Category: Cocktails

The Sazerac is one of the first cocktails to appear and formally be recognized.  A product of the New Orleans environment, the Sazerac demonstrated local ingredients giving spin to a drink.  This relative of the old fashioned eschewed whiskey for cognac, and utilized the local bitters and sugars to drive it’s character.  The result is something unique, that in of itself ended up undergoing more than a few changes.

Sazerac

With that said, we’re going to start with the very original, pre-phylloxera Sazerac.  This drink is made with absinthe, cognac, and bitters.  We’ll discuss the modern variants below.

Sazerac

2 oz

Cognac

Barspoon

Rich Demerara Syrup

3 Dashes

Peychaud’s Bitters

2 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Rinse

Absinthe

Rinse a chilled rocks glass with St. George Absinthe Verte. Dispose of the excess or set aside in a glass for later use. Combine all remaining ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into the absinthe rinsed rocks glass. Express a lemon twist over the glass. Discard the lemon twist, and serve.

The original Sazerac is herbal, spiced, and complex with just a hint of sweetness.  This is a stiff drink, as there is no ice to continue dilution and there’s pretty much nothing that isn’t liquor.  The result is a celebration of the perfume and fruit notes of cognac laced with the herbal woody notes of the absinthe.  The lemon adds a freshness to the nose, and the anise notes from the Peychaud’s balance beautifully against the spices of the Angostura.  The light sweetness is just enough to balance and entice the drinker into having another.

Rye or Cognac in Sazerac?

The original Sazerac’s single largest shift in identity occurred thanks to the phylloxera outbreak in Europe.  As a result of the destruction of hundreds of thousands of hectares of grape vines by this tiny parasite, Cognac’s supply was decimated.  Needing to substitute, the residents of New Orleans transitioned to a readily available alternative, rye whiskey.   It just happens to work perfectly with the template, adding spice and oaky notes that the work just as well with the absinthe and bitters.

Many modern interpretations of the Sazerac therefore use the same template, simply replacing cognac with rye.  While this makes a delicious Sazerac, there is another option.  Use both!  For best results, we recommend using 1 1/2 oz of rye whiskey to 1/2 oz of cognac.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

As mentioned, the biggest decision you need to make is whether you intend to have a truly classic cognac based Sazerac, or to enjoy the more modern updated variation.  Beyond that, the process to make either is the same.

• Cognac – There’s no where to hide in this cocktail, so good quality spirits are a must.  For cognac we recommend Pierre Ferrand 1840.
• Rye – Again, the quality of your rye is important.  More herbal ryes will escalate the pairing of Peychaud’s and absinthe, while more spice forward ryes will compliment the demerara sugar and Angostura spices.  Play around and see what you like best, but we recommend Rittenhouse rye here.  Don’t be afraid to consider bourbon as well, such as Wild Turkey 101 or 1792 Small Batch.
• Absinthe – We recommend using absinthe here, and not a pastis.  Our go to is St. George Absinthe Verte.  The official guide from New Orleans also suggests using New Orleans own Herbsaint instead (which should be considered an acceptable substitute)
• Peychaud’s Bitters – These are the standard for any Sazerac.  You can purchase them at most well appointed liquor stores or through Amazon*.
• Angostura Bitters – These are the gold standard of bitters.  You should have a bottle in your bar, and you can purchase them most grocery stores or Amazon*.
• Rich Demerara Syrup – You can muddle a demerara sugar cube in place of the syrup, but we find this gives a better texture.
  • To make: Combine 2 parts Demerara Sugar to 1 part water and bring to a simmer stirring over high heat.  Remove from heat once the sugar has completely dissolved.  Allow to cool and bottle.  Refrigerate.   The high sugar content will work to inhibit bacterial growth for an extended duration – throw out if any clouding or mold develop.
• Lemon Twist – Unlike an Old Fashioned where you include the citrus twist, you discard the lemon twist after expressing here.
• Ice – This drink is served neat.  Keep the ice in the mixing vessel.

* – Amazon links contain affiliate links that may result in First Pour Cocktails receiving a portion of the sale.  These commissions help us keep researching new drinks and pay for the webhosting (which as of writing this, is a loss every year)!

The Blood & Sand is the sort of cocktail that you look at on paper and question why someone would put those particular ingredients together.  The start seems fine, scotch and sweet vermouth puts us well on the way to a Rob Roy.   A bit of cherry liqueur, a little unusual, but it seems reasonable.  But orange juice?!  Orange juice already make very few appearances in classic cocktails, and even less with scotch, so does it work?

Blood & Sand

Blood & Sand

¾ oz

Scotch

¾ oz

Sweet Vermouth

¾ oz

Cherry Heering

¾ oz

Orange Juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish.

The Blood & Sand is a complicated drink.  It spans a spectrum of flavors ranging from spiced to smokey to fruity to sweet, and bouncing between them as it feels is appropriate.  The scotch here is going to be a key player adding notes ranging from grain to smoke depending on your selection. The complexity of the vermouth pinballs off the scotch and pulls in a variety of fruity notes from both the cherry liqueur and the orange.  The finish is drier than you might expect for a drink this sweet, but still quite interesting.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Blood & Sand is a member of the equal parts club in it’s original orientation.  This is probably the most debated structure for this classic, but where you should start from as a template.  The most common adjustments are to accentuate the scotch and give the orange juice more of a chance to show its merits.  In this case, we recommend adjusting both ingredients up by a 1/4 oz.

The level of smoke should also be an are you consider for adjustment.  Although it doesn’t necessarily call for smoke, the addition of peated whiskey (either by splitting up the base) or by switching completely to a peated scotch can really give a brilliant scotch forward kick to this classic.

• Scotch – We recommend you start with some rich, round, and lower on the peat side of the spectrum.  Both Glenlivet 12 and Great King Street Artist’s Blend work well here.  A little bit of smoke from the addition of Ardbeg or Johnnie Walker Black can add another dimension.
• Sweet Vermouth – Carpano Antica adds a lot of punch to this drink to help round things out.  More floral scotches could also work well with a lighter vermouth such as Dolin.
• Cherry Heering – Heering is a branded liqueur, but the point is that it’s cherry based.  There are other cherry based liqueurs on the market (we used one from Luxardo’s Cherry Liqueur here), but you could also use cherry schnapps or maraschiano liqueur if you can’t access a cherry liqueur.  This will alter the flavor considerably.
• Orange Juice – Use fresh squeezed to avoid tinny flavors and to best compliment the scotch and cherry flavors.

The Hanky Panky originated at the Savoy Hotel under the leadership of head bartender Ada Coleman between 1903 and 1926.  Reportedly, the drink was made for an actor, Charles Hawtrey, who exclaimed, “By Jove! This is a real hanky panky”.  The name stuck, and the drink ended up in the Savoy Cocktail Book.  While the original cocktail called for equal parts dry gin and sweet vermouth, most modern variations have upped the gin to move the end drink into something that more closely resembles a Negroni than a Manhattan.  With the flavors in question though, either camp should consider giving this one a try.

Hanky Panky

Hanky Panky

2 oz

London Dry Gin

1 ½ oz

Sweet Vermouth

¼ oz

Fernet Branca

1

Orange Twist

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange twist.

The herbal notes of the gin compliment nicely with the fruitiness and nutty character of the vermouth.  The stronger, alpine bitter herbs and the touches of mintiness bring a unique complexity to the mix.  The result is something that isn’t completely off base for lovers of Negronis or Manhattans, but cranks the complexity up to 11.

Drink Notes & Recommendations:

The balance in the Hanky Panky is tricky due to the dependency of the amount of Fernet Branca with the sweetness of the vermouth.  That said, if you are between an eighth and a quarter of an ounce, you should be quite happy with the results.  To a certain degree this depends on your vermouth, with something complex like Carpano Antica being able to stand up to more Fernet.  A lot of this will be personal preference, and your mileage may vary.

• Gin – A firm London Dry is going to work best here, standing up to the Fernet and working with sweet vermouth nicely.  We used Beefeater, but would also recommend trying this with Tanqueray or Bombay Sapphire.
• Sweet Vermouth – A complex vermouth like Carpano Antica plays well here, but you could also lighten things up something more easy going.  The key will be to adjust the balance by bringing the amount of Fernet up or down based on preference.
• Fernet Branca – This Italian digestif is not everyone’s favorite flavor.  It’s bitter, it’s herbal, it’s kind of minty, and very polarizing.  If you’re not sure if you enjoy it, we recommend you make your first past at this cocktail at 1/8 of an ounce (.125 oz) to determine your enjoyment level.  You can also use other Fernets if you happen to find this drink to your liking.
• Glassware –   It is appropriate to serve this drink in either a coupe or Nick & Nora.

The Rusty Nail is yet another cocktail that seemingly explodes out of nowhere and enjoys a (in cocktail terms) long run of popularity.  It shows up somewhere between 1940 and 1950, before being introduced to the Rat Pack.  The result was people across the country enjoying Rusty Nails, before suddenly, they disappear from restaurant menus and cocktail drinker’s minds.  Which is a shame, because as classics go, this simple two part recipe of scotch and scotch based liqueur has a lot going for it to keep you coming back.

Rusty Nail

Rusty Nail

1 ½ oz

Scotch

¾ oz

Drambuie

Combine all ingredients in a mixing vessel. Add ice and stir. Strain into a rocks glass over a large fresh ice cube. No garnish.

The Rusty Nail is a classic cocktail that balances rich and sweet beautifully. The scotch provides cereal notes, earthy touches, hints of smoke, and notes of pome fruit. The Drambuie kicks it into high gear with more floral notes from the heather, baking spices, orange peel, and marmalade. The result is complex and warm cocktail, with a strong backbone and smooth, rich, mouth feel.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

I have an old love of this drink from my days late in college.  It has a complexity that varies with the scotch applied, but yet conveys a certain sophistication without being overwhelmingly boozy and aggressive.  Perhaps the only debate with the Rusty Nail is ratio. While the original spec is 2:1, 1:1 ratios aren’t uncommon (although they are quite sweet). Some modern interpretations go the other way, recommending a drier, more scotch forward 4:1 ratio. Our recommendation is that you start with the original recipe listed here, before adjusting to taste.

The simplicity of this drink also makes it a good drink for those experimenting with scotch or cocktails. If a bar has Drambuie, they can make this drink.  At only two ingredients it’s also a great beginner cocktail that demonstrates how a drink can be more than the sum of it’s parts.

• Scotch – Scotch makes up over 60% of this drink, so the choice of scotch matters.  In general, Drambuie works better with lighter, less peat heavy scotches.   These scotches allow the floral notes to shine, while also giving room for the spice and orange to tease more out of the scotch.  We would recommend Glenlivet 12, Great King Street Artist’s Blend (which we used for this Rusty Nail), or Dewar’s White Label.
• Drambuie – Drambuie is a scotch based liqueur that gives off floral, honey, spice, and orange notes.  There aren’t a lot of scotch based liqueurs that are widely available, so Drambuie is probably your best bet.  The flavor profile might be closest to Benedictine, but it won’t be nearly as good as Drambuie in this drink.  Use the original spec whenever possible for best results.

Named after an iconic LA Restaurant, the Brown Derby is a classic that can highlight the impact of grapefruit juice with aged spirits.  While grapefruit juice normally serves as a refreshing note with unaged liquors like rum and gin, with spirits like whiskey it can add weight and complexity to a drink.  When working with grapefruit juice, there are two things to be aware of.

1. Grapefruit juice is notorious for interacting with certain medications – so be sure to ask guests prior to serving them a drink containing grapefruit juice.
2. Grapefruit juice is subject to swings in sweetness and acidity.  Try your grapefruit juice before you use it to determine if you’ll need additional acidity (lemon or lime) or sweetness (simple syrup or base sweetener for the cocktail you’re creating).

Brown Derby

Brown Derby

2 oz

Bourbon

1 oz

Grapefruit Juice

½ oz

Rich Honey Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a chilled coupe. No garnish.

The Brown Derby is a rich, balanced drink that delivers subtle complexity and well layered flavors.  The sweetness gives a round start, while the grapefruit quickly adds levity.  The bourbon covers the mid-palate, adding spice and oak notes that beautifully compliment the honey that runs throughout.  The overall drink is simple but invites you to enjoy it’s complexity.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The Brown Derby is an easy drink to forget about, but not one you should sleep on.  It’s delicious, and easy to make.

• Bourbon – The richness of the honey and slight bitterness and tang of the grapefruit give you a lot of leeway on this cocktail.  The bourbons that will work best add complexity, so consider those that additional spicing or fruity flavors.  We used Elijah Craig Small Batch in our test, but would also recommend Wild Turkey 101 or 1792 Small Batch.
• Grapefruit – There’s a strange flavor when it comes to store bought packaged grapefruit juice.  It’s not quite metallic, but it definitely isn’t right compared to fresh squeezed.   Avoid the packaged juice for this recipe, and go fresh squeezed.
• Rich Honey Simple Syrup – See the recipe listed below:

Rich Honey Syrup

• 200 g Honey
• 85 g Water
• 15 g 150+ Proof Neutral Grain Spirit or Vodka (Optional)

Combine water and honey in an 8 oz mason jar and seal. Sous vide at 145 degrees for 2 hr. Remove from the water bath and allow to cool. Once cool, bottle.  If desired, add 15 g of 150+ Proof Neutral Grain Spirit or vodka if desired. Shake gently to combine.  Refrigerate.

Nothing says holidays quite like Eggnog.  Made of cream, sugar, and cream, Eggnog is rich, sweet, and gently slightly spiced.  The idea is that it is similar to a custard.   Eggnog is widely available at the store, but by making your own you have better control over the spices and ingredients that go into it.  In addition, you can better control how much sugar, spice, and liquor your include.  This eggnog below is designed as a quick Eggnog, for when you get a request for eggnog, but haven’t made an aged batch.

Eggnog

Eggnog

¾ oz

Cognac

¾ oz

Aged Rum

¼ oz

Vanilla Simple Syrup

½ oz

Demerara Syrup

1 oz

Heavy Cream

1

Whole Large Egg

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add 1-2 small ice cubes and dry shake hard for 30 seconds. Separate the tins and add ice. Shake again until chilled. Double strain into a chilled rocks glass. Garnish with grated nutmeg and cinnamon.

This eggnog is rich, full bodied, and balanced.  The nose benefits from the spices which bring that beautiful holiday spice.  The mix of cognac and rum captures the full mix of brown sugars and fruity notes that compliment nicely against the richness of the cream and egg.  The light note of vanilla rounds out the custard like character, and the overall drink is inviting, suggesting warm fires and company visiting.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

This eggnog is a fast version, designed for when you don’t have time to make a Tom & Jerry (which features a custard base) or aged eggnog.  As a result, you can expect a level of richness similar to packaged, but with a much fresher flavor and the ability to tweak it as you like it.  Working with eggs and cream presents it’s own challenges, so please make sure you read through our notes below:

Construction:

• Build Order –  Build this drink in the order of ingredients.  This is designed to reduce the risk of curdling for both the egg and milk.
• Reducing Curdling Risks –  In addition to adding the egg and cream last, you should pour the cream down the side of your vessel or over a bar spoon to avoid the height of the cream from hitting the liquor and potentially curdling.  Have your ice ready to add and start shaking as soon as possible.
• Liquors – Whiskey is most commonly asked about in creating Eggnog, but you can use pretty much anything you enjoy (although we’re not sure we’d recommend gin).  There’s nothing wrong with using whiskey here, but you’ll want to consider what the profile of your whiskey is.  Heavily oaked or smoked whiskies may lose some of the fruity elements that work for both Cognac and Rum here.  Selecting more balanced profiles or spicy whiskeys are likely to work better.
• Liquor Proof – Avoid high proof liquor of any kind here.  In general the higher the proof, the easier to curdle.  For those that enjoy barrel proof selections, you’ll have to be extra careful if you’d like to craft your eggnog with them.
• Straining – Due to the curdling of proteins, you may see some coagulated pieces when you strain the drink.  For optimal drinking experience, double strain using both a Hawthorne and Conical Strainer.  You can find our recommendations on our Recommended Equipment for Starting A Home Bar.
• Cleaning Up – Be sure to clean carefully with soap and water after making this drink as it contains both milk and egg allergens.

Ingredients:

• Rum – For constructing the drink, we tried multiple rums, and found that an aged rum from Barbados worked the best.   The reason for this is that the rum adds the caramelized notes and brown sugars.  The rum you’re looking for should therefore be between 5 – 10 years of age.  The location matters a little less, but you’ll notice things like Jamaican funk coming through, so choose accordingly.  We used Plantation’s Barbados 5 Year and Doorly X.O in our testing (the latter of which is a little heavy).  Other rums that should work well include Pussers, El Pasador de Oro, and Kirk and Sweeney 12
• Cognac – Cognac will contribute some of the flavors of fruitiness and vanilla to the cocktail.  While you can downgrade to brandy here, the quality difference will be noticeable.  We used Pierre Ferrand 1840 here.
• Vanilla Simple Syrup –  Vanilla here is going to add that custard like note that make eggnog so dessert like.
  • To make:  Bring 8 oz of sugar and 8 oz of water to a boil with a whole vanilla bean split lengthwise.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Once cool – add 1/4 oz of Everclear (or vodka) if desired to help stabilize and preserve shelf life.   Bottle, cap, and refrigerate.  Dispose of if the syrup develops any clouding or mold.
• Demerara Simple Syrup –  We recommend demerara syrup here for the caramelized notes that play well with both the rum and the cognac.  This is not an absolute necessity, if you’re in a pinch, you can substitute rich simple or even standard simple.  The recommendation is to use a rich syrup, as the standard will add less body.
  • To make: Combine 2 parts Demerara Sugar to 1 part water and bring to a simmer stirring over high heat.  Remove from heat once the sugar has completely dissolved.  Allow to cool and bottle.  Refrigerate.   The high sugar content will work to inhibit bacterial growth for an extended duration – throw out if any clouding or mold develop.
• Heavy Cream –  Use heavy cream in this application as it is more resistant to curdling.  When adding it, add it last, and pour it down the side to minimize the risk of shock as the cream falls into the liquor from a height.
• Egg – Yes, there is a potential risk of salmonella from raw eggs.  If you are using fresh eggs that are properly handled, this risk is generally low (about 1:20,000 eggs).  When making cocktails with eggs, we always recommend you use eggs that you have bought recently and wash your hands and equipment diligently after handling.
• Garnish –  The garnish for this drink is freshly grated nutmeg and cinnamon.  To add extra flavor to your eggnog, grate some of the nutmeg into the Eggnog prior to shaking.