Welcome back, or if it’s your first time here, take a seat, and I’ll fix you a drink.

Today, we are going to look at a Sazerac. This is a New Orleans drink, hailing back to 1838. This is an Old Fashioned but made using Rye or, originally, Cognac. The drink also gets a good hint of Absinthe.

Let's start with some ingredients:

* 1/4 oz Absinthe, to rinse

* 1 sugar cube

* 1/2 teaspoon cold water

* 4 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

* 2 1/2 ounces Rye Whiskey or Cognac

* Lemon, for garnish

What glass should I use?

* Old Fashioned

What hardware do I need?

* Mixing glass

* Bar spoon

* Strainer

* Muddler

Ice

In the mixing glass, use a couple of large ice cubes. No ice in the glass for this one.

Garnish

A lemon peel, twisted, would be the classic garnish here.

Directions

Let's do this; let's make a drink!

1. Rinse the glass with Absinthe. To do this, pour some Absinthe into the glass you will be serving the drink in, roll it around the glass, then discard the Absinthe.

2. In a mixing glass, add the sugar cube, bitters, and water. Muddle these.

3. Add the Rye or Cognac. Add a couple of large ice cubes and stir for 15–20 seconds, until well-chilled and most of the sugar has dissolved.

4. Strain into the prepared glass.

5. Garnish with the twist of lemon.

Enjoy!

Tips

Try this with Cognac to be authentic, or Rye for simplicity. You’ll get very different flavor profiles.

Go with Peychaud’s bitters for authenticity, or regular aromatic bitters if that's what you have.