1830s. The Sazerac holds a special place in John Besh's heart since the hotel is now home to his restaurant, Domenica. Many Sazerac recipes call for absinthe, but Besh prefers to use Herbsaint, an anise-flavored liqueur invented in New Orleans. More

The drink was suggested to me by Eric Alperin from The Varnish in Los Angeles--it has a suave potency of flavor and rightly demonstrates gin's appealing qualities. Not that a good gin needs any help in the lovability department. More

There's no denying that we're settling into summer. Over the past couple of years we've suggested a number of seasonal refreshers; here are a few to look into as you plan your summer activities. More

Developed by Canadian beer expert and author Stephen Beaumont, the Green Devil utilizes one of Belgium's landmark ales, Duvel, and accents its subtle flavor with a dose of gin and a touch of absinthe. Using a full-flavored, aromatic gin such as Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength, and a small amount of good absinthe (Marteau is a good one for this drink, though Lucid, Kubler or several other brands also work well), More

Now that new bottlings of absinthe are all over, and it's high time to rediscover this pleasant drink. There are several ways of mixing an Absinthe Frappe. Here are two versions that are both very refreshing, and are sure to enliven a summer late afternoon. More

Remember the Maine is absolutely wonderful. A rye Manhattan given a subtle sweetness with cherry liqueur and a hint of savagery from good absinthe, the drink has the flavor of another time. Drink one when you feel like tasting history. More

This is a drink where spending the time and money to get your hands on the right ingredients makes all the difference. Fresh-squeezed orange juice is essential, and a quality grenadine—Stirrings makes a decent one, though it's quite simple to make your own—and an authentic absinthe really make the cocktail come together (though a substitute such as Herbsaint, Pernod or Ricard will also suffice). More

Enter the Corpse Reviver #2. Part of a class of "corpse reviver" cocktails—so named because of their purported ability to bring the dead (or at least painfully hungover) back to some semblance of life—this drink was a staple of bar manuals back in the 1930s, only to fall off the map in the last half of the 20th century. More

Credited as being among the first true cocktails, the Sazerac is a New Orleans original; one sip of its hazy, lusty character tells you everything you need to know about living the good life. More