RATTLESNAKE

Citrus, mint, anise, woodsy, frothy

Herbal notes make for an excellent precursor to a big Italian dinner—a Rattlesnake and spaghetti? Why not?

The Rattlesnake makes its first appearance in The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), and it still rattles its tail in craft cocktail bars, especially around San Francisco. Bartender Harry Craddock wrote that this cocktail “will either cure a rattlesnake bite, or kill rattlesnakes, or make you see them.” With a description like that, you’d expect this cocktail to sport fangs, but it is surprisingly smooth, feathery even, thanks to the egg white. Fans of the Whiskey Sour (page 29) should give this a try. Use rye whiskey in place of bourbon, if you want a little more bite (we like to use Old Overholt—a whiskey brand that survived Prohibition).

    2 ounces (60 ml) bourbon or rye whiskey (Old Overholt)

    ½ ounce (15 ml) absinthe

    ¾ ounce (22 ml) fresh lemon juice

    ½ ounce (15 ml) simple syrup (page 241)

    ¾ ounce (22 ml) egg white

    2 drops of Angostura bitters, for garnish

Dry shake the ingredients to emulsify the egg, then shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with Angostura “fang marks.”