Cocktail Challenge: The Sazerac

As foreshadowed in my last cocktail challenge post, I did head into the Absente drinks, starting with the Sazerac - Jim Beam Straight Rye, Absenté, and Peychaud's Bitters with simple syrup, lemon oil, and a twist. I thought this might be okay, because I'm a big fan of Jim Beam Straight Rye. But this cocktail was a little aggressive for me... Strong - not a lot of mixers in there. It was reasonably good for careful sipping when it cold, but as it warmed up the anise taste from the Absente started to become much more prominent. So I just kept slipping ice cubes in, and found that it started to grow on me a little bit, especially once the ice diluted it a little more.

Still, this isn't one that I'd order again. But I didn't expect to like them all, so that's okay!