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Rattlesnake
Posted: July 18, 2026
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About
The Rattlesnake is a pre-Prohibition whiskey sour with a venomous twist — an absinthe rinse that coats the glass with anise-scented intrigue before the egg-white-enriched sour fills it. The combination of Angostura bitters, lemon, and the lingering ghost of absinthe creates a layered complexity that's far more interesting than the sum of its parts. Named (presumably) for its unexpected kick, it appears in Harry Craddock's legendary 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book — which describes it as 'a drink that will either cure a rattlesnake bite or kill the patient.' Either way, it's a classic worth knowing.
Ingredients
0.75 oz Lemon Juice
2 oz Bourbon Whiskey
0.75 oz Simple Syrup
1 TSP Absinthe
1 piece(s) Egg White
Instructions
- Rinse a chilled coupe with absinthe: add a small amount, swirl to coat the glass, then discard or drink the excess.
- Combine bourbon, lemon juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker without ice.
- Dry shake vigorously for 15 seconds to build foam.
- Add ice and shake again for 10 seconds.
- Fine-strain into the absinthe-rinsed coupe.
- Garnish with a few drops of Angostura bitters on the foam.