David A Embury, author of The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, refers to the Sazerac as a sharp, pungent, thoroughly dry cocktail – essentially an Old Fashioned but using Peychaud’s bitters and flavoured with a dash of absinthe instead. In its earliest days in New Orleans it was made with Cognac, and later it came to be made with rye whiskey; we’ve split the difference.
Pictured with Chicken vol-au-vents.
1 Splash of absinthe, 30 ml Cognac, 30 ml rye whiskey, 15 ml sugar syrup, 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters, Orange or lemon peel, or both, to serve.
Chill a rocks glass in the fridge, or fill it with crushed ice and set aside until chilled. Add a splash of absinthe to chilled glass (discard crushed ice first if using) and set aside. Place remaining ingredients except peel in a Boston shaker or cocktail jug half-filled with ice cubes, and stir with a cocktail spoon. Strain into prepared rocks glass, add ice cubes, garnish with citrus peel and serve.
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