00:00The Sazerac bar right here in New Orleans originally started with the Sazerac Coffee House.
00:05It opened in the middle of the 1800s over in the French Quarter, and then it opened up in the early 1900s in our current gift shop.
00:12This bar originally opened in the hotel in 1939 as just the main bar of the hotel.
00:18Fast forward 10 years to 1949, the owner of the hotel bought the rights to the Sazerac bar,
00:24and since 1949 it has been the Sazerac bar here in the Roosevelt.
00:30The second you walk in, you're just shown this beautiful space that's all made from one African walnut tree,
00:37whether it's the side of the walls or the bar top.
00:40Then you have the murals to see.
00:42Paul Nienes, a famous painter here in town, painted them.
00:46These are the original murals that opened in 1939.
00:53We have a high standard of hospitality.
00:56The bartenders are dressed impeccably, right?
00:58White jackets, white shirts, black ties, and the standard that they execute their service as well as their cocktails is bar none.
01:05When a guest comes to the Sazerac bar, they're going to expect a place that introduces you to the city of New Orleans quite well.
01:12We have a very strong passion for cocktails that were around when this bar was opened, right?
01:18The Sazerac originated at the Sazerac Coffee House.
01:21Dr. Peychaud's was there with his bitters. A lot of people would come for coffee and for some of these little solutions to help their stomach.
01:27Lo and behold, men started hanging out there.
01:29He started adding a little bit of brandy, a little bit of cognac, and it developed into a very simple cocktail that started as cognac,
01:37Peychaud's bitters, simple syrup.
01:39Later, it has adjusted to include a little bit of the absinthe.
01:42And in the late 1800s, there was a big bug infestation over in Europe, and brandy exports were essentially cut to zero.
01:50At that time, rye whiskey was developing in the United States, and it was a very simple switch that a lot of people enjoyed,
01:56and that's still the recipe that we use to this day.
01:58On average, we make about 4,000 of these a week, and that's probably on an average week.
02:03In December, when we have Winter Wonderland here, it can be twice as much, if not more.
02:11Ramos Gin Fizz is a great cocktail that we have on our menu, and we take pride in that.
02:16It is a cocktail with gin, lemon and lime, egg white, cream, a little bit of orange blossom water, and soda water.
02:23So it creates this nicely balanced of floral and botanical and sweet and sour,
02:29and then creaminess that brings this nice silky texture that really creates a very unique drink
02:34that not a lot of places will have on their menu because it's complicated to make.
02:38You have to shake it right. You have to make sure that the glassware is chilled.
02:41And the other nice part of that is it creates a nice foaming top that rises above the glass that the straw can sit perfectly in.
02:48So not only the recipe in itself, but the technique that it takes to make it,
02:52the passion that you must have to really make sure that it is executed right, and then it's just an amazing drink to enjoy.
02:58Huey Long, the governor here, would come here frequently, and that was his drink of choice.
03:03He would buy rounds and rounds for everybody to enjoy.
03:06When he would visit New York City, he would fly the bartenders here from the Sazerac Bar up to New York City
03:12just to teach the bartenders there how to make a proper Ramos Gin Fizz.
03:17Tales of the Cocktail is a collection of the best minds of food and beverage in the world.
03:21To be nominated as a finalist for the top hotel bar in the country,
03:27it shows you that this team has such a deep passion for something of this nature, and they're well deserving.
03:34I think that the high standard of just hospitality, especially food and beverage, is just a core entity of what New Orleans is.
03:40Because our neighbors and everyone else carry themselves at such a high standard,
03:44and we believe that we want to be the best of the best, it only elevates us all.
03:48The rising tide raises all ships, and the community here has done such a great job just elevating the hospitality,
03:54and especially the food and beverage scene, and to highlight that, the cocktail scene.
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