Sazerac redux

I posted about the veritable cocktail the Sazerac a few weeks ago.  I enjoyed it, but was not as wow-ed by it as others I know.  I did not achieve the citrus essence that I believe was important based on descriptions I had heard and read.

Then we went to Haddingtons for dinner 2 weeks ago, and Everett ordered a "duck fat sazerac".  It was lovely.  The citrus essence was very evident when lifting the drink to the nose, and the drink itself was a wonderful combination of spice, silk, herb and a touch of sweet.  Everett was hooked.  Well, not literally, but he really liked the drink.  He spoke of it often and with fondness.

To our great fortune, the recipe was published online at seriouseats.com

It required me to infuse my own duck fat rye whiskey.  I was up for the challenge.  I used Old Overholt Rye Whiskey, because it is well reviewed and reasonably priced, and I did not want to dump duck fat into a $30 bottle of rye for fear of things not going well.  No worries, it turned out well!  I used a few spoonful scoops of duckfat to a 750 ml bottle of the rye.  I let it infuse for about 12 hours, then placed it in the freezer for about 8 hours.  Then I strained the whiskey through a coffee filter and put it back in the original bottle.

The Sazerac was made in standard fashion.

I also flamed a lemon peel for this drink, which makes all the difference with regard to the lemon essence and nose - wow!  And it looks cool when the oils from the peel flare as they pass through the flame, too.

  We'll definitely go back to Haddingtons for the original, but for a couple with small kids, often we have to drink at home, so it is nice that this drink translates to a home version so nicely!

Salud & Cheers!