Sazerac — New Orleans' signature cocktail is barely a cocktail at

New Orleans’ signature cocktail is barely a cocktail at all — just absinthe and rye on ice. But that simplicity is the point.

Ingredients

• 2 oz rye whiskey
• ¼ oz simple syrup
• 3 dash Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 sugar cube
• Absinthe (rinse)
• Garnish: a lemon peel

Method

Start with two rocks glasses — one for serving, one for mixing. In your mixing glass, muddle the sugar cube with the bitters and a few drops of water until it dissolves. If you’re using simple syrup, just add it with the bitters. Add the rye whiskey and fill with ice. Stir for thirty seconds until it’s properly chilled and diluted. Now for the absinthe rinse — pour a small amount of absinthe into your serving glass, swirl it around to coat the entire interior, then dump out the excess. You want just the residue clinging to the glass. Strain your stirred mixture into the absinthe-rinsed glass over one large ice cube.

Serve

Serve this in a rocks glass with one large ice cube. Express a lemon peel over the surface — hold it skin-side down and give it a good twist to release the oils. You can drop the peel in or discard it. Traditional New Orleans style discards it.

Pro Tip

The absinthe rinse seems wasteful, but you’re not wasting it — you’re perfumeing the glass. That anise aroma hits your nose before every sip, but it never overwhelms the rye. If you don’t have absinthe, Herbsaint works perfectly. It was created specifically as a Sazerac substitute during Prohibition. Some bartenders chill the glass instead of rinsing it, but the rinse is what makes this drink special.