exchange place

1 1/4 oz Cynar
1 1/4 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Cucumber Syrup (*)
2-3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an absinthe-rinsed (Butterfly Absinthe) rocks glass, and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.
(*) I did an equal parts cucumber juice (muddled and strained cucumber chunks) to sugar. Perhaps a 2 parts juice to 1 part sugar or all cucumber juice ratio would appeal to people seeking drier drinks. Or reducing the 1:1 syrup to 1/4 oz.

A few hours before the kick off of the inaugural Sazerac Sunday on Zoom, I began thinking about the classic and how to riff on it. The idea of the Fino sherry-Cynar combination of Remember the Alimony popped into my head, and I wondered if I could make a low proof Sazerac-inspired number. From there, I pondered what cucumber would do in this combination especially how it behaved with Fino-Cynar in the Not a Melon and Peychaud's Bitters in the 3185.
The end result was intriguing but perhaps needed a touch of work especially on the sweetness end (and also a riper cucumber than the hothouse English one I purchased would help). For a name, I dubbed this one the Exchange Place after the side street where the Sazerac was served in the late 19th century. In the glass, the drink welcomed the nose with a lemon, anise, and licorice aroma. Next, a caramel-driven sip led into melon, celery, and anise flavors on the swallow.