Whiskey
Sazerac
An absinthe-rinsed glass, rye, and Peychaud's bitters — one of America's oldest named cocktails, still made exactly this way.
Every recipe on Sipped Right is tested at home before it's published — not just written.
Origin
Widely regarded as one of America's oldest named cocktails, tracing to 1850s New Orleans, originally made with Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac before rye whiskey became standard after a phylloxera-driven cognac shortage in the late 1800s.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.
Flavour Profile
Good for a serious, spirit-forward drink with genuine herbal complexity. Not a beginner's first stirred cocktail — no citrus or sweetness softens the edges.
Glass & Garnish
Rocks glass, no ice — served neat once built.
Ingredients
- Rye whiskey2 oz
- Simple syrup0.25 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 excess.
- In a separate mixing glass, stir rye, syrup, bitters with ice 20–30 seconds.
- Strain into the absinthe-rinsed glass — no ice.
- Express lemon peel over top, discard the peel.
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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