OK, this is a great twist on a New Orleans classic borrowed from my friend  Josh Cole at http://cocktailassembly.com/2010/07/cinnamon-sazerac.

1/4 oz. Corsair Artisan Red Absinthe
2 oz. Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1/2 oz. Cinnamon Syrup
Couple dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
4 drops of Maple bitters
Garnish with a lemon twist
Chill a small cocktail glass with ice and set aside.

In a separate mixing glass add cinnamon syrup (see below), Peychaud’s bitters and Sazerac Rye followed by ice. Stir.

Discard ice from the chilled cocktail glass and rinse with Corsair Artisan Red Absinthe. There are two options for successfully achieving the rinse. The first is to pour the Absinthe into the chilled glass, roll it around glazing the sides and discarding the remainder from the glass. Unfortunately my heart breaks a little when I have to discard liquor so my preference and recommendation is to use an atomizer and spray the inside of the glass instead. Alas, no waste. Warm heart vs. bruised heart.

Once the cocktail glass is prepared strain in the other ingredients from the mixing glass.

Add 4 drops of Maple bitters.

Twist a lemon peel over the top to release the oils into the drink.

Enjoy.

Cinnamon Syrup

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks

Place the cinnamon sticks into a small bag and crush with a rolling pin or something of equal destructive power. Now, the key is not to grind the sticks into powder but rather break them up into small pieces. And these little buggers are strong so feel free to harness your inner anger and let loose on them.

In a saucepan add sugar, water and crushed cinnamon sticks. Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes or so. Take pan off the heat and allow to set for a couple (or few) hours. This allows the cinnamon flavor to really dig in and the syrup to cool down completely. After this, strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer, or piece of cheesecloth, into a glass bottle. It’s now ready for consumption. Be sure to refrigerate.