A great 19th-century New Orleans classic, the Louisiana French influence saw it originally made with Cognac. When brandy became hard to come by after the phylloxera blight, bartenders turned to rye whiskey for the spirit base, and many bars today employ a mix of both. We’ve made ours here with aged rum, such as Appleton and Havana Club, while something a bit more lavish would involve Pyrat XO Reserve, or a rhum agricole from Martinique. The other great option is Inner Circle, an Australian product that consistently tops the rum category in international spirit competitions. The drink also works beautifully with a good bourbon, rye or indeed Cognac. Lemon peel is the traditional garnish.
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Add absinthe to a large tumbler filled with ice and stir to coat glass.
2.Add rum, syrup and bitters to a shaker half-filled with ice cubes and shake hard and fast.
3.Discard absinthe and ice and strain rum, syrup and bitters mix into the chilled, absinthe-rinsed tumbler. Garnish with orange peel and serve immediately.
