The Sazeroy

This blog entry will begin with a confession . . . I had originally begun to make a Sazerac cocktail, but my bar currently lacked a bottle of rye (the original spirit used).  But mixologists are creative people, and just as someone who wanted a Manhattan ended up with a Rob Roy, because there was only scotch whiskey on hand - and not the Canadian whiskey that's traditional - I created what I call the Sazeroy, using scotch and not rye.

The original Sazerac cocktail was made with Sazerac Rye Whiskey, absinthe, sugar, and Peychaud bitters.  In most modern bars, Pernod is used in place of absinthe, and Angostura has replaced the Peychaud bitters.

To make my Sazeroy:

Ingredients
2 oz Scotch whiskey
1 oz Pernod
1/2 oz Simple syrup
Dash Angostura bitters

Place the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake very well, and strain into a cocktail glass.  Garnish with a thin slice of lemon (or just a thin peel, if you wish).

Film Recommendation:  Because of its roots in New Orleans, I can't think of any better movies to watch with a Sazerac in hand, than The Big Easy (1986) and Hotel (1967), both of which take place in NOLA.