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Howitzer

Sparkling whiskey cocktail in a coupe glass.
By Denny Culbert

The Howitzer was the first original cocktail to be featured on a Cure menu. My idea was to pair two of the most Southern ingredients out there: bourbon and peaches. The French 75 was already a popular template in New Orleans, and there was much debate as to whether it should be made with gin or cognac, so using bourbon as a base seemed to me like a funny way to bypass that conversation entirely. The French 75 was named after a big-ass French gun, so I decided to name my drink after a big-ass American gun.

For another take on the French 75 from Cure, check out the Celery Stalker. This recipe was excerpted from ‘Cure’ by Neal Bodenheimer. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    2 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes 1

Ingredients

1½

oz. (45 ml) bourbon, preferably Evan Williams single-barrel whiskey

½

oz. (15 ml) simple syrup (1:1)

½

oz. (15 ml) fresh lemon juice

7

drops Fee Brothers peach bitters

Sparkling wine, to top

Lemon peel, for garnish

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Combine the bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice, and peach bitters in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled and double-strain into a cocktail glass. Top with the sparkling wine, express and mount the lemon peel, and serve.

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Excerpt from the new book Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em by Neal Bodenheimer and Emily Timberlake, Published by Abrams. Photography © 2022 by Denny Colbert. Buy the book from Amazon or Abrams.