Tonight we tasted a cocktail called The Stargazer, by Robert Hess of Drinkboy.com
The cocktail was created for the 2006 Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans, the 2007 version of which we attended in July.

This drink consists of Lillet Blonde and Rye Whisky, I used Old Olverholt though there are also Ryes from Jim Beam, Wild Turkey and Sazerac that are available at Twin, Specs, and Wiggy's. From what little I know about Rye, I thought OO tasted kind of rustic. At TOTC I asked Robert Hess and he told me that it wasn’t bad, “for the price” (about $11.)
We were prompted to pick up a bottle of Old Olverholt after sitting at the bar at Katz’s Deli one night and owner Marc Katz was telling us about how in New York in the 1950’s real men drank Old Overholt. “That was a man’s drink. My father was a rye man.”

This conversation took place during the big “ice storm” that hit Austin back in January, which might not be identifiable as a big ice storm to anyone who has actually seen an ice storm. But by sunny Austin standards, it was huge, and when the city shut down, Marc’s deli was one of the only businesses open. Apparently all this talk of rye enlivened a taste bud in the spirited restaurateur, and he stumbled to the liquor room in the back of the restaurant to retrieve the bottle of Old Overholt, which he thought he had procured, but it was nowhere to be found. After the city thawed out we made our way to Spec’s where I found the bottle of OO, though I had to go through three or four before I found a bottle that did not leak when laid on its side in the basket.
Regarding Lillet, it says that once opened it can be stored in the refrigerator for “up to a week.” I was thinking it would be one of those use-a-splash-here-and-there-for-years kinds of bottles. Of course, there are worse fates than being rushed into consuming more cocktails more faster…
The drink consists of equal parts Lillet and Rye, a dash of Angostura, shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass. You can find the exact recipe here.