In 1838, a Creole immigrant named Antoine Peychaud opened the doors to a pharmacy on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. While Peychaud was an apothecary by trade, he was also a natural mixologist. He would often invite friends over to his pharmacy after it had closed and mix drinks for them, including a drink he crafted from brandy, absinthe, and a proprietary blend of bitters. Peychaud's cocktail became wildly popular throughout New Orleans. In 1850, Sewell Taylor owner of the Sazerac Coffee House located on Exchange Alley institutionalized the cocktail by using only Sazerac de Forge et Fils Brandy, a brandy which Taylor imported and sold exclusively. In 1869, Thomas H. Handy had purchased the Sazerac Coffee House from Taylor and was starting to acquire several liquor brands. Today Sazerac Company, Inc is one of the largest US-based spirits companies and is owned by William Goldring. Their brands include all manners of whisk(e)y, liqueurs, vodka, gin, tequila, cognac, brandy, and everything in between. Among these is Peychaud's Bitters, a brand that dates back to 1830, when it was created by the Creole apothecary Antoine Amde Peychaud. Peychaud's Aperitivo is a versatile and refreshing spirit made in the vein of Italian herbal bitter-sweet amaro liqueurs, most commonly consumed as a digestif. It's bottled at 22 proof and has a delicate balance of sweetness and bitterness with orange and fruity notes in the foreground.
