The Miracle of Absinthe

[retrogirl1941]

My friend just left. He brought his bottle of Czech Strong. I will defintley agree that it should be used as drain cleaner! awk! It was aweful! And he put it in the frigidaire! After reading this thread and various other websites I have come to the conclusion that it ruins the absinthe (not that this took a trip to frigidaire to kill the taste!lol ) I ended up drinking a glass of Lucid. I noticed the Czech Strong didnt louche at all. I wonder if that's from keeping it chilled? Despite the bad absinthe we had a great conversation while drinking our absinthe's.

Samantha

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Refrigerating absinthe will cause the anethol (from the anise) to solidify, and settle in flakes in the bottle.

Most Czech "absinth" doesn't louche because it's not made properly, there isn't much more you could do other than sink that swill.

 

[Caroline]

OK so since this is the absinthe Q&A depot, I'll pose this question. Are any of these brands worth buying? This is what is in stock at the NH state liquor stores, where I shop for most of my liquor.

8658 Absente "Absinthe Refined"
325 Absenthe Glass & Spoon Gift Box
10160 Auvigne Pouilly Fuisse Solutre
8652 Grande Absenthe Absinthe Originale
3382 Green Moon Absinthe Vodka
6866 Lucid Absinthe Liqueur

I've never had absinthe. I'm interested in it because among the 7 pages of recipes for the "original" Zombie on TikiCentral, recipes with absinthe are included. If you feel this is an abomination please let me know. I may try absinthe straight too, if any of these brands are FL approved. Thanks in advance!

 

[celtic]

OK so since this is the absinthe Q&A depot, I'll pose this question. Are any of these brands worth buying? This is what is in stock at the NH state liquor stores, where I shop for most of my liquor.

8658 Absente "Absinthe Refined"
325 Absenthe Glass & Spoon Gift Box
10160 Auvigne Pouilly Fuisse Solutre
8652 Grande Absenthe Absinthe Originale
3382 Green Moon Absinthe Vodka
6866 Lucid Absinthe Liqueur

I've never had absinthe. I'm interested in it because among the 17 pages of recipes for the "original" Zombie on TikiCentral, recipes with absinthe are included. If you feel this is an abomination please let me know. I may try absinthe straight too, if any of these brands are FL approved. Thanks in advance!

you can cross the first two off your list.

I'm sure the chap who posted right above you can comment on the others.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

All of the Absente incarnations are not worth drinking, including the new Grande Absente, it's just an overpriced oil mix.

Green Moon = Drain Opener, run away! run away!

10160 Auvigne Pouilly Fuisse Solutre.....I've not encountered this one, but I'd hang on to my money, and watch the forum at Fee Verte for any news.

Lucid is an okay beginners absinthe, It's a distilled, naturally colored absinthe verte.
You might check your area to see if they have Kubler, it's a very simple Swiss style absinthe blanche.


This is reportedly what was used back in the day in a Zombie:

You can use the modern version of Herbsaint in a Zombie, and it will be cheaper than a bottle of absinthe.

Lucid would be okay in a Zombie.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I have several unopened bottles i've brought back from Europe. Is there any particular way I should store them?
-How about once I open them?

 

[Absinthe_1900]

If they are an absinthe verte (Green) You'll want to keep them in the dark, out of direct sunlight, corked, standing up.

I keep mine in a 1930s liquor cabinet/bar.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Merci!

 

[Tomasso]

It would be very appreciative if the knowledgeable ones here would be kind enough to recommend their choices for 'THE Premier Absinthe', with the proviso that it would have to be available in America (NY, Chicago, Miami).

 

[Absinthe_1900]

There a few micro distillers getting approved, that should have some nice absinthe on the shelves soon.

Absinthe Pacifique.

http://www.pacificdistillery.com/

http://www.king5.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=268056

Leopold Bros.
http://www.leopoldbros.com/Leopold_Bros./Absinthe_Verte.html

Jade Absinthe is now being imported, I believe they have the Nouvelle Orleans approved, with the rest of the line coming as each variety gets TTB approval.

The Swiss Clandestine Blanche is approved and being imported, I believe Drink Up NY is selling online.

There are a number of brands awaiting approval by the TTB, some very good, some not, it's going to take some time for the the market to mature, and U.S. distillers build up the infrastructure to produce a well made absinthe.
There are also some very talented experimenters working behind the scenes that may get to go commercial in the future.

Good stuff is on the way, follow the different absinthe forums, and sit back and have a drink.

 

[randooch]

Never having drunk the liquor in question, I wonder if it all has a licorice flavor, as I have heard. Thanks

 

[Shaul-Ike Cohen]

Pastis has - in fact French laws ask for a minimum of glycyrrhizin, which gives the liquorice flavour. Not sure about the other ersatz absinthes such as anisette or ouzo.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

If one compares anise and fennel (which are ingredients of absinthe) to licorice, then you could say it resembles licorice in a broad sense.

Generally Pastis has more of a licorice flavor than absinthe, a well made absinthe has a more complex flavor profile, if you buy a decent brand.

Absinthe is an anise based liquor, if you enjoy anise, then you should enjoy absinthe.

 

[rumblefish]

Question for Mr. 1900

Of what's available at drinkupny.com what would you suggest? I already have Lucid and La Fee Absinthe Parisienne.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

I'd buy the Swiss made La Clandestine.

Most of the others I wouldn't waste my time with.

 

[TaiPan]

Thoughts from a new member ...

Greetings all -- my first posting on the Lounge, and I felt compelled to jump in on the absinthe thread! I am not the expert that many of you clearly are, but I will encourage those of you who are curious about absinthe to give it a try -- with the admonition that you do a bit of homework first to find something decent.

I have, like some of you, tried Czech brands of absinthe that I would not give an enemy -- anisette with some wormwood thrown as an afterthought! However, I have had some French brands (La Fee is my favorite thus far, but I really am a beginner) that were delightful -- amber flecks in a green cloud during the louche, wonderful to the taste, followed by a tremendous clarity of thinking.

It helps, of course, that I live in Hong Kong ... I can buy absinthe in the grocery store! (Cuban cigars are readily available here, too ...

Cheers

 

[Subvet642]

As for myself, I'd been getting my absinthe from a vendor in France for several years. I've tried many labels, some that I like more than others. The Czechs and Germans typically don't use anise in their absinthe, as it's not a popular flavor in central and Eastern Europe. Without anise, absinthe will not louche. The louche effect occurs when the essential oils from the anise precipitate out of solution as the alcohol concentration decreases with the addition of water or other mixer (I like lemonade, it's called a Hemingway), and becomes cloudy. I would recommend that folks try the labels available in the U.S., and see what you like. Swiss, French and Spanish labels are all pretty good bets to start. Personally, with all of the absinthes I've tried so far (only about 12 or so), I like Lucid very much. But remember, this is very subjective. If taste were objective, then there would be only one version of everything. Lucid is the commercial label from Ted Breault of Jade Absinthe fame, and I recommend it, and anything he produces, very highly.

 

[TaiPan]

When life gives you lemons ...

Add lemonade to your absinthe! Thanks for the excellent suggestion, SubVet -- I tried a "Hemingway," i.e. absinthe and lemonade, last night -- and it made for an excellent birthday drink.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I love pastis, but am somewhat wary of absinthe, because my only experience with it was in a Mad Hatter cocktail at Milk & Honey in NYC, which was TERRIBLE.

Not sure why, exactly.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

It's likely they used an awful brand of absinthe like Le Tourment Vert, or Mata Hari, both of which are better suited to being poured down a sink.

If you are new to absinthe, you are better off starting with a glass of absinthe, with water dripped into the glass as per the classic way, instead of a fancy cocktail. (A lot of bars don't really know how to properly serve absinthe, much less how to use it in a mixed drink)

If you like Pastis, you'll generally like a decent absinthe, pick up a bottle of La Clandestine as a start, you should be able to find that one in your area.

Avoid Le Tourment Vert, Mata Hari, Absente, modern Pernod 68 absinthe, and pick up some of the better brands, Leopold Bros is a nice verte, and elsewhere in the thread are some recommendations.

Some nice info:
http://www.oxygenee.com/absinthe-faq/faq1.html
http://www.oxygenee.com/absinthe-drink/ritual1.html