Peychaud's Bitters

New Orleans apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud created the bitters that carry his name, best known for their place in the Sazerac cocktail.

About Peychaud's Bitters

Based in
Frankfort, Kentucky (produced); New Orleans origin
Founded
between 1849 and 1857
Known for
the bitters in the Sazerac cocktail

Antoine Amédée Peychaud was a Creole apothecary from Saint-Domingue, the French colony that became Haiti. He arrived in New Orleans around 1793, and sometime between 1849 and 1857 he created the bitters that carry his name.

Peychaud's is the classic bitters in the Sazerac, and it also turns up in the Vieux Carré and the Pendennis Club. Bartenders use it a dash or two at a time.

The bitters are produced today at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Beyond cocktails, a few dashes in soda water over ice make a quick bitters and soda.

Peychaud's Bitters questions

What are Peychaud's Bitters used for?

Bitters are alcohol flavored with roots, herbs and other plant matter, used a few dashes at a time to add a bitter note that balances the sweet and sour in a cocktail. Peychaud's has been the classic bitters in New Orleans drinks such as the Sazerac and the Vieux Carré since Antoine Amédée Peychaud created it in the mid-1800s, and a few dashes in soda water over ice make a quick bitters and soda.

How do you make a Sazerac?

Chill an old-fashioned glass, swirl a little absinthe around it and pour out the extra. In a second glass, stir about 1 3/4 oz (50 ml) of rye whiskey with a sugar cube and two dashes of Peychaud's over ice, then strain it into the rinsed glass with no ice and garnish with lemon peel. The original used cognac, rye took over around 1870, and in 2008 Louisiana named it New Orleans' official cocktail.

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