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Theodore Hawthorne IV bartender portrait

Classic Mixologist · Theodore Hawthorne IV

Sazerac

A citrusy and bitter sour built around whiskey, with the classic proportions and service that make the Sazerac endure.

“Sazerac: restrained, exact, and entirely uninterested in your clever substitutions.”
Sazerac cocktail served in a chilled rocks glass with expressed lemon peel

WHY THIS DRINK WORKS

The Sazerac works because rye whiskey or cognac, sugar cube or 1/4 oz simple syrup, Peychaud’s bitters meet in deliberate proportion. Keep the method built, use fresh ice, and give the final garnish enough attention to finish the aroma without distracting from the drink.

Makes1 cocktail
Time5 minutes
GlassChilled rocks glass
FinishExpressed lemon peel

Ingredients

  • 2 oz rye whiskey or cognac
  • 1 sugar cube or 1/4 oz simple syrup
  • 2 to 3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
  • 1 absinthe rinse
  • 1 lemon peel

Make it

  1. Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe and discard excess.
  2. Stir rye, sugar, and bitters with ice.
  3. Strain into the rinsed glass.
  4. Express lemon peel and discard or garnish.

Behind the bar

  • Chill the serving glass while you prepare the drink.
  • Taste balance depends on fresh citrus and accurate measurements.

KEEP THE BAR OPEN

Try another round

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