Rattlesnake

From Beretta in San Francisco. Simple twist on a sour that's very tasty.

2 oz Rye
1 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Grade B Maple Syrup
1/2 oz Egg White
2 dashes Peychaud

Combine all ingredients in a glass and shake for 5-10 seconds. Add ice and shake for 20-30 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Enjoy.

Don's Little Bitter

File this under "bizarre" or "lol wut." A recent trend, at least in Boston, is using a healthy dose of bitters (>1 oz) in drinks. Don Lee of NYC's pdt created this strange concoction.

1/4 oz Peychaud's bitters
1/4 oz Angostura Orange bitters
1/2 oz Angostura bitters
1/2 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz Fernet
1/2 oz Simple syrup
1 oz Rum (preferably Barbancourt 8 year)

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 15-20 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass or serve down in a chilled, empty rocks glass.

Enjoy.

Pendennis Club

A drink introduced to me by the fantastic Oh Gosh! cocktail blog, this is a highly complex cocktail that's still very refreshing and bright, and includes two of my favorite things, Apricot Brandy and Peychaud's Bitters. The drink was originally garnished with a lime wedge, but I prefer the twist for the nose it imparts.

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Lime juice
1/3 oz Apricot brandy
1 bar spoon Peychaud
1/2 bar spoon Simple syrup

Combine in an ice-filled glass and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lime twist.

Enjoy.

Seelbach

Not for the faint of heart, but if bourbon and bitters send your heart aflutter, this is the ideal Champagne cocktail. This specific recipe comes from Gary Regan's essential Joy of Mixology.

3/4 oz Bourbon
1/2 oz Triple Sec
7 dashes Peychaud bitters
7 dashes Angostura bitters
4 oz Champagne

Build in the order specified in a Champagne flute. Garnish with an orange twist.

Enjoy.

Vieux Carré

Along with the sazerac and the Ramos gin fizz, this is one of the essential New Orleans cocktails. A sweeter, refreshing alternative to the sazerac, with all of the same gentility. This is Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh's recipe.

1 oz Rye
1 oz Brandy
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 bar spoon Bénédictine
2 dashes Angostura
2 dashes Peychaud

Combine in an ice-filled glass and stir for 15-20 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Enjoy.

Sazerac

The pride of New Orleans. A beautiful drink that takes a bit of work.

2 oz. Rye (Sazerac)
1 cube or 1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 dashes Peychaud bitters
Splash Absinthe* (preferably Herbsaint)

Fill a rocks glass with ice. In another rocks glass, combine sugar, bitters, and a splash of water. Muddle the sugar until completely dissolved. This will take a little while and don't worry if there are still a few sugar crystals still swirling around. Add the rye, fill glass with ice, and stir for about 20 seconds. Discard the ice from the first glass and add a splash of Herbsaint. Swirl the Herbsaint around the glass, completely coating the interior, and discard any excess. Strain the contents of the rye-filled glass into the Herbsaint-coated glass. Twist a nickel-sized slice of lemon peel over the liquor and wipe the peel around the rim of the glass. Add the peel and serve.

*Any anise-flavored liquor will work, but Herbsaint or a proper absinthe is best. Pernod or Ricard can work in a pinch.

Enjoy.