Sazerac
Cognac, sugar and Peychaud’s bitters meet an absinthe-coated glass in this reference, with lemon oil above the spirit.
IBA published specification · 1 reference serve.
Glassware
Technique
Ice
Garnish
Preparation effort
Ingredients & measurements
| Ingredient | mL | US fl oz | Source measure / qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognac | 50 | 1.69 | 50 ml Cognac |
| Absinthe | 10 | 0.34 | 10 ml Absinthe |
| 1 Sugar Cube | — | — | 1 Sugar Cube |
| 2 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters | — | — | 2 Dashes Peychaud’s Bitters |
Converted equivalents are rounded for display; use one measurement system consistently. Dashes, spoonfuls, fruit counts and unspecified top-ups remain source measures. A blank equivalent does not mean zero.
How to make it
Rinse a chilled glass with absinthe and discard the excess. Dissolve sugar with the other ingredients, stir over ice and strain into the prepared glass.
Glass: Old-fashioned glass. Ice: None in serving glass. Garnish: lemon zest.
Flavor & balance
- Boozy (Spirit-Forward) (dominant): Little nonalcoholic lengthening leaves the spirit or fortified ingredients prominent after chilling and dilution.
- Sweet (supporting): Sweeteners, fruit or sweetened modifiers round the attack and add weight; product sugar varies.
- Bitter (supporting): Cocktail bitters or coffee contribute a bitter accent; a small dose need not dominate.
- Earthy / Herbal (supporting): Botanicals, fresh herbs or the base spirit give aromatic plant character; this is not a basic taste.
Assess sweetness, bitterness and tactile drying separately. These flavor expectations are based on recipe structure, not measured tasting scores. Actual products, ice and dilution will change the result.
Preparation & batching
Service complexity: low. Batchability: premix with dilution trial.
- Measure and label the chosen product specification; chill appropriate glassware.
Finish chilling, dilution and garnish at service. Trial the actual serving method before approving a batch. Workload is an editorial assessment; no labor timing or storage validation is claimed.
Spirit & ingredient choices
Recipe notes & variations
This reference uses Cognac. The IBA also documents the rye version; that base change is recorded as a documented variant.
For a Black Flannel variation, change one component at a time and record the selected product, proof, sweetener concentration and dilution. Compare it with this reference before naming or publishing the variation.