Peychaud’s Apothecary, located on Royal Street, was the birthplace of the
first ‘Cocktail”. Antoine Amedie Peychaud, owner of the New Orleans
apothecary, used his “Peychaud’s Bitters” to make brandy toddies for his
friends in 1838. The Sazerac Cocktail, made with Sazerac French brandy
and Peychaud’s Bitters, became the first “branded” cocktail in 1850. The
old 1819 building which housed Peychaud’s Apothecary was demolished to
make way for the 1892 Cosmopolitan Hotel, designed by Thomas Sully.