Mardi Gras is upon us and Fat Tuesday is around the corner. So why feature the classic New Orleans Cocktail. No, I’m not talking about a Hurricane, I am talking about the Sazerac one of the very first cocktail recipes in history. It was created in the 1830’s by Pharmacist Antoine Amedie Peychaud, as a way to deliver a dose of his “health” elixir, Peychaud’s Bitters. These bitters are still used today.

This classic cocktail get’s its name from a brand of Cognac, Sazerac de Forge et Fils, which was the original base ingredient. It also gained fame at the Sazerac Coffee House, opened in 1859, which was said to have gained it’s name from the cognac as well.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Sazerac rye whiskey or bourbon
• ¼ teaspoon absinthe or anise-flavored liquor (such as Pernod, Herbsaint or anisette)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon water
• Dash of Peychaud’s bitters
• Lemon twist

Instructions

Pour the absinthe into a chilled old fashioned glass, swirl the liquor around the glass until the glass is coated. Add the sugar, water and bitters and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the bourbon, stir well and add a twist of lemon.

How was this recipe? Please post a review!