sazerac toddy

3 oz Old Overholt Rye
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
7 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Build in a pre-heated Irish coffee mug. Fill with boiling water (~4-5 oz) leaving some space at the top, and stir to mix. Add ~1 oz Herbsaint whipped cream (*), spritz with Herbsaint, and garnish with a lemon twist.
(*) 4 oz cream, 2 oz Hersaint, 1 oz simple syrup shaken with a balled up spring from a Hawthorne strainer until whipped. Normally, this is made as 20 oz cream, 8 oz Herbsaint, 4 oz simple syrup in an iSi charger.

For Andrea's first drink at Russell House Tavern, she was seeking something hot to warm up with after the chilly walk over. Therefore, bartender John McElroy suggested the Sazerac Toddy that he created. He figured that the cold version of the classic was so delicious that it would have to translate into a delightful warm drink as well. Indeed, Max Toste had the same thought process with his Hot Old Fashioned at Deep Ellum.
My first sip of the Sazerac Toddy was mainly about the whipped cream foam, and the initial aromas were lemon and anise, and the topping yielded a creamy sip with an anise swallow. Once I incorporated the hot beverage below, it was malty on the sip from the whiskey, and rye barrel, anise, and spice on the swallow. While it was like a regular Sazerac, the cream functioned to coat the tongue, soften the flavors, and negate the stinging effects of the warm alcohol.