Sazerac is New Orleans's first cocktail, concocted in the 1830s. And it's the city's only official cocktail.

As discussed in my Sazerac: New Orleans's Favorite Cocktail podcast episode, there are two main ways to make and enjoy an authentic Sazerac. The modern way. Or the Original way, as detailed below.

The Original Sazerac Recipe

• 1 sugar cube

• 1½ oz. French cognac

• 3 dashes Peychaud's Bitters

• ¼ oz. French absinthe

• fresh lemon peel

1. Start with 2 Old Fashioned glasses.

2. Fill the first glass with ice.

3. Place a sugar cube in the second glass.

4. Add Peychaud's Bitters into the second glass. Muddle it with the sugar cube till it forms a paste.

5. Add in cognac, then stir.

6. Remove the ice from the first glass.

7. Pour absinthe into the first glass.

8. Move and twirl the first glass to coat the inside with absinthe.

9. Pour out any remaining absinthe present in the first glass.

10. Pour the whiskey-bitters mixture that's in the second glass into the first glass.

11. Hold a thin lemon peel / twist over the first glass, and squeeze out some of the oils.

12. Rub the lemon peel's underbelly 360-degrees around the glass's rim.

13. Enjoy!