Prescription Sazerac

Recipe: Prescription Sazerac (serves one)

• 3/4 oz. rye
• 3/4 oz. Cognac
• 2 dashes (= 1/4 tsp.) Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 dash (= 1/8 tsp.) Angostura bitters
• 1 barspoon absinthe or Pernod
• 1 tsp. ultra-fine sugar
• 1 tsp. water
• lemon peel

Coat a cocktail glass with absinthe or Pernod, discard excess, and place glass in refrigerator to chill. In a cocktail shaker, stir together the water and sugar, then add ice, rye, Cognac, and bitters. Stir. Strain into prepared cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

This variant of the Sazerac augments the usual rye with Cognac (like the Vieux Carré), making for a smoother and slightly sweeter cocktail. We tried different amounts of sugar, but settled on the same amount we used for the regular Sazerac.

We first had the Prescription Sazerac at The Brig, on hip Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, CA. The street was named after the creator of the Venice Canals, and hosts a variety of bars, restaurants, and high-end shops. Both the canals and the boulevard are definitely worth a trip if you’re visiting LA. Don’t let The Brig’s retro dive bar atmosphere fool you: they have a wide liquor selection and the cocktails are delicious.