Sunset Cocktail: Quoth the Raven on Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday

2 oz. Whistle Pig Rye
1/2 oz. Averna
1 bsp Rich Gomme Syrup
1 splash Butterfly Boston Absinthe
2 dashes Berg and Hauke’s Jerry Thomas Bitters

 

Today, January 19th, is Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday. I did seem to miss adding this to the 2017 Sunset Cocktails Calendar this year but I’ll endeavor to add it to whatever I do for next year, if I do something for next year. 

 

I was looking for a drink to make in honor of this great, grim poet today but what was out there fell short of expectations. There is a decent looking cocktail actually named the Edgar Allen Poe but it seemed far too sweet. I came across the simplistic and nausea inducing Nevermore (and yet another here with gimicky black vodka) and a not too terrible sounding Raven Cocktail but none of these seemed right. My quest continued.

 

It would seem that there is a rumor that Edgar Allan loved a good Sazerac above all other drinks. Be this fact or internet legend is not for me to proclaim but it gave me direction and purpose, as a good Sazerac often does. Besides, if it’s on the internet and it suits my agenda, I shall embrace it as truth.

At first I decided to make something of a Sazerac variation in line with my collection of other Blackened Cocktails. I looked to a Cooper’s Union for a bit of inspiration as it added a 1/2 ounce of Elderflower Liqueur to it’s mix (I would end up using Averna instead), but otherwise I kept much of the the original Sazerac as it was. This, however, ended up with just me adding a half ounce of Averna to the way I usually make an old school Sazerac.

I then decided to patch up an Improved Whiskey Cocktail which has a wonderfully similar taste profile to a Sazerac, but with more room to manipulate. I went with Imbibe Magazine’s version of the Improved Cocktail and give it the Averna blackening by substituting out the Luxardo (and, well, adding a wee bit more than half a teaspoon). Then I tapped into both my absolutely favorite Rye and a favorite Absinthe and came up with this: “Quoth the Raven”. Nothing is too good for Mr. Poe.