Improved Japanese Cocktail

An updated version of Jerry Thomas’s Bar Tenders Guide by Toby Cecchini, Long Island Bar, Brooklyn 2 oz. brandy1 oz. fresh lemon juice1 oz. orgeat3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

play on words

While this is a clearly a variant on the Last Word, I cannot recall where I discovered it. Probably cribbed it off a bar menu during happy hour. 1 oz gin 1 oz luxardo 1 oz sweet vermouth 1 oz lime juice Combine in an old fashioned glass over ice.

sealback

Based on the Seelbach, a classic cocktail from the namesake Louisville bar, discovered nearly simultaneously in Mother Jones and in a book on bitters. My version eliminates the extraneous champagne, which simply waters down the drink. 2 oz bourbon 1 oz Cointreau or triple sec 7 dashes Angostura bitters 7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters Combine all

sazerac

I first tried the Sazerac at a packed New Orleans bar in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle called Toulouse Petit. The bartender spent a while slowly building the drink, and the result was unexpected. You can achieve 90% of the effect with much less effort. Just go easy on the absinthe. 1 ½