saints & sinners

2 oz Sainte Louise Brandy (Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols)
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
3 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into an old fashioned glass rinsed with Herbsaint, and garnish with an orange peel basket holding a star anise. Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make that a Sazerac riff called the Saints & Sinners by Craig Eliason, a home enthusiast from St. Paul, Minnesota, for Reddit Cocktail's December 2025 cacao and anise recipe challenge. I have previously had the cacao-Maraschino combination in a few drinks such as the Savage Detectives and Tropical Cocktail and enjoyed the resulting chocolate cherry note. Here, the Saints & Sinners marched down to the nose with an orange, anise, nutty cherry, and Cognac bouquet. Next, a semi-sweet sip led into Cognac, chocolate, nutty cherry, and anise flavors on the swallow.