I spent the better part of last Monday evening in TIME, a whiskey bar and steakhouse where TK tends bar. The place used to be a dodgy German beer bar but has been remodeled into a destination spot for whiskey acolytes. When it was Ludwig’s, I never would have ordered the steak tartare, but I felt like my intestinal tract was in good hands at TIME.
TIME’s whiskey bar is a handsome, dark wood behemoth lined with bottles and bottles of whiskey—bourbon, rye, Scotch and Irish. It’s classy in a dude kind of way, which is probably why most of the patrons were guys. According to TK, that’s pretty par for course there.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I like drinking with guys who appreciate whiskey, particularly when they are famous for breaking world records that relate to the mixing of delicious cocktails.
Bobby G., master mixologist for Jim Beam, dropped in to pay a visit and get some Old Fashioneds while visiting the old city of bro-lo. The dude was cool, a gregarious, balding man who tends bar in Vegas. According to legend, his magic hands whipped together 253 cocktails in 60 minutes in a Vegas bartending competition. I’m professionally jealous!
Mr. G. was generous with knowledge and offered TK some tips for whisking whiskey and making a Sazerac—an old timey whiskey cocktail that was new to me. It seems like there are a variety of ways to make a Sazerac but the basic ingredients are bourbon, an anise-flavored liquor, bitters and a lemon rind.
Bobby G. suggested that TK use Basil Hayden, Herbsaint and orange bitters, which worked out really well.
For those who are unfamiliar with Herbsaint, it’s an anise-based liquor that hails from New Orleans. It was developed as an absinthe substitute by M. Legendre and Reginald Parker who had learned how to make the ill-reputed liquor in New Orleanse. It is very similar to the Green Fairy, but without the wormwood and staggering alcohol content. It gave the cocktail an anisey-herbaceous character with the lemon and bitters providing citrusy aromatics. I think this would be an excellent whiskey cocktail for the summer because it’s spritelier than a Manhattan and not as old-grampa as an Old Fashioned.
Sazerac Cocktail, ala Bobby G.
Ingredients
2 rocks glasses (old fashioned glasses)
Enough Herbsaint to coat the glass
1 ½ ounces of Basil Hayden
1 raw sugar cube
3 dashes of bitters (orange work well)
Lemon rind
Ice
Directions
1. In one glass, muddle sugar with a little water and bitters. Add bourbon and a few ice cubes. Stir.
2. Chill the other glass, then discard the ice and coat with Herbsaint
3. Strain the bourbon mixture to the Herbsaint-coated glass.
4. Twist and squeeze lemon peel over the glass, rubbing the rim. Discard the peel or use as garnish.
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