The Sazerac

The Sazerac was created in 1838 by Antoine Peychaud (the creator of the famous Peychaud's Bitters) in New Orleans. The original recipe called for Sazerac French brandy which was later replaced by American rye whiskey. Served up in a chilled old fashioned glass rinsed with absinthe, this cocktail is sweet and strong. Our recipe increases the amount of rye and reduces the added sugar to create a larger and less cloyingly sweet drink for the modern pallet. We also recommend using demerara sugar in place of white sugar as it creates a richer flavor.

Recipe:

2.5 oz rye whiskey
.25 oz absinthe
1/2 demerara sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Fill an old fashioned glass with crushed ice and absinthe then set aside. Place half a demerara sugar cube into a mixing pitcher and break up with a muddler. Add rye whiskey, bitters, and ice and stir well. Discard the ice and absinthe from the old fashioned glass and fine strain (double strain) the cocktail into the glass. Express a wide swath of lemon zest over the drink. Additionally you can add a large ice sphere or cube if desired.