# Improved Whiskey Cocktail

Rye is improved in the nineteenth-century sense with tiny measures of maraschino, sugar, absinthe, and bitters, preserving the whiskey's shape while connecting the Old Fashioned to the Sazerac.

Strength: 39% ABV before dilution

## Ingredients

- 60 ml [Rye whiskey](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/rye-whiskey.md)
- 2.5 ml [Simple syrup](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/simple-syrup.md)
- 2.5 ml [Luxardo Maraschino](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/luxardo-maraschino.md)
- 3 dashes [Angostura bitters](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/angostura-bitters.md)
- 2 dashes [Absinthe](https://stirred.fyi/ingredients/absinthe.md)

## Glassware

Rocks glass

## Garnish

- Lemon twist — Express the peel oils over the drink and retain the twist.

## Method

1. Stir all ingredients with cubed ice until thoroughly chilled and diluted.
2. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over one large clear cube.

## Related drinks

- [Toronto](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/toronto.md): A rye Old Fashioned sharpened by the bracing herbal bitterness of Fernet-Branca.
- [Monte Carlo](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/monte-carlo.md): Rye, Bénédictine, and Angostura make an Old Fashioned branch in which the liqueur supplies every trace of sweetness as well as a deep herbal finish.
- [Manhattan](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/manhattan.md): A spirit-forward rye cocktail softened by sweet vermouth and seasoned with aromatic bitters.
- [Brooklyn](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/brooklyn.md): A dry, rye-led Manhattan relative accented with maraschino and the bitter orange of Amer Picon.
- [Red Hook](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/red-hook.md): A dry, bittersweet Brooklyn variation blending rye with Punt e Mes and nutty maraschino.
- [Preakness](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/preakness.md): A tiny measure of Bénédictine seasons a rye Manhattan with honeyed herbs and spice in the 1936 structure associated with Baltimore's first Preakness Ball.
- [Prince of Wales (1887)](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/prince-of-wales-1887.md): The 1887 rye branch crushes pineapple into a lightly sweetened whiskey cocktail and crowns it with Champagne.
- [Black Manhattan](https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/black-manhattan.md): A dark, bittersweet Manhattan that replaces vermouth with rich Sicilian Averna.

## References

- Canonical page: https://stirred.fyi/cocktails/improved-whiskey-cocktail
- Photograph: https://stirred.fyi/assets/cocktails/improved-whiskey-cocktail-69d3e13d.webp
- Recipe source: https://www.tommacy.com/improvedwhiskeycocktail