Sazerac Bar

The Sazerac Bar on the ground floor of the Roosevelt Hotel has one of the grandest interior spaces in all of cocktaildom. With burnished wood, soft lighting and intricate tile work, the bar feels salvaged from a 1940s ocean liner (it opened in 1949). The lovely, evocative murals lining the walls depict well-accoutered socialites, and were painted by flamboyant mid-twentieth century New Orleans artist Paul Ninas. Eponymous, the bar’s namesake drink is essentially a pimped-out version of the original cocktail (bitters, sugar and spirits), with the added complication of an absinthe rinse. It’s made with rye, sugar and Peychaud’s bitters (a venerable New Orleans brand), with a hint of lemon and licorice.