Another Saturday, Another Sazerac.

There are many places around Rochester that have embraced the Sazerac and take the time and care to make it very well.

Recently my good friend Don came for a visit. He drove about and hour and half from down in the Finger lakes to get here, and he was just staying for one night, so I gave some consideration as to what we would do during his stay.

Of course I thought about where we might go for a cocktail.

I’ve recently discovered that the city in which I live, Rochester, NY, has a pretty vibrant food and cocktail scene. I’ve lived in the Rochester area for about 20 years, and I had no idea that there are this many cool places to go for a well-made drink and a good meal.

We had spent some time during the week discussing what we wanted to have for dinner, and we settled on sushi. I love sushi and as such I steered the decision to Umai Revolving Sushi. This place is relatively new to the Rochester scene, but I had visited a couple of times and was impressed by the quality of the food. Revolving sushi is always a fun experience too. Watching the various presentations roll by on the conveyor belt until you find the one you’re looking for and then grabbing it on its way by is oddly satisfying.

Because I had been to Umai a couple of times before I also knew that the bar there is a little on the weak side. If we wanted cocktails we’d need to pick a different spot. I suggested Roux.

I’d been to this place a couple of times, and we were going to be in the neighborhood anyway. The neighborhood I’m referring to is Park Avenue, one of the more vibrant areas in the City of Rochester. There are a lot of interesting homes and apartment buildings, cool bars, great restaurants, and mature trees as far as the eye can see. There are always people about, walking dogs, jogging and generally just enjoying the beauty of the area. If I sound biased, I’ll plead guilty. This is my neighborhood.

After spending the afternoon running around Rochester, visiting the House of Guitars, Dans Crafts & Things, Sound Source, and a local Starbucks for a late afternoon caffeine boost, we sidled up to the bar at Roux, just past 5 PM. The bartender asked what we’d like, and I went with the Sazerac. I knew that Roux made a version of this drink that I really enjoy. Don asked me for a suggestion, and I inquired as to if he had ever tried a Sazerac. He said no, but I know Don to be an adventurous fellow, so I just ordered him one, too.

We watched the bartender build our drinks, and I ran through a little of the history of the drink and ingredients for Don. I remarked how I really liked the fact that our bartender was measuring out all the components of our cocktail and how measuring made for consistent drinks, one after the other. I recounted a story where I had recently witnessed a bartender at one of the higher-end restaurants in Rochester, a very well-known steakhouse, free pouring every drink she made. Believe me, when people are out for an evening of well-made food and drink at an expensive restaurant they are far less interested in seeing your flair bartending skills than they are in getting a drink that tastes great and is consistent from one to the next. It’s hard to align those two requirements when you are free-pouring everything.

Don and I made conversation with each other and the bartender, and after a few short minutes we were presented with our cocktails. They hit the bar in very well-chilled glasses that are similar to a Gibraltar glass - smaller than a rocks glass with a thick base and sides that hold on to the chill nicely, as there is no ice in this cocktail to keep it alive once it hits the glass. Like a lot of places, Roux also serves a sidecar of the remains of the absinthe rinse, which is a cool way to show a little extra love when building this drink.

I took my first sip, and as I raised the glass, immediately noticed the anise notes of the absinthe competing for my attention with the bright, fresh scent of the expressed lemon peel. On the palate, this cocktail was very well balanced, with the rye, cognac, demerara and Peychauds bitters all present, but none overpowering the other. A very well-constructed and presented cocktail!

We finished up our round and the bar keep asked us if we wanted another, but with a trip across town in our immediate future we decided against a second. Had we just been walking back to my place I would’ve gone for it for sure, because that was a good drink, in a cool joint, with great company.

What’s Coming Up

I have a short trip to Charlotte, North Carolina coming up this week and I’ve been doing some research on cocktail joints there. I have a few places in mind and I’m looking forward to exploring them! I’ll be sure to report back!

Cheers!