Improved Whiskey Cocktail

A spirit-forward forebear of both the Manhattan and the Sazerac, the Improved Whiskey Cocktail dresses up the plain 19th-century whiskey cocktail — whiskey, sugar, bitters — with a whisper of maraschino and a single dash of absinthe over an expressed lemon peel. Codified by Jerry Thomas in his 1887 Bar-Tender's Guide, where it simply borrows the build of his Improved Brandy Cocktail with rye or bourbon swapped in, it captures the moment bartenders began "improving" the basic cocktail with European liqueurs before the back-to-basics Old Fashioned answered back.

ClassicSpirit-ForwardFoundational

Ingredients

  • 2 ozRye Whiskey
  • 0.25 ozSimple Syrup
  • 0.25 ozMaraschino Liqueur
  • 1 dashAbsinthe
  • 2 dashAngostura Bitters

Garnish: Lemon Peel

Preparation

Stirred · Coupe · None

  1. 1.

    add

    Add the rye whiskey, simple syrup, maraschino liqueur, absinthe, and aromatic bitters to a shaker.

  2. 2.

    shake

    Fill the shaker one-third with ice and shake well until chilled.

  3. 3.

    strain

    Strain into a chilled coupe.

  4. 4.

    express

    Express the oil from a lemon peel over the surface of the drink.

  5. 5.

    garnish

    Drop the expressed lemon peel into the glass.

Flavor Profile

spiced
48%
sweet
29%
body
29%
heat
24%
dilution
21%
herbal
20%
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