The drink menu itself is distinct with cocktails delineated by flavor profile, but on top of that, bar manager Navarro Carr serves a clean, expertly crafted Sazerac with Herbsaint stirred in and a lemon peel expressed then discarded.

Paul Calvert makes a perfect Sazerac. Find it at Victory Sandwich Bar in Decatur or Paper Plane, the new bar in the same space that opens Friday, March 29.

A modern approach to preserving the flavors of the south is key here but bar manager Kellie Thorne “doesn’t mess with (the) perfection” of the Sazerac. She uses Sazerac brand rye always, Herbsaint, Peychaud’s and a dash of Angostura bitters, and a lemon express. Thomas Handy would be proud.

The 2013 James Beard finalist for Best Bar Program consistently creates clever concoctions and reveres the classics. Jason Rager sometimes talks importance of bitters balance as he effortlessly creates an unadulterated classic Sazerac.

Forthcoming Kimball Mill will certainly serve a proper Sazerac under the cocktail direction of Miles Macqarrie. In the meantime, have him make the classic cocktail at Leon's, and sip it with hand-cut fries and and one of their signature dipping sauces.

The illustrated cocktail menu/placemat at P&P shows Nate Shuman’s Sazerac in a rocks glass with a twist of lemon balanced on the rim. His take is faultless and sips incredibly well beneath one of Atlanta’s historic landmarks.

You won’t find any of T. Fable Jeon’s chain-sawed ice cubes in a cocktail like a Sazerac, which is always served neat, but Miso is a fantastic place to enjoy a classic cocktail in between the ramen rush and the late night dinner crowd, especially with newcomer Ronnie LeClair behind the bar.

Happening here: Serious attention to cocktail crafting without pretentiousness, which perfectly suits a drink like a Sazerac.

The Sazerac is treated as the classic American cocktail it is within the stone walls of this bar and brewpub. Ian Cox mixes this cocktail to perfection— keep watching this space to see what he thinks of it.