Sazerac Recipe

Chill and prepare glass

Place a rocks or old-fashioned glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water to chill while you prepare the cocktail.

Prepare sugar and bitters

In a mixing glass or small mixing cup, place the sugar cube. Saturate the sugar cube with the 3 dashes of Peychaud's bitters. Add the 0.25 tsp simple syrup. Using a muddler or the back of a spoon, crush the sugar cube and stir until mostly dissolved to create a concentrated bittered syrup.

Add whiskey and ice

Add 2 oz rye whiskey to the mixing glass with the bittered sugar. Add enough ice (about 4 large cubes) to fill the mixing glass. Stir the mixture briskly for 20–30 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted (the mixing glass should feel very cold).

Rinse the serving glass

Discard the ice water from the chilled serving glass if you used that method. Pour the 0.25 oz Pernod (or other absinthe substitute) into the chilled glass. Swirl and coat the interior thoroughly so a thin coating lines the glass, then discard any excess liquid (either pour out or pour into a sink).

Strain and finish

Using a julep or hawthorne strainer, strain the chilled rye and bittered sugar mixture from the mixing glass into the rinsed serving glass. Do not add ice to the serving glass; the Sazerac is served neat in the rinsed glass.

Express lemon oil & garnish

Take the lemon peel and hold it over the drink, skin side down. Give it a sharp twist to express the oils over the surface of the cocktail, then wipe the rim with the peel and drop it into the glass (or discard, per preference). Serve immediately.