


Chareau, an aloe and cucumber liqueur, feels like it was made just to play with absinthe. Fruity, rich, and tropical modifiers like creme de coco, coconut rum, apricot liqueur, etc. “Since absinthe is typically grape-based, it definitely plays well with grape-based spirits like vermouth, sherry and wine,” says Bellucci. ⠀ #neworleansdrinks #wherenoladrinks #neworleansbars #frenchquarter #belleépoquenola #drinkstagram #imbibegram #gardenandgun #liqpic #liquordotcom #punchdrink #thirstymag #totc #oldabsinthehouse #absinthebar #singlespiritbar #absinthe #drinkingnola #noladrinks #nolaeater #eaternola #yelpnola #thrillist #wherenolaeats #eatingnola #nolaeats #neworleansfoodies #neworleanscocktails #absinthecocktails #cocktailbarĪ post shared by Belle Époque on at 4:34am PST “The similar use of botanicals is probably a factor,” says Moss.Ī pretty handsome place to grab a drink. And while its use in absinthe cocktails has decreased, gin is still a popular complementary spirit. Moss used the Savoy Cocktail Book and 2010’s A Taste for Absinthe to crunch some numbers over the years, bartenders have increasingly paired absinthe in cocktails with sugar/simple syrup and lemon/lime. This iconic ’30s cocktail tome was heavy on the absinthe (Photo: Amazon) What ingredients go well with absinthe? And the iconic Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930 features 108 recipes with absinthe. “Apparently, cocktails and absinthe were paired at birth,” says Moss. The same year, the first documented reference to a “cocktail” appeared in the London Morning Post and Gazetteer. The first commercial absinthe distillery opened in Switzerland in 1798.
#ABSINTHE RINSE FULL#
(If you want to experience a full week of green fairy glory, head to Brasserie du Parc in Houston, which runs an absinthe program from the beginning of the month through March 7th.) Historically, has absinthe been a popular ingredient in cocktails?

“I’ve been suggesting bars combine these days to make Absinthe Week,” says Moss. The day is actually March 1 in Switzerland, the green spirit’s country of origin. What Is Absinthe Day?Īn American creation that marks the legalization of real absinthe in 2007. Because of that last (misguided) characteristic, several countries (including the United States and most of Europe) banned the spirit for nearly a century. It’s often green but not always, and the spirit is often associated with trippy visuals, bohemian writers and hallucinogenic qualities. What is absinthe?Ībsinthe is an anise-flavored spirit that dates back to the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland in the late 18th century. His books had recipes for ‘improved cocktails.’ Improved often included the addition of liqueurs and citrus and, of course, absinthe.” “Jerry Thomas popularized the use of absinthe in cocktails as early as the 1870s. “Absinthe has a long history in cocktails,” notes Ballucci. The Original Old Absinthe Bar in New Orleans, July 1961 (Photo by Frank Gordon/Pix/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) And we also took green knowledge from Laura Bellucci, the Bar Director at New Orleans’s Belle Epoque, an absinthe-forward cocktail lounge in the courtyard of the legendary Old Absinthe House. He’s also the brains behind The Real Absinthe Blog, an indispensable online resource on all things related to “ la fée verte” (the green fairy) since 2007. To learn about absinthe-forward cocktails, we spoke with Alan Moss, an absinthe company owner ( La Clandestine, which offers 200ml bottles that are ideal if you’re just using absinthe as a rinse or a mixer), brand ambassador and a Tales of the Cocktail seminar leader on the anise-flavored spirit. If you’re only used to drinking absinthe with a sugar cube or as a rinse for a Sazerac, you’ve been missing out on the green spirit’s cocktail potential. Turns out the anise-flavored spirit’s not only misunderstood on its own - no, sipping it won’t make you hallucinate - but also as a component of stirred and shaken drinks. In honor of Absinthe Day (March 5), we’d like to suggest a novel way to celebrate: cocktails, with absinthe front and center.
