Sazerac crawl

A friend and I are both fond of sazeracs, and we are in search of the "best" sazerac in the city. Looking for any suggestions, for both a classic sazerac or a modernized one.

* While we typically go out on the north side of the city, I'm a southsider and would love some suggestions to pull him to my side of the city...

I'm not a sazarac expert, and wouldn't know a good one from a bad one, but I'll bet GNR Chuck's Southern Comfort Cafe makes a decent one. There's lots of New Orleans flava on his menu.

Best Intentions in Logan Square makes a nice one. I haven't had it, but I'd be willing to bet Pearl's Southern Comfort makes a solid rendition - it is the first NOLA place that comes to mind for me.

Otherwise, I think of it more about where serves really fine, classic cocktails - since that's really what it is...particularly bars known for their whiskey. Franklin Room, Tortoise Club, Maude's Liquor Bar, Bavette's all come to mind.

In the same vein as Best Intentions, another bar that has a very wide selection of "classic" cocktails and is a little more casual would be Money Gun in the West Loop.

Big Jones on Clark St in Andersonville makes an excellent Sazerac.

I'd give a shout-out to Ward Eight as well.

Pearl's in Edgewater makes a great version.

A Sazerac is often my "test" drink at an unfamiliar bar, as in my experience the bartender who gets this right (balanced, not syrupy sweet) has the fundamentals to make lots of other great drinks. Some of my favorites have been at Bar DeVille, Sportsman's Club, Ward Eight, and Billy Sunday.

Have fun on your search and keep us posted!

My husband is quite fond of sazeracs, and orders them when he can find them on the drinks menu. While SteveZ suggested Chucks, I have to say that whenever we are there, he orders one. They never taste the same -- he is not sure if the bartenders ever make them for other customers. They aren't bad, just not consistent at all.

If you are serious about a sazerac crawl, I'm sure he would love to join you. We are also south siders. I would be happy to be designated driver!

Suzy

I want to second the Big Jones suggestion. That drink is stunning.

I would also join a sazerac crawl, if that actually becomes a thing in the future!

bfolds wrote:A Sazerac is often my "test" drink at an unfamiliar bar, as in my experience the bartender who gets this right (balanced, not syrupy sweet) has the fundamentals to make lots of other great drinks. Some of my favorites have been at Bar DeVille, Sportsman's Club, Ward Eight, and Billy Sunday.

Have fun on your search and keep us posted!

My test drink is an old fashioned. It's a simple drink, but easy to mess up. If the bartender can get that right, a sazerac is usually next!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm going to put a list together and sort the places by location. I have a feeling this will end up being a crawl spread out over a number of days, as my liver can only handle so much in a given day! My own version of March Madness...

I'll try to post where we will be headed on a given day, so anyone is free to join up with us if you're interested!

So this "sazerac crawl" will probably end up spanning most of 2017, as my liver can only handle so much.

But tonight I found myself at Tiny Lounge (4352 N Leavitt). Their sazerac was a bit heavy on the absinthe, and therefore sweeter than I expected. But it was smooth and had a lovely finish. Not quite what I'm looking for when ordering a sazerac, but it was a lovely drink. The lemon peel was a bit clunky and got in the way, but didn't distract much from the flavor.

Feel free to shout blasphemy, but I think the best one I ever had came from The Publican, where a server casually asked if I wanted mine made with some Saz 18... Who am I to say no?