This East-West twist on the classic Sazerac, from TATA in Copenhagen, brings together ingredients from either side of Denmark mixing fig leaf with whisky and Cognac to create an aromatic and perfumy yet stiff cocktail.
The East-West Sazerac from TATA brings the best ingredients from either side of Denmark to Copenhagen, and in turn creates one of the city’s best drinks. Aromatic and perfumy, but also stiff, it pairs perfectly with a Foie Gras Croquette (or just foie gras). Just remember to give yourself some time if you’re looking to make it at home.
Isak Pais, Head of TATA Cocktail Bar at Hotel Sanders, Copenhagen, tells us…
Name the cocktail.
East-West Sazerac
What inspired the name? What’s this drink’s origin story?
The origin story of the cocktail is very much tied to Mathias Broksø, our Assistant Bar Manager. Mathias’ family have a summer home on the isle of Bornholm where they’ve spent many holidays and had some amazing times together.
For those who doesn’t know Bornholm at all, it’s a quaint island east of Denmark, technically closer to Sweden. The nature is different, they have a funny dialect (at least in the ears of a Copenhagener) and the Bornholmians have rich traditions in different crafts and the produce coming out of that island is outstanding.
Mathias is very passionate about reducing food waste, working more sustainably in a wasteful industry, but also foraging. Right outside the summer home, a grand fig tree grows. Together with his mother and grandmother, Mathias foraged a bunch(!) of fig leaves not knowing exactly what to do with them, but eventually, a twist on the classic Sazerac started to intrigue him due to the aromatic and perfumy yet stiff and boozy nature of the cocktail.
On the western coast of Denmark, there’s a small town named Stauning with a namesake distillery, the oldest whisky distillery in Denmark. They make some fantastic whiskies and share a similar philosophy in terms of working sustainably (they won “Sustainable Distillery of the Year” at World Whiskies Awards in 2023) why they became an obvious choice for the base spirit. Due to personal preference though, Mathias decided to split the base of the cocktail with organic Cognac from Jean Luc Pasquet, staying true to the way he always enjoyed the Sazerac the most.
With some of the best local ingredients from the east and the west, in the hands of a man with a vision and a philosophy, convicted that a personal touch and a layer of storytelling always elevates any cocktail, the East-West Sazerac came to be.
What other drinks belong in its family?
Well, it’s a modern rendition of a New Orleans Classic, so I would say it fits into that family of cocktails. Stiff and boozy, red, and feisty, slightly perfumy, but also very aromatic.
If you like ________ and ________ you should try this drink.
If you like alcohol forward classics with a twist and a slightly green, floral and borderline tropical flavor profile you should try this drink.
What food is this cocktail best served with?
We did an event at Restaurant Lun in Vesterbro in connection with Bartender’s Choice Awards this year, where they paired food with our cocktail. They went with a Foie Gras Croquette as the paring for our cocktail and guests loved it.
Ingredients
À la minute recipe:
- 4 cl of Fig leaf oil fat washed Stauning Rye Whiskey
- 2 cl of Jean Luc Pasquet L’Organic 04 Cognac (2:1)
- 0,7 cl of Homemade Fig Leaf Syrup
- 4 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
- 1-2 sprays of Absinthe
- Lemon zest oils
Directions
It’s important to note that quite a bit of effort goes into making this cocktail and that you must plan ahead to have it ready in due time. It’s also easier if you commit to the process and make a solid portion at a time – Fear not, it’s very shelf stable and will most likely be consumed before it could potentially spoil anyway!
To start with you have to make the fig leaf oil:
- Weigh out 10% of dried fig leaves to 100% of a neutral vegetable oil (we use grape seed oil). Run on a Thermomixer for 6 minutes at 80° Celsius at speed 6.
- After, strain the oil through a coffee filter.
Then you have to start the fat wash process:
- Add 10% of the oil to 33% of Jean Luc Pasquet L’Organic 04 Cognac and 66% of Stauning Rye Whiskey. Mix it together and let it sit for two hours. Stir occasionally. After two hours, put it in the freezer.
- Let batch freeze until the oil is completely frozen. Depending on your freezer and batch size, this will take 24-48 hours, approximately.
- Once there’s a solid layer of frozen oil on top of your batch, you can remove as much as possible of the solid layer with tongs or the like and strain the rest through a fine mesh strainer. Please not that you have to act relatively quickly once you take it out of the freezer, since the oil will start to melt.
While you’re waiting for the fat wash, you can make the fig leaf syrup:
- Add 2% of dried fig leaves to 100% boiling water by weight. Leave to steep for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, strain the fig leaves and measure the fig leaf tea.
- Then add 200% of white sugar to the fig leaf tea and stir until dissolved.
- Keep refrigerated.
To make one cocktail:
Take a stemless wine glass/cognac ballon/lowball and chill it with crushed ice or put it in the freezer to chill it down.
In a stirring glass add the following:
- 6 cl of Fig Leaf Fat Washed Whisky/Cognac blend
- 0,7 cl of Homemade Fig Leaf Syrup
- 4 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
Add ice cubes to the stirring glass and stir for 10-12 seconds.
Pour the cocktail into your chilled glass and give it 1-2 sprays of Absinthe with an atomizer. Alternatively, before you pour in the cocktail, you can add a couple of drops of Absinthe to the glass, swirl it around and toss it out again to “rinse” the glass, if you don’t have an atomizer.
Last, but not least, cut a coin of lemon zest and squeeze the oils over the top of the cocktail and discard the peel.
Time to enjoy!
Get a reservations at Hotel Sanders in Copenhagen.
