Sazerac Cocktail (Difford's recipe)

Name: Sazerac Cocktail (Difford's recipe)
Yield: 1 cocktail
Ingredients: ⅓ oz (10 ml) La Fée Parisienne absinthe; 2⅓ oz (70 ml) Chilled water; ⅔ oz (20 ml) Rémy Martin 1738 Cognac; ⅔ oz (20 ml) Straight rye whiskey (100 proof / 50% alc./vol.); ⅔ oz (20 ml) Bourbon whiskey; ⅓ oz (10 ml) Sugar syrup; 3 dash Peychaud's or other Creole-style bitters; 1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Sazerac Cocktail (Difford's recipe) recipe, illustration

Illustration generated by AI from the recipe’s glass, ice and garnish — not a photograph of a real pour.

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Method: shake
Glass: Old-fashioned glass
Ice: Ice
Garnish: Lemon zest twist (discarded)
ABV: 16%

Ingredients

La Fée Parisienne absinthe — ⅓ oz (10 ml)
Chilled water — 2⅓ oz (70 ml)
Rémy Martin 1738 Cognac — ⅔ oz (20 ml)
Straight rye whiskey (100 proof / 50% alc./vol.) — ⅔ oz (20 ml)
Bourbon whiskey — ⅔ oz (20 ml)
Sugar syrup — ⅓ oz (10 ml)
Peychaud's or other Creole-style bitters — 3 dash
Angostura Aromatic Bitters — 1 dash

How to make it

POUR absinthe into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass, TOP with water, and leave to stand.
THROW other ingredients with ice and set aside.
STRAIN contents of the old-fashioned glass into a chilled shot glass to be served as an optional extra alongside the main event.
STRAIN contents of shaker into the absinthe rinsed old-fashioned glass.
Enjoy a delicious Sazerac with an absinthe shot served alongside.

A classic cocktail with absinthe and cognac.

Updated October 5, 2026

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