What would you do if you couldn't get your hands on any whiskey?

Imagine. No more Old Fashioneds. No more Manhattans. No more Sazeracs.

This was a reality in New Orleans during World War II, when rum was plentiful but whiskey was hard to come by. Distributors would force bars to purchase large amounts of rum before they would sell them any whiskey, and bartenders didn't know what to do with all of it. One enterprising bar owner named Pat O'Brien decided to mix it with passionfruit juice and serve the concoction in a uniquely-shaped glass - thus the Hurricane was born.

Bartender Scotty Dagenhart at the Green Goddess in New Orleans was reminded of this story when the bar was unable to get their usual rye whiskey. How would he deal with similar circumstances? The question inspired him to make a Sazerac, a classic whiskey cocktail, with rum. As the Green Goddess cocktail menu explains, "We invented this to imagine New Orleans captured by German U-boats, leaving us without any rye whiskey to make our hometown Sazeracs."

Dagenhart's reimagined Sazerac replaces the rye whiskey with Jamaican rum. He sweetens the cocktail with Steen's Cane Syrup, a thick, dark, unrefined syrup that is a classic southern ingredient. If you can't get your hands on some, Demerara syrup or molasses is a good substitute here. I like making mine with another Louisiana product, Cocktail & Sons Spiced Demerara Syrup. The fruity, funky flavor of the rum blends perfectly with the Herbsaint and bitters. This recipe will have you reaching for rum instead of whiskey a lot more often.

D-Day Rum Sazerac

2 oz. Smith & Cross Navy Strength Rum (I used Appleton Estate Reserve Blend)
1/4 oz. Steen's Cane Syrup (I used Cocktail & Sons Spiced Demerara Syrup)
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash Peychaud's bitters
Herbsaint rinse

Combine rum, syrup, and bitters in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Rinse an Old Fashioned glass with Herbsaint and strain in the cocktail. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe adapted from The Nola Defender. Some details on the cocktail's creation from Cocktail Virgin Slut.