Celebrate Some Jazz at Southern Rail…And Great Drink Recipe!

The Event: Jazz Fest Celebration
The Place: Southern Rail
The Drink: The Sazerac
The Location: Sunday April 26th 5-9pm 300 W Camelback Rd Phoenix, AZ 85013 (602) 200-0085

New Orleans is home to numerous celebrations, from Mardi Gras to the iconic Jazz and Heritage Festival. “Jazz Fest” emerged in 1970, when gospel singer Machalia Jackson and jazz legend, Duke Ellington, sang along with the Eureka Brass Band in a parade at the Louisiana Heritage Fair in Congo Square. This momentous event sparked what is now a widely-spread celebration inspired by the culture, music, food and revelry of the birthplace of jazz.

This year, Southern Rail is bringing the same “Big Easy” spirit to uptown Phoenix with their Jazz Fest celebration, Sunday, April 26! Live jazz music, traditional dishes and drinks will accompany the signature New Orleans’ good time from 5-9 pm.

Enjoy a signature creole favorite, Jambalaya ($19), expertly prepared by Chef Beckett and his team, along with a perfectly chilled Sazerac ($5), the official cocktail of Louisiana. Jazz Fest wouldn’t be anything without the legendary tunes of NOLA! Southern Rail will offer live jazz, to honor the city’s legacy, from local jazz musician Reid Riddiough.

Reservations are recommended.

The Sazerac is widely considered the first cocktail in America, and Antoine Peychaud is the man most associated with those beginnings. Peychaud ran a drug store in New Orleans in the 1830s and created Peychaud’s Bitters, an ingredient still served in many Sazeracs to this day. On top of filling prescriptions, he apparently served his customers toddies mixed with his bitters and Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac. They became so popular that a bar called the Sazerac Coffee House started buying his bitters and pouring a blend of the Sazerac cognac, assorted bitters, sugar, and absinthe as their signature cocktail. Eventually they purchased the rights to the bitters outright, and subbed the cognac for rye whiskey.

Glass: Rocks glass (stirred chilled and served neat)

2 oz. Bulleit Rye
½ oz. Simple Syrup
Dash Angostura Bitters
Mist Absinthe
Lemon Peel

Directions:
Rinse rocks glass with absinthe
Stir Bulleit Rye, simple syrup and bitters together in iced mixing glass, strain
Garnish with Lemon Peel