Praline Liqueur

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Dating back to the 18th century, pralines have been synonymous with the French Quarter and their taste is uniquely linked to New Orleans. This sweet tradition was introduced to Louisiana by way of French settlers who sold these rich candies throughout the French quarter and competed for the title of best praline in the city. Pralines, with their distinct pecan flavor, were developed into a smooth, rich, mixable liqueur that is a great addition to many cocktails and recipes. Evangeline's Praline brand liqueur has two popular varieties. The Pearl of Praline combines Praline, coconut liqueur, cream, and a touch of nutmeg. Praline Original Pecan Liqueur has a rich nose of pralines, peanut butter and orange zest with decadent notes of cream, vanilla, praline and a touch of brown sugar.

Sazerac Company, Inc., the parent company of Evangeline's Praline Liqueur, was formed due to the work of Antoine Peychaud, a Creole immigrant, who operated a pharmacy on the French Quarter's Royal Street in 1838. With his background as an apothecary, he was a natural mixologist. Peychaud would mix brandy, absinthe and a dash of his secret bitters for his guests. Later this quaff would come to be known as the Sazerac cocktail and would lead to Peychaud opening a Royal Street bar in the name of Sazerac. The cocktail immediately spread in popularity at the city's finest coffee houses, which was the term for drinking establishments during the mid-1800s. However, the cocktail is most strongly associated with the wildly popular Sazerac Coffee House located on Exchange Alley. In 1850, the owner Sewell Taylor institutionalized the drink at his coffee house by using only Sazerac de Forge et Fils brandy, which he imported and sold exclusively. The Sazerac cocktail received its name from this coffee house, where it was most often imbibed.

From the bar, a company was born. In 1869, Thomas H. Handy purchased the Sazerac Coffeehouse and began to acquire and market brands of liquor. He bought out the rights to Peychaud's Bitters in 1873. In the 1890s his company began to bottle and market the Sazerac cocktail, now made with rye whiskey instead of brandy. In addition, the company operated the Sazerac Bar on Royal Street. Later, Handy's former secretary, C. J. O'Reilly, chartered the Sazerac Company. Ever since (except for a stint as a delicatessen and grocery vendor during Prohibition), the Sazerac Company has distilled an ever-increasing line of fine spirits. Today, they are still an independent, American family owned company and proud owners of many of America's distilling companies - Buffalo Trace Distillery, A. Smith Bowman, Glenmore Distillery, Barton, Fleischmann, Medley and Mr. Boston. On June 23, 2008, Louisiana Legislature immortalized the cocktail formerly known by the name Sazerac, as the Official Cocktail of New Orleans.