The Sazerac Bar

New Orleans invented the cocktail, and The Sazerac Bar invented New Orleans. That is only a slight exaggeration. The bar that carries the name of the city's official cocktail sits inside The Roosevelt Hotel, one of the grand Beaux-Arts hotels of the American South, and the room itself is a museum piece: Paul Ninas's 1949 murals depicting Louisiana history wrap the walls, the mahogany bar stretches the entire length of the room, and the ceiling is low enough to make you feel like the city is leaning in to whisper something.

The Sazerac here is exactly what it should be. Rye whiskey, Peychaud's bitters, absinthe rinse, lemon peel, no ice. Stirred for the correct amount of time, poured into a chilled glass, presented without ceremony but with total confidence. It is not the most technically complex cocktail you will encounter on this trip to New Orleans, but it is the most correct, and that correctness is its own form of excellence. The bar also serves an outstanding Ramos Gin Fizz, a Vieux Carre, and a menu of Louisiana-sourced spirits.

This is not a bar for discovery. You come here because you understand what you are looking at. We recommend it at the start of every New Orleans visit as a way of calibrating your palate against the city's own standard. The New Orleans bar guide gives you the wider picture, but The Sazerac Bar is the only place to start.