Sazerac House

"Zoom out. What’s this place all about?You may think that a museum dedicated to just one cocktail is excessive and couldn’t be done with enough depth to keep things interesting. To that, New Orleans says: hold my Sazerac. Opened in October 2019, The Sazerac House is a multi-floor, multi-media, interactive dive into the intoxicating world of a whiskey brand, with lots more besides. It’s a beautifully renovated building on the corner of Magazine and Canal, and it manages to house a museum, a bar, and a distillery, all with a masterfully artistic vision and striking interior design. A museum's permanent collection is its defining feature: How was this one?Visitors are guided to the third floor to begin their tour, to get some context. The floor traces the cultural influence of booze in New Orleans. Spoiler alert: it figures heavily in most of the city’s past. Exhibits are sleek, technologically impressive, and in some cases, interactive, detailing the start of cocktail culture in the Crescent City and the evolution of the Sazerac (now the city’s official cocktail). The second floor delves into the brand, looking at the production of the spirit, including hands-on looks at ingredients, and of course a chance to sample the wares if you’re old enough. The ground floor exposes the inner workings of the on-site distillery, and the parts blend to form a cohesive whole, like a well-made cocktail. What did you make of the crowd?If you’re visiting New Orleans, there’s a good chance that you have at least a passing interest in alcohol in general and cocktails in particular. The visitors include whiskey lovers, mixology nerds, local history buffs, and people young and old who have a curiosity about the brand. Many people may have tried a Sazerac for the first time at dinner the night before, some will be trying one for the first time in the museum. You can also be teetotal and have a perfectly fulfilling visit. On the practical tip, how were the facilities?The building is state of the art, and has great accessibility with elevators, and lots of places to take a seat and slowly sip on a whiskey sample. Any guided tours worth trying?The tours are guided in a way. You can make your own way around as you see fit, but in each section there are docents and experts to explain things in more detail or make you a drink, so it feels urbane. If drinking is part of the learning process, then it falls under education. Gift shop: obligatory, inspiring—or skip it?The gift shop is booze-focused, predictably. Of course, you may buy bottles of Sazerac whiskey, including special editions and limited runs. There’s also all manner of accessories for your home bar, including cocktail shakers and a range of bitters, some produced on site. Add to this the branded tote bags and a smattering of apparel and novelties, and it’s not a bad choice. Any advice for the time- or attention-challenged?You can easily manage the whole museum in an hour and take in a lot of the detail, but the history of cocktails is a great one-stop shop for some mixology knowledge. The other must-do is sit with one of the virtual bartenders and have them mix you a drink after you’ve grabbed a sample of an actual drink." - Paul Oswell