Winter Sazerac

"I thought I might make a sazerac with some of the nutmeg whisky that Mole brought round the other night. What do you think?" - Christmas with Fox & Beagle

Even if you don't have a friendly family of local moles to provide you with nutmeg-infused whisky, this cocktail is super simple to make - you'll just need a few days' notice to make start the infusion running.

Infusing herbs and spirits is more of an art than a science, so be sure to taste your infusion regularly and strain out the nutmeg when it tastes good to you. We recommend a rye whiskey for this infusion as it will have a nice peppery note that will work well with the nutmeg. If American whiskey isn't your thing, a high-spice Scotch whisky such as the briefly illegitimate Compass Box Spice Tree, Balvenie Caribbean Cask or Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or are all good choices.

Winter Sazerac

5ml absinthe
30ml nutmeg-infused whisky
3oml VSOP Cognac
15ml rich (2:1) sugar syrup
2 dashes aromatic or pimento bitters
5 dashes Peychaud's bitters

Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a mixing glass with cubed ice. Stir well and strain into the absinthe-rinsed rocks glass. Finish with the oil from a twist of lemon peel but discard the peel.

Nutmeg-Infused Whisky - makes 700ml - Crack ten whole nutmegs and add to a 700ml bottle of whisky (look for a sherry cask single malt with hints of winter spice, or use a rye whiskey). Infuse for ten days and then strain into a sterile bottle and keep for up to six months.

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