Here we are with another excuse to party!  Fat Tuesday always means Mardi Gras and New Orleans. So to celebrate, let’s take a look at two iconic libations from the Crescent City, the Vieux Carré and the Sazerac.

Vieux Carré

The Vieux Carré dates to 1938 and was the creation of Walter Bergeron, the head bartender at the Monteleone Hotel.  This cocktail, which is similar to a Manhattan, combines the spiciness of the rye with the sweet and mellow flavors of the Cognac and vermouth.  Add to that the herbal notes of the Benedictine, and you have a smooth and complex drink.

• ¾ oz. rye whiskey
• ¾ oz. Cognac
• ¾ oz. sweet vermouth
• ¼ oz. Benedictine
• dash Peychaud’s Bitters
• dash Angostura Bitters

1. Chill either a cocktail glass or an old fashioned glass with ice and water
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice
3. Strain into the chilled cocktail glass and serve up or over fresh ice in chilled Old Fashioned glass
4. Garnish with thick lemon twist

Sazerac

The Sazerac is, basically, a bitters forward, rye Old Fashioned with an absinthe rinse.  The history of this drink is somewhat clouded, but it does originate in New Orleans in the last half of the 19th century.  There is also supposed to be a ritual for making the Sazerac.  The ritual simply substitutes a second Old Fashioned glass for the mixing glass in the recipe below, (or you could mumble a line from Monty Python as well!)

Whatever ritual you follow this is a cocktail you need to try.  The flavors are the spices of the rye and bitters combined with the hint of anise and herbs of the absinthe.

• 2 oz. quality rye whiskey such as Sazerac or Templeton Small Batch
• 4 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• 1 tsp. 2:1 simple syrup
• absinthe
• lemon peel

1. Chill old fashioned glass with ice and water.
2. Combine all ingredients, except absinthe, to a mixing glass and stir with ice.
3. Drain ice and water from chilled old fashioned glass and rinse with dash of absinthe.
4. Strain drink into chilled, absinthe rinsed old fashioned over fresh ice.
5. Twist lemon peel over drink and discard peel.

Laissez les bons temps roulez!!

Santé!

Later That Night….

I am, of course, referring to the Corpse Reviver (No. 2).  Harry Craddock’s original, as published in 1930, called for equal parts lemon juice, gin, cointreau and Kina Lillet with absinthe.  Kina Lillet, which was less sweet and more bitter than the current Lillet Blanc, has not been produced since the 60’s, (or maybe the 80’s depending on who you’re reading).  So I have wanted to replace the Lillet with Cocchi Americano and Kina l’ Avion d’ Or.  Naturally, these substitutions have been tried by others and published elsewhere.  On further investigation, I have found that there were two types of Lillet produced in the 30’s: one for the French market and one for the English.  So, it’s hard to know which one Harry Craddock was using in 1930’s London.  Of course, none of this really matters unless you are a cocktail historian or really want to discover those original drinks.  What does matter is which flavors you prefer.

As an Anesthesiologist, I am always focused on awakening the unconscious, so playing with the Corpse Reviver appeals to me.  In that spirit, I tried each of the above, as follows:

• 1 oz. Plymouth Gin
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. either Lillet Blanc, Cocchi Americano or Kina l’ Avion d’ Or
• Rinse of Lucid Absinthe (Craddock’s original recipe called for 2 dashes which would be about 1/4 tsp)

1. Shake the first 4 ingredients with ice
2. Rinse a chilled cocktail glass with absinthe and drain
3. Double strain the contents of the shaker into the chilled, absinthe rinsed glass.

 Tasting notes:

With the Lillet Blanc, the initial nose is anise and lemon.  The flavor throughout is herbal and sweet lemon.  Very refreshing.  The anise aroma fades quickly, but the herbal notes of the absinthe blends well with the Lillet.

Using the Cocchi Americano, the initial nose is the same as above, as is the initial flavors of herbs and sweet lemon.  The bitterness of the Cocchi Americano comes through in the middle and overpowers the herbal and sweet notes.  The bitterness quickly fades leaving a finish that is strictly lemon.

The Kina l’ Avion d’ Or created a drink that is entirely different.  The initial nose is a lemon and anise with a grassy tone.  The flavor is  mildly bitter lemon with an underlying earthiness.  Very nice and very different.

In summary, I prefer the Lillet to the Cocchi Americano.  It makes a more complex drink.  The Kina, as noted, creates a markedly different flavor profile, which I also like.  While I enjoy absinthe, I think it can easily overpower this cocktail.  This is why I reduced it to a rinse.  As always, use premium liquors.  The Lillet Blanc and Cocchi Americano have become fairly common and should be available in any good liquor store.  The Kina l’ Avion d’ Or may be harder to find.

The Corpse Reviver (No. 2) is a wonderful drink and I strongly encourage you to try making one, which ever way you like.  Just keep in mind Harry Craddock’s warning, published with the original recipe: “Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again”

Cheers!