Ouzo Stars On The American Stage

Poor absinthe.

First it was banned from the States due to its purported hallucinogenic effects. Now it's too frequently used in cocktails as a mere "rinse." It's a shame, but understandable: The potent anise-flavored elixir is too strong to warrant prime billing.

Still, we've found an anise-flavored concoction that is smooth enough to take on a larger role: Old Sugar Distillery's Americanaki Ouzo ($34 for 750 ml).

That's right: Old Sugar's ouzo is a domestic take on the Greek staple, and the stateside relocation has treated it well. Old Sugar distiller and founder Nathan Greenawalt, who is of Greek descent, created a mellow iteration of his relations' favorite libation. First, he infuses a mash of locally harvested beet sugar with star anise and aniseed. The flavors are reinforced in the copper still: The first distillation occurs with seed anise; then he distills a second time with star anise.

The result is a walloping 90-proof spirit in which the heat is checked by spicy sweetness.

You can use it for a rinse. (Try it in place of absinthe in a classic Sazerac.) But we recommend giving it a primary role in this recipe, an adaptation of a drink that Greenawalt serves at the distillery.