Whiskey · Classic · Herbaceous
Sazerac Recipe
An absinthe-rinsed glass, rye, and Peychaud's bitters — one of America's oldest named cocktails, still made exactly this way.
- Prep Time
- 2 min
- Method
- Stirred
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Strength
- Balanced
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested for taste and balance before it's published.
Last updated September 14, 2026
About the Sazerac
Widely regarded as one of America's oldest named cocktails, tracing to 1850s New Orleans, originally made with Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac before rye whiskey became standard after a phylloxera-driven cognac shortage in the late 1800s. Well-documented among 19th-century drinks, though exact early details vary across sources.
Ingredients
- Rye whiskey2 oz
- Simple syrup¼ oz , or 1 sugar cube
- Peychaud's bitters3 dashes
- Absinthefor rinse, discarded
- Lemon peel1, for garnish
1 dash in this recipe = 2 Japanese dasher-bottle dashes, if that's what's in your kit.
Method
- Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe, discard the excess.
- Measure and pour the rye whiskey, simple syrup and Peychaud's bitters into the mixing glass.
- Add a scoop of ice to the mixing glass.
- Stir for 30 seconds.
- Strain the cocktail into the absinthe-rinsed glass — no ice.
- Cut a lemon peel.
- Express the peel over the top and discard it.
Glass & Garnish
Rocks glass, no ice — served neat once built.
Notes
Discard the lemon peel after expressing — unlike most garnishes, it's traditionally not left in. No absinthe? Herbsaint or Pernod substitute for the rinse. Pairs well with rich, savoury food.
Tools Used
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