The Sazerac is in many ways a go-to cocktail for me. I am a huge proponent of Peychaud’s bitters and I love both whiskey and absinthe. I am not, however, a fan of the effort it takes to make a Sazerac.
Tonight, I wasn’t in much of a rye mood either. Embury offered up this delightful drink, “with pretty much the same flavor as the Sazerac but which can be made with much less fuss and loss of time.”
The more I read this book, the more I am convinced that I was he in a past life. Anyway, the Sazerac-type cocktail recipe he offers up is for the Lotus Club Special.
sugar + several dashes of Peychaud’s + a dash or two of absinthe + a drink of rye or bourbon (Maker’s Mark)
Absinthe was my poision of choice when I was living in Europe. The stuff I used for this drink is the remainder of the last bottle which I smuggled back into the US before realizing that the alcohol had been made legal here. My first absinthe experience was the summer after high school. A friend decided to sneak some home from France in mouthwash bottles. Pretty much all of my friends hated it, but I am not all my friends.
This one smells like bourbon, but I can detect a hint of anise. I love the way that the absinthe and bitters complicate the flavor of the bourbon. This one finishes on a particularly sweet note. I was all out of lemon - and do you know how hard it is to concoct a drink without any lemon around? - but I do think that it could have benefited from at least a twist if not a tiny squeeze as well. Something to cut the sweet.
At least bourbon sweet is a tasty sweet and not a sticky sweet.
Embury notes that, despite its fame, the Sazerac is not a particularly favored cocktail as it pleases neither whiskey drinkers nor absinthe drinkers. Being a bit of both, I am quite partial to the drink. It is also worth noting that the absinthe flavor is not prominent and difficult to pick out in the mix. There is something to be said for the way that rinsing the glass with absinthe flavors the drink, but this isn’t a bad substitute. And no sugar muddling - always a plus. This is something I would come back to.
In other news, I finally busted out the light tent. Clearly, there is a benefit. Even if the thing is a complete hassle. Photographic improvement has never been a goal with this, but if it happens I certainly won’t complain. Never mind the ISO 3200. Or the texture of the paper backdrop.
