MxMo XLVI: Absinthe

[Chris Amirault]

For a good while now, Paul Clarke over at Cocktail Chronicles has been organizing a monthly online cocktail event he calls Mixology Mondays:

Mixology Monday is a monthly online cocktail party. Since launching in April 2006, Mixology Monday has attracted scores of participating bloggers and thousands of curious readers, all coming together on a monthly basis to share drink recipes and related information in a friendly online environment.

The process is quite simple: each month, a host, working with the moderator, selects a theme for the upcoming event, which is announced on various blogs and forums (including this one), and on or before the event date (a Monday — hence the name), participating bloggers join the party by posting a drink recipe or other post related to the theme. Each participant notifies the host that they’ve joined in, and soon after the event, the host posts a roundup, listing each participant.

The next MxMo takes place Monday, February 22, and Sonja over at Thinking of Drinking has chosen Absinthe as the theme:

That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and it’s future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe.

I'll email everything posted here by Monday, Feb 22 at midnight to Sonja, so get crackin' -- and mind the little green fairies, please.

[Chris Amirault]

Snooping around for a new absinthe cocktail, I found this entry at cocktaildb titled, simply, Wax. It's not the Wax Cocktail in Savoy and Patrick Gavin Duffy, which is a Pink Gin made with orange and not Angostura bitters.

I fiddled a bit and came up with the following:

1 1/2 oz gin (Plymouth)

3/4 oz absinthe (Marteau)

1 T egg white

1 t gum syrup

Dry shake with a Hawthorne strainer spring; add block ice and shake hard. Strain into a glass that enhances the full-on wax effect:

Those of a certain age will remember wax candy, a strange quasi-food shaped as a bottle (or lips, or fangs, or...) that was more or less edible. If that strikes a chord of nostalgia for you, then this is the absinthe cocktail you want to make. Maybe you want to twist a bit of lemon or orange on the top just to cut the paraffin effect slightly.

Me? I think I'd stick with the Gasper for the full-on gin/absinthe assault.

[Chris Amirault]

I use cocktaildb.com when I'm trying to find some new, strange combination. With the Glad Eye, I found it: peppermint schnapps and absinthe. I've been having a blast fiddling with Branca Menta, and had some gum syrup to account for the bitterness. It louched, of course, and the Branca Menta is brown: so, here's...

Mud in Your Eye

2 oz absinthe (Kübler)

1 oz Branca Menta

1 tsp gum syrup

Stir with crushed ice; strain. I had no garnish, though lemon or orange peel might work nicely.

[bmdaniel]

Drawing inspiration from the egForums, I made an absinthe milk punch. Tried it on a goof, but actually a surprisingly tasty cocktail. I might dial back the proportion of absinthe a bit for future iteration, but worth trying....

Green Hour Rum Punch

2/3 oz Absinthe (St. George)

2/3 oz demarara rum (Lemon hart, regular proof)

2/3 oz blackstrap rum (Cruzan)

2 oz half and half

1/2 oz rich simple syrup (demarara)

Mime shake, shake with ice, serve up with grated nutmeg (mime shake probably not necessary)

[KatieLoeb]

Here's a drink I created a few months ago for one of the local papers that was seeking good starter Absinthe recipes for home bartenders to try, hence the very specific instructions and explanations. I used the Vieux Carre absinthe since it's a local product and because it's herbal profile takes quite well to the addition of the mint in the drink.

Absinthe Martini


“This drink isn’t quite as dry as a true martini, but is a good way to introduce absinthe and its herbal flavors into your usual repertoire of cocktails. It makes for a very tasty and refreshing aperitif to get your appetite up before dinner.”


1/2 ounce Vieux Carré absinthe


2 1/2 ounce gin or vodka of your choosing


1 ounce Lillet Blanc (a French fortified wine similar to vermouth)


1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves


1 dash orange bitters (Fee Brothers or Angostura Orange bitters)


Optional (for a sweeter drink): 1 teaspoon simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar dissolved together) or Agave nectar (available at Whole Foods)


Garnish: Fresh lemon twist

Pour absinthe into a cocktail/martini glass and rotate to coat the inner surface. Pour excess into an iced cocktail shaker. Add remaining ingredients (except for the garnish) and shake vigorously. 


Strain into glass. Remove a strip of peel from lemon, taking care to remove only the yellow peel and none of the white pith. 


Point the twist over the glass, peel side facing the drink and fold the peel in half lengthwise, spraying the surface of the drink with oil from the peel. Rub the rim of the glass with the peel side of the twist and drop twist into the drink.

Here's a nice picture of what it looks like when it's done, garnished with a mint sprig rather than the lemon twist. This photo was taken by Jeff Stockbridge. The drink is on the antique milk glass rail by the front window at the Oyster House.

Edited February 22, 2010 by KatieLoeb (log)

[haresfur]

This was a good excuse to peruse CocktailDB.com looking for inspiration. With a limited bar currently, I decided to try the

Martha:

1 1/2 oz bourbon - the surprisingly drinkable Blue Barrel from Aldis (kind of like Trader Joe's)

1 dash Orange Bitters - Regan's

1/4 oz Maraschino - Luxardo

1/4 oz Pastis - Obsello absinthe (wish I'd picked up some Pacifique before I left Washington)

Build on ice in a rocks glass

Float absinthe on top. Add lemon twist.

This is a very "adult" drink. Perhaps a little sweet is needed when using absinthe instead of Pernod. But quite drinkable and satisfying.

[clumber]

I have been an intermittent lurker for years but after being redirected here by one of Chris Amiraults tweets I figured I might as well join the fun.

I have always enjoyed Absinthe as a complimentary cocktail puzzle piece. When I stumbled across the "Tuxedo Cocktail (No.2)" from the Savoy Cocktail Book, it started me thinking about this drinks common ground between the iconic "Martini" and the venerable "Martinez".

After digging in the cabinets I came up with...

The Tailcoat

1 1/2 oz Genever (Boomsma Fine Old)

1 1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica)

1 bar spoon Maraschino (Luxardo)

1 bar spoon Absinthe (Kübler)

1 dash Peychaud's

1 dash Aromatic Bitters (Fee Bros. Whiskey Barrel-Aged)

1 generous Orange Twist

Stir, Strain, Shpritz of orange oil, Sip.

I thought the Genever did a better job complimenting the spice from the bitters and the vermouth without the sharp juniper hit of a London Dry. It also kept with the antique style of the drink without trying to dig up some Old Tom.

The Absinthe plays a similar complimentary role as it does in a Sazerac. It might not be Absinthe-centric enough to belong here but what the hell.

Certainly nothing groundbreaking but pretty tasty.

(Chris, As a nearby resident of Rhodechusetts I am looking forward to March 17. We are eager for a trip to C&B.)

Thanks,

Eric Kingman

Edited February 22, 2010 by clumber (log)