Newly opened Sazerac House will wet your whistle

A chatty bartender deftly mixes a Sazerac for a customer eager to try New Orleans' official cocktail, a stiff drink that entices visitors to loosen up and embrace the joie de vivre of a city that seems to be in a perpetual state of celebration. He muddles a sugar cube with Sazerac Rye Whiskey in a chilled old-fashioned glass, then adds a generous shot of scarlet red Peychaud's Bitters. The mixture is vigorously stirred with ice and strained into a second glass that's liberally coated with Herbsaint, an anise-flavored liqueur that became a substitute for absinthe when it was banned in 1912. A twist of lemon, and there you are. Cheers!