Sazerac Cocktail

Now this one's been around for a long, long time - since  19th century New Orleans!  It's often called the "first" American cocktail and thus is the official drink of New Orleans and now a worldwide hit.  It's name comes from the Sazerac Bar at at The Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans.  It's a flavorful blend of rye whiskey, sugar, absinthe, and bitters, served over ice with a lemon slice or rind for garnish.  We went to the Roosevelt Hotel for dinner  when I was little - I was in awe of it.  My Uncle Jimmy Bellia worked there as the maître d'hôtel for many years! 
Picture
Uncle Jimmy Bellia circa early 1950s
This is how Uncle Jimmy made a Sazerac:
1 sugar cube - if you don't have a sugar cube, heat a mix of water and sugar together, let cool and and use 1 & 1/2 tsp.   (simple syrup recipe)
3 dashes of Bitters  (if you don't have them - buy them, you won't regret it!
1 1/2 ounces of rye whiskey
1/4 ounce Herbsaint ( Absinthe)
Lemon slice or peel to garnish
  1. Fill your cocktail glass with ice cubes.  
  2. In another cocktail glass, put the sugar and the bitters.  Mash that together with the back of a spoon.
  3. Pour the rye whiskey into the glass with the sugar mixture.
  4. Now - this part is a bit strange - but it's the correct method.  That glass full of ice?  Dump the ice and pour in the Absinthe.  Swirl it around, then pour it out.  You just want a bit of the flavor.  
  5. Strain the whiskey mixture into your prepared flavored glass.  Add ice, if you wish - it doesn't really need it.
  6. Garnish with lemon..