Spirited Cocktails

The Sazerac is one of the oldest cocktails on record – and supposedly the first cocktail invented in America. It came into being in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1830’s, and was originally made with cognac and Peychaud bitters (created by Antoine Amédée Peychaud). The Peychaud bitters are still a key ingredient, but the most common preparation of the cocktail is now with rye rather than cognac (even though our friend @halw likes to mess with bartenders by ordering it with cognac anyway.)

I came late to the Sazerac, but was introduced to it by another friend, @livethelushlife, who counts the Sazerac among her absolute favorite cocktails. And it really came to life for me when I had the chance to sample the cocktail in its native environment – New Orleans – where the Sazerac is still an institution.

The combination of rye, sugar, and bitters (in an absinthe or Herbsaint-rinsed glass) makes for a smooth drink that’s reminiscent of The Old Fashioned, but with a unique quality all its own, and definitely worth a try!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

3oz rye
3/4oz simple syrup
3 dashes Peychaud bitters
1/4oz absinthe or Herbsaint to rinse the glass
Lemon peel for garnish

Start by chilling a rocks glass for a few minutes in advance. In a mixing glass, combine the rye, simple syrup and bitters with ice, and stir well.

Add a small amount (1/4oz or less) to your chilled rocks glass. Rotate the glass on its side just to coat the inside of the glass, then discard the excess. Strain the cocktail into the rocks glass, and garnish with a lemon twist. The Sazerac is served neat, so no ice in the glass is required.

In addition to The Old Fashioned, the Sazerac has become one of my favorite “brown spirit” cocktails. I encourage you to give it a try!

Cheers,

Josh

I’ll admit it – I’ve been behind on the absinthe resurgence. For those of you who are unfamiliar, absinthe is a high-proof distilled spirit with an anise (licorice) flavor. It has a storied past, dating back to the early 20th century, when it was banned in most parts of the developed world after having been accused of having psychogenic properties (beyond those of normal alcohol.) The psychogenic properties were thought to be related to inclusion of the herb commonly known as wormwood. However, over time, these accusations have been disproven, and contrary to popular belief, absinthe has been legally available in the United States since 2007.

But again, I’ll admit to being behind on the resurgence. I’ve always kept Pernod around, a common absinthe substitute available during the ban,  and despite absinthe being widely available again, I hadn’t changed my habits. Recently, though, I was sent a bottle of Lucid absinthe to review, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to see how it compares to its colorful past!

I thought I’d start with a mixed cocktail called Absinthe No 2. Over the next week or two, I’ll also tell you about the most traditional way to experience absinthe – the Absinthe Drip.

For the Absinthe No. 2, here’s what you’re going to need:

2oz gin
1oz absinthe
2 dashes of orange bitters

Combine the ingredients along with ice in a mixing glass, stir until well chilled, and strain into a martini glass.

There’s one “gotcha” I want to draw to your attention with this recipe. As you can see in the ingredients picture, I used Plymouth gin this time around, mainly out of habit and because I really like Plymouth. This drink is a perfect example though of why it’s important to try different brands and styles of the same spirit. Plymouth is a pretty “botanical-forward” kind of gin. It has a very distinct flavor that’s floral and fruity, which I happen to love. However, absinthe has a very strong flavor profile of its own (anise, as I mentioned earlier), and I found that they really competed in this cocktail. Over the next few days, I plan to experiment with a few other brands of gin (I have already have Hendricks, Tanqueray, and DH Krahn in my bar, so I’ll start there). I have a feeling that a more subtle, maybe spicier gin would be a better match here.

If you have a chance to experiment with this cocktail, I’d love to hear your thoughts, particularly about which gin you used and how you liked it. Drop me an e-mail or a tweet anytime.

Again, I’ll be continuing to experiment with the bottle of Lucid I have. If you have any suggestions or requests, please send those my way too!

Cheers!

So how was your Memorial Day weekend? Calm and relaxed? Or perhaps quite the opposite? Maybe one too many Flamingo cocktails at the beach? If so, another cocktail may be the furthest thing from your mind. But if you tend towards the whole “hair of the dog” approach, the Corpse Reviver #2 (aptly named) might be just what the doctor ordered (no doctor I know, but I’m sure there’s a quack out there who would prescribe this.)

Here’s what you’re going to need:

1oz gin
1oz fresh lemon juice
1oz Lillet Blanc
1oz Cointreau
A splash of pastis, Pernod, Ricard, or absinthe

Combine all the ingredients along with ice in a cocktail shaker, shake well, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Optionally, you might add a stemless maraschino cherry for garnish.

You’ll notice a few unique things about this cocktail. The first is the absence of any sugar or other sweetener. This definitely isn’t a sweet drink. Though the citrus, Cointreau, and Lillet see to it that it’s not very “boozy” either. It actually tastes a bit like a hard lemonade in some ways, though much, much beter.

Another unique attribute is the presence of the Lillet Blanc, which we’re using on this blog for the first time (I actually had to go out and buy some!) Lillet is a French apertif wine (available in both White and Red.) It’s a blend of wine and citrus liqueurs made from oranges, and definitely tastes citrusy. It’s probably most famous for its presence in the Vesper martini, ordered by James Bond in Casino Royale. It appears in a few other cocktails as well, but my favorite among them is certainly the Corpse Reviver #2.

One final note – you might ask, why #2? What about #1? There is a Corpse Reviver #1, which was listed in Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book along with #2. It’s made with Applejack, Sweet Vermouth, and brandy. However, it seems to have fallen out of favor long ago, while the balanced complexity of the Corpse Reviver #2 has stood the test of time. For good reason.

Cheers!

The folks over at LiquorSnob.com have a recipe for the very timely Swine Flu Cocktail. It has all the necessary ingredients:

• Absinthe (medicinal, of course)
• Tequila (from our friends in Mexico)
• Bacon-infused Bourbon (obviously)
• And Lemoncello (why not?)

You can find the full recipe here. Enjoy!