saratoga brace up

1 tbsp Sugar (1/2 oz Demerara Syrup 1:1)
2 dash Angostura Bitters (1 dash)
4 dash Lemon or Lime Juice (1/2 oz Lemon)
2 dash Absinthe (2 dash Herbsaint)
1 Egg (1 Egg)
1 wineglass Brandy (2 oz Cognac)

Shake without ice and then with ice. Double strain into a highball glass, top with seltzer water, and add a straw.
Note: Ingredients on the left are from Jerry Thomas and the ingredients in parentheses on the right are the way Josey made this drink.

For my second beverage at Drink, I asked bartender Josey Packard what drinks she had been excited about making lately, and she replied that she has been enjoying the old school classics. When I stated that I was up for anything as long as I had not had it before, she first suggested a Golden Fizz (which she made me a while back) before settling upon the Saratoga Brace Up. Indeed, I was familiar with the recipe, but alas, I had never pulled the trigger on making one. Surprisingly, David Wondrich in Imbibe! said very little about this drink that first appeared in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas' book. He did compare it to another drink, the Scotch-based Morning Glory Fizz. Both of these Fizzes were probably palliatives prescribed after a night of drinking, and both contain egg (or egg white) and absinthe to settle the stomach issues that might be occurring then.
The Saratoga Brace Up had a rather subtle aroma that came across as a chocolaty or earthy note. The sip was lemony and was neither sweet nor tart but had a bit of crispness on the tongue from the soda's carbonation. Next, a light collection of Herbsaint and Angostura notes punctuated the Cognac on the swallow. Overall, the Saratoga Brace Up was easy to drink without being characterless; moreover, I could definitely see nursing one or two of these after a ribald night on the town and much more so than the smoky Morning Glory Fizz.