Another classic for this week’s #MasterofCocktails, the Sazerac.
Now this really is a very, very simple drink, but, like the Mojito from a few weeks ago, one that people love to overcomplicate. The most common over-complication is the belief that you need to stir a sugar cube with the whiskey forever and a day…
Luckily enough though, some bright spark has invented this stuff. It’s called Sugar Syrup. You may have heard of it.
Sugar Syrup, it’s a thing.
You’ll be needing these…
List of Ingredients
- 60ml FEW Rye Whiskey
- 5ml Sugar Syrup
- Couple of shakes Peychaud’s Bitters
- Glug of St. George Absinthe Verte (Rinse)
- Lemon Peel
Straight to it then. There really is very little to this drink. First things first, grab yourself a measure of Rye. This’ll do, I suppose. It was Whisky Advocate’s Craft Whiskey of the Year after all…
60ml of FEW Rye should do it.
Sling that into a stirring glass and add a dash (about 5ml?) of Sugar Syrup.
Now a couple of shakes of bitters. There can’t be any substitute here. It has to be Peychaud’s. (Although @AdamsBitters recommends The Bitter Truth Creole Bitters, which I must try…)
Give it a quick swirl and taste for sweetness. Remember that things taste sweeter when warm, so go slightly sweeter than your first inclination.
Now sling in a handful of ice, and give the drink a quick stir.
Leave it alone for a bit whilst you prepare the glass now. You could pre-freeze if you’ve got chunky tumblers. I’ve not, these are so thin that they don’t hold a chill.
So, grab a glug of St. George Absinthe and roll it round the inside of the glass…
Might as well tip it back into the bottle afterwards. No need to waste it if your glass is clean.
The reasoning here is that you’re primarily deriving aroma from the coating inside the glass. Flavour is secondary.
Okay, so now strain your well-chilled, well-diluted cocktail into the glass.
Finish off by expressing a fresh lemon twist over it. Discard the twist, don’t add it.
Then serve. The Sazerac. A genuine classic: Strong, Smooth, Superb.
Enjoy!
As always, send your pics to @MasterOfMalt as we’d love to see them, our friend Juan has been at it again this week:
@djosito used Hudson Maple Rye from Tuthilltown Spirits in his Sazerac
Next time, we’ll not only be making another great cocktail (LHS), but also doing a little preparation for the drink that’s to come the week after next (RHS)…
Next week, you’ll be needing these…
For next week’s cocktail: Angostura Bitters, Hine Rare VSOP and Orgeat Syrup.
Necessary prep for two weeks’ time: White Caster Sugar and Lemons.
Ben
David