Parisian Punchbowl Sazerac

A boomerang back to Paris. The Sazerac was born in New Orleans using cocktail mixers from France. Being in Paris, we used ingredients available here.

Servings10 cocktails

Make Ice Block - To keep your cocktail cold without watering down the drink, make a block of ice at least 8-10 hours ahead so that it freezes solid. Think about the size of your punch bowl or serving pitcher and make the ice so that it fits within it: a leftovers container or a simple bowl if you will serve from a punch bowl, or something long and skinny if the destination of the coctail is a pitcher (or like us, an oversized mason jar).
Simple Syrup - If you don't have it on hand, make some simple syrup and leave it to cool.

In a large pitcher (preferably a ball glass canister), pour in the Rye, simple syrup and Pastis. Add the bitters. Stir and taste per your liking. Put in the fridge until ready to serve.
Make the lemon peels and keep aside in a serving bowl, covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

Put the ice in the desired serving vessel. Stir or gently shake the cocktail mix and pour over the ice. Place the serving cups, citrus peels and additional ice cubes nearby.
For each cocktail, put one citrus rind in the glass and pour over the drink. It might be wise to note to guests that this is a deceivingly strong drink. Some may want to water down with ice cubes. But the beauty of the punch-bowl style is that your guests can enjoy it at their own speed/taste.