The original name of the drink is ‘Tremblement de Terre’ which in French means ‘Earthquake’. It was invented by a renowned painter and a passionate absinthe drinker Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and, as many say, was probably drunk by him only.

It is an extremely strong drink, since the only two ingredients are:

• absinthe (half),
• cognac (half).

The roots of this famous cocktail go far back to the early 19th century, and New Orleans is claimed to be its birthplace. Funny it is, but it was invented as a remedy for the tropical malaise. Actually, many believe that ‘Sazerac’ is the first cocktail ever made. And it is you, who gonna learn how to mix it today.

The name of the drink derives from the brand-name of the cognac, originally used for the preparation, which was ‘Sazerac-de-Forge’. However, you will never find it nowadays – it only became a part of the history – so you have to substitute it with another cognac brand. Rye whiskey works well for that.

Thus, you need:

• absinthe (1.5 ounces),
• Rye whiskey (2 ounces),
• Herbsaint (few drops),
• Peychaud’s Bitters (few drops),
• sugar (1 cube),
• crashed ice (one 3.5 ounces glass – optional),
• ice (2-3 cubes).

Absinthe is an alcoholic drink well-known for its famous users of the past. Only cognac can compete with it in the number of the celebrities who fancied it. The mysterious as well as infamous image of the spirit has always seemed to be tempting, especially to creative people. Thus, absinthe has had an evident indisputable cultural impact on arts.

Edgar Degas.
In 1876 he painted a picture portraying two gloomy absinthe drinkers in a bar. They say that Edgar Degas never called the painting “L’absinthe” and it was named like this either by his dealer or its later owner.

Edouard Manet.
Demonstrated his vulnerability to the alcoholic beverage and its effects by opening his career with the picture “The absinth drinker” (1885).

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
He was widely known as a regular absinthe drinker and absinthe can be observed in many of his paintings. However “Monsieur Boileau au cafe” is considered to be the most remarkable one, featuring the spirit.