Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I second Porcupine's thumbs down on the Half Shell Sazerac. It was unpleasant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I second Porcupine's thumbs down on the Half Shell Sazerac. It was unpleasant. A Sazerac is a fairly simple, straightforward cocktail. What did they do to it to make it unpleasant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkduggins Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 A heavy hand with a pastis that tasted more of alcohol than licorice, very harsh bourbon, no simple syrup, too much Pechaud's, no Angostura at all and the twist was either too dry to release any oil or the rest of the flavors were so overwhelming as to make the delicate citrus undetectable. Sazeracs are deceptively simple to make, which makes for a lot of mistakes. The ones at Palena are most to my taste, so I think the Sazerac search is over for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 A Sazerac is a fairly simple, straightforward cocktail. What did they do to it to make it unpleasant? It seems to me that in either cooking or drink mixing, the fewer ingredients/simpler the preparation, the more exacting you have to be. Complexity hides mistakes. Simplicity makes things transparent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 no Angostura at all No problem at all. Galatoire's and Napoleon House bars use Angostura, Arnaud's and Tujague's bars do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crescent City Clown Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 No problem at all. Galatoire's and Napoleon House bars use Angostura, Arnaud's and Tujague's bars do not. Galatoire's also serves their over ice, something I happen to like, but many consider to be a sin of some sort. The basic is easy to make and a refreshing evening bump. Here's how you do it... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfhaxHYb46E They're not hard to make right, but you do need the right stuff. I had one at 11 Madison Park made with Lucid to coat the glass, Peychaud's, some fine sugar, and some Rittenhouse Rye, and it was about as good as it gets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeHoya Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Got a new contender for you: Founding Farmers, the new place in the IMF building on Pennsylvania between 19th and 20th. Went to a media dinner there on Wednesday and Bar "Executive Chef" Joe Arroyo claimed to make "the best Sazerac in Washington." Several of us gave him a hard time for such a grandiose claim, so he actually brought the ingredients over and made one tableside. He spun the glass in mid-air to coat with the St. George absinthe, and his ingredients - including Peychaud's bitters - seemed to be by the book. Not served over ice. Taste was good, too...lacked the acrid bitterness that a poorly blended sazerac can often pick up. If you haven't checked them out yet, you may want to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Riley Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Got a new contender for you: Founding Farmers, the new place in the IMF building on Pennsylvania between 19th and 20th.Went to a media dinner there on Wednesday and Bar "Executive Chef" Joe Arroyo claimed to make "the best Sazerac in Washington." Several of us gave him a hard time for such a grandiose claim, so he actually brought the ingredients over and made one tableside. He spun the glass in mid-air to coat with the St. George absinthe, and his ingredients - including Peychaud's bitters - seemed to be by the book. Not served over ice. Taste was good, too...lacked the acrid bitterness that a poorly blended sazerac can often pick up. If you haven't checked them out yet, you may want to. Did he use a sugar cube or simple syrup? While I like the St. George Absinthe Verte alright, in a Sazerac I'd prefer to have Pernod Absinthe or Kübler. Just personal taste, not a value judgment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Finally got 'round to trying the Founding Farmers sazerac, which was not made by Joe Arroyo. It was not good. Also, the little cheesy-pouf things (Heirloom Cheese Puffs, I believe they were called), were not good. My friend and I ambled over to Central for gougeres and more cocktails and were much happier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhone1998 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 The bartender last night at the newly opened and Southern-themed Eatonville had never heard of a Sazerac. Not a very good sign (though the food was fine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinChevyChase Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Finally got 'round to trying the Founding Farmers sazerac, which was not made by Joe Arroyo.It was not good. Also, the little cheesy-pouf things (Heirloom Cheese Puffs, I believe they were called), were not good. My friend and I ambled over to Central for gougeres and more cocktails and were much happier. I had a sazerac there a few months ago that was great, although not made by Jon. Jon later did come out and make some fantastic cocktails for my wife and I, including one that he developed for a cocktail competition (forget what it was, all I remember was that it was great). Sitting at the bar and having Jon just "make us stuff" was a great experience IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyNoonan Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Don't know the gentleman's name, but I had a fantastic Sazerac at Inox in Tyson's a few months ago. Chilled glass, coated with absinthe, tossed in the air, then I believe Sazerac rye, Peychaud's bitters, and simple syrup. Served neat, very smooth, quite nice. I had another nice Sazerac in Charleston, SC at FIG if you happen to be down south. I didn't see the drink being made to not the ingredients but the product was nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyNoonan Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Another nice Sazerac at The Majestic in Old Town. Sazerac rye, Peychaud bitters, dash of sugar - mixed vigorously in Pernod-washed glass. Smooth but still with bite. Nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Riley Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 I can't believe that it's taken this long for P.X. to get mentioned here, but really, my Sazerac at P.X. Lounge last night was a thing of beauty. Jason made it for me, and I think that Mr. Thrasher would have been proud. Jason prefers to use Sazerac 6-yr Rye, but they were out (thanks, Virginia ABC ) but Old Overholt didn't disappoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pool Boy Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Palena has em. Good too. They were my favorite locally available one, too! Anyone have a thought on best current place to get one in these parts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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