One of the true New Orleans drinks- a little work, but well worth it!

You'll need:

• 1 teaspoon of simple syrup (or 1 sugar cube or 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar)
• 3 - 4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
• 2 ounces rye whiskey (rye for the classic Sazarac, though some use bourbon, much to the dismay and distain of purists)
• 1/4 teaspoon Herbsaint, or if unavailable, Pernod
• lemon peel

Pack a 3-1/2 ounce old fashioned glass with ice. In a cocktail shaker, moisten the sugar cube with just enough water to saturate it, then crush. Blend with the whiskey and bitters. Add a few cubes of ice and stir to chill. Discard the ice from the first glass and pour in the Herbsaint. Coat the inside of the entire glass, pouring out the excess. Strain the whiskey into the Herbsaint coated glass. Twist the lemon peel over the glass so that the lemon oil cascades into the drink, then rub the peel over the rim of the glass; do not put the twist in the drink.

Interesting note: the original was made not with Herbsaint but with Absinthe, now illegal in the US and many other countries. Herbsaint has a similar aniase flavor, but none of the thujone or wormwood of the absinthe.