I’m seeing rye whiskey pop up all over the place lately. A friend recently fixed me a Sazerac cocktail which uses rye as the base, so I’m adding the recipe below. This is a tasty drink that was popular in New Orleans in the 1850s. It was the signature drink of the Sazerac Coffee House which is how it got it’s name.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 teaspoon absinthe
- 1 sugar cube
- 3 dashes of bitters
- 3 ounces rye whiskey
- Strip of lemon peel
Preparation:
- Fill old-fashioned glass with 1 cup ice and set aside.
- In a second glass, stir together the sugar cube, bitters, and ½ teaspoon water until sugar is completely dissolved, about 30 seconds.
- Add rye whiskey and remaining ½ cup ice, and stir well, at least 15 seconds.
- From first glass, discard ice, then add absinthe.
- Roll the glass so that the absinthe completely coats the interior.
- Strain the rye whiskey mixture into the chilled, absinthe-coated glass.
- Squeeze the lemon peel over drink, then drop peel into drink.
If you try this, shoot me a comment and let me know what you think.