sazerac bar

after the accidentalsazeracat the imposter bar down the street, we made our way to the roosevelt hotelsazeracbar. sample the world’s first mixed drink at thesazeracbar. . named after what many consider to be the world’s first mixed drink, thesazeracbar carries as much history as its potable namesake. just gazing at the famous paul ninas murals flanking the african walnut bar takes you back to the grandeur of old new orleans – a time when huey p. long would stroll in, order a ramos gin fizz, and spend the next couple of hours talking to his constituents.

gorgeous bar.  gorgeous hotel for that matter.

while we were visiting new orleans my wife wanted to see the roosevelt hotel.  she apparently read about it in one of her many magazines and thought it looked very elegant.  so we made it a point to stop by.

and we did.  and i had asazeracthere.  and then we stopped by again.  and then we stopped by again.  if we had not returned to connecticut we would be going back again tonight!

they make the classic new orleans drink like no one else.  smooth, refreshing and uniquely flavorful.  it was an experience i will relish for years to come.

next time we will have to try some of their food!

this is a cocktail & atmosphere/setting review only, as i visited thesazeracbar immediately after saturday brunch. the famous watering hole opens off the lobby of the somewhat recently renovated (& very well done, at least on the ground floor, by hilton) roosevelt hotel, just a bit n of bourbon st. & on the downtown side of canal. the long room gets its shape from the long, ornate bar itself, w/ enough room left for a staggered row of stand alone tables & booths against the back wall. the room is beautiful, & worth a few minutes of your time even if not thirsty. to my eye, it's reminiscent of some of the european based but western us-influenced barrooms i recall in san francisco. the barman himself was nattily attired & hipsterishly bearded, clearly having complete knowledge of the big cocktail menu. 
if fond of whiskey whatsoever, visitors should certainly order the namesake drink. thesazeracis my second fav whiskey concoction, a close 2nd to an old-fashioned. the real star of the drink menu, however, is the ramos gin fizz, another new orleans pre-prohibition refreshment invented elsewhere but popularized here. it's citrus focused & shaken w/ an egg white, so it's like easing your nose into a meringuey lemon pie w/ the first sip taken from the collins glass. this is a great place to waste a few hours & get tipsy amidst classy surrounds, but bring your money.

this is one of the quintessential bars of all new orleans, and where i had my first sazerac. you have to come here just to get a sense of the old new orleans. 
if you are not a fan of old fashioned drinks, the seem frequently to be made with raw egg whites, you still have to come to soak up the nostalgia, since thesazeracbar has been featured in many movies and other forms of media, most recently in now you see me. imagine yourself sitting at the bar with morgan freeman and michael caine as they discussed how they were going to deal with the four horsemen. 
just an awesome bar, with some of the most overly trained bartenders anywhere. we come here for after dinner drinks instead of the quarter when we are here, and we have enjoyed every conversation we have had with the bar keeps. just go!

great drinks worth a stop in the central business district”. we heard many good things about this bar before arriving in nola. we were fortunate enough to stay at waldorf astoria where the bar is located. the bartenders are friendly and efficient. i can honestly say that they serve the bestsazeraccocktail in new orleans. we also had a few ramos gin fizz that were made with perfection. we were there early on a friday afternoon just before happy hour and the crowd was lively and inviting. it was a great start to our evening, nothing adds to great conversation like a well-made cocktail. when in new orleans don’t miss this historic and charming bar.