A Taste For Absinthe: 6 Cocktails To Try At Home (PHOTOS, RECIPES)

After a century-long ban in the U.S., the federal government gave absinthe a semi-green light in 2007, and the anise-flavored liquor is making its way into cocktails from some of the most talented mixologists around the country. Many of these magical concoctions can be found in the new book, A Taste For Absinthe, from R. Winston Guthrie, the man behind AbsintheBuyersGuide.com. In addition to 65 cocktail recipes making use of the myriad absinthes now available to us, A Taste For Absinthe also features a comprehensive buyer's guide for absinthe purchasing, insight from leading cocktail experts, and magnificent photographs from Liza Gershman.

The publishers of A Taste for Absinthe were kind enough to share six complete cocktail recipes from the book, with Gershman's corresponding photographs. From new takes on classic absinthe uses like the Sazerac and the Death in the Afternoon to wholly original creations like The Hobnob and the L'arc de Triomphe, flip through the cocktails and their recipes below.

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The Hobnob

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Hobnob is an archaic word that means “to drink socially.” A hob is also a mischievous fairy, playing on the idea of absinthe as the Green Fairy. Jonathan Henson of Press Restaurant in Napa Valley, California, added grapefruit zest and lime zest to this recipe because they not only add a flavorful citrus note but also work to enhance the flavors of the absinthe. The mixture of the grapefruit zest and absinthe creates a gentle numbing sensation on the tongue. To enhance this effect, trying infusing the gin ahead of time with the zest of a grapefruit. ¼ ounce absinthe one 1-inch square of grapefruit zest one 1-inch square of lime zest ½ ounce simple syrup ½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice ½ ounce fresh lime 2 ounces No. 209 gin ½ ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur strip of grapefruit rind, for garnish Pour the absinthe into an empty rocks glass. Wash the glass with absinthe and pour out the excess. Set glass aside. Add grapefruit zest, lime zest, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Muddle the zests until they begin to break apart. Add the grapefruit juice and lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice. Add the gin and maraschino liqueur. Shake hard. Strain the drink into the prepared glass. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit, and serve.

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Hobnob is an archaic word that means “to drink socially.” A hob is also a mischievous fairy, playing on the idea of absinthe as the Green Fairy. Jonathan Henson of Press Restaurant in Napa Valley, California, added grapefruit zest and lime zest to this recipe because they not only add a flavorful citrus note but also work to enhance the flavors of the absinthe. The mixture of the grapefruit zest and absinthe creates a gentle numbing sensation on the tongue. To enhance this effect, trying infusing the gin ahead of time with the zest of a grapefruit.

¼ ounce absinthe
one 1-inch square of grapefruit zest
one 1-inch square of lime zest
½ ounce simple syrup
½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice
½ ounce fresh lime
2 ounces No. 209 gin
½ ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
strip of grapefruit rind, for garnish

Pour the absinthe into an empty rocks glass. Wash the glass with absinthe and pour out the excess. Set glass aside. Add grapefruit zest, lime zest, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Muddle the zests until they begin to break apart. Add the grapefruit juice and lime juice. Fill the shaker with ice. Add the gin and maraschino liqueur. Shake hard. Strain the drink into the prepared glass. Garnish with a twist of grapefruit, and serve.

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All photos and recipes are reprinted from the book A Taste for Absinthe by R. Winston Guthrie with James F. Thompson. Copyright © 2010 by R. Winston Guthrie with James F. Thompson. Photographs copyright © 2010 by Liza Gershman. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc.

Comments

[BlueZoo]

02:22 PM on 10/14/2010

I've tried absinthe only once and it was in Australia. I did it, admittedly, because of the mystique surrounding it and I found it bloody horrible! I despise anything remotely tasting of anise so this "tasting" didn't bode well for me and my future with reveries of Oscar Wilde and Toulouse-Lautrec! btw: I was led to understand that if absinthe does not contain thujone, it is not a true absinthe.

[Joe3245]

02:20 AM on 10/13/2010

Sure its "real" absinthe, but its not potent enough. The good stuff is well past the legal limit for thujone (which is actually psychoactive).

[RubalKhali]

05:07 AM on 10/13/2010

I didn't know there was a legal limit for thujone. Most of the thujone, wormwood concentrations can be as high as 40% by wieght, is lost in distillation. Perhaps some of the higher thujone levels are from a post distillation steeping of wormwood. Absinthe was the lsd of the 19th century.

[SBrooksB]

02:59 PM on 10/13/2010

That simply isn't true. By 1910, absinthe was the national drink of France, with the French consuming over 36 million liters per year. Common sense tells us that France's 33,330 bars were not packed to capacity every evening with men and women tripping their brains out.

[Weirdwriter]

09:02 PM on 10/12/2010

Great article! Good to know there are more cocktail recipes out there besides the Dr. Funk.

[mellene]

12:24 PM on 10/12/2010

I've tried several absinthe cocktail recipes. The Hobnob sounds very delicious and the Sazerac is certainly a departure from the rye and hersaint version. I usually buy the Germain Robbin but will go check out the Osocalis Brandy from Santa Cruz area.

[Perdendosi]

02:47 PM on 10/12/2010

Indeed. St. George's is the best absinthe in the market (that I've had, at least), but I'd still choose a really good rye. :)

[JeremyKrantz]

11:53 AM on 10/12/2010

That Death at Dusk cocktail looks pretty cool. I shall try it!

[ccynthiaa]

11:29 AM on 10/12/2010

May the mystique that surrounds absinthe always remain.

[Weirdwriter]

08:55 PM on 10/12/2010

Completely agree!

[Weirdwriter]

08:59 PM on 10/12/2010

And allow me to become your first fan.

[Sandmanj]

09:39 AM on 10/12/2010

Choose your poison, eh?

How about a goold ol' hemlock-tail?

[OilBaron]

09:31 AM on 10/12/2010

Go to your local Chinatown, purchase some wormwood and make some real absinthe for yourself. You won't waste time on these fake imitations.

[Mountaingrl]

10:21 AM on 10/12/2010

Just another branding ploy.

[Hedagui]

10:39 AM on 10/12/2010

Ha ha! That's too funny! It almost amazes me when people think they are drinking the real deal.

[OBoud]

08:21 AM on 10/12/2010

Anyone that makes the "Black Fairy" is going to get wet.

Add the tonic water directly to the glass after shaking and straining!

[Flying Dutchman]

04:20 AM on 10/12/2010

They say Van Gogh (you know the famous painter) cut of his ear after developing 'A Taste For Absinthe'.

[brooklyncitizen]

06:08 AM on 10/12/2010

no that's not it.
more than likely it was his taste for turpentine that did it...that and that scoundrel Gauguin.

[Perry Clease]

04:26 PM on 10/12/2010

Yes, they are pretty sure the two of them got into a fight and Gauguin sliced it off.

Van Gogh to his credit then sent the ear to his girlfriend with a note "I haven't heard from you in a while."

[Weirdwriter]

08:57 PM on 10/12/2010

"They" say a lot of things about absinthe, mostly untrue.

[John Stephen Dwyer]

02:59 AM on 10/12/2010

Three quick points:
#1. In response to the confusion some people have expressed, yes “real absinthe” is currently sold in the USA after the ban on drinks made from wormwood was lifted in 2007. But “fake absinthe” is still sold as well. Caveat emptor!
#2. The hallucinogenic qualities of thujone – the psychoactive chemical found in wormwood – are greatly exaggerated and absinthe doesn't even contain much of it.
#3. Since absinthe tends to be ridiculously expensive, don't forget that there are countless anise, black liquorice, fennel or tarragon-flavored spirits one might substitute for absinthe in these recipes. Even a poorly-stocked home bar probably has at least one already.

[SBrooksB]

03:51 AM on 10/12/2010

PART TWO

Uninformed consumers pay for the hype. These products usually cost more (often a lot more) than the finest artisinal absinthes available today. Worse, these "absinths" taste nothing like traditional absinthe. Since all absinthe is expensive, it pays to do your homework before buying.

Sites such as The Absinthe Museum and the Wormwood Society are good sources of up-to-date, level-headed information on absinthe, both modern and vintage. You'll find history, the latest scientific studies on thujone, product reviews, and a list of reputable vendors:

The Absinthe Museum
http://www.oxygenee.com/

Wormwood Society
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

And here's an ongoing "Top 10" thread at the Wormwood society:
http://wormwoodsociety.org/forums/index.php?s=a6b4ad92793253ce3abc6f7c1de47881&showtopic=3204&st=390
(It's an old thread, so I've linked to the recent posts, which include the newest absinthes.)

Cheers!

[SBrooksB]

02:56 PM on 10/13/2010

PART ONE

The best modern absinthes precisely replicate, in composition and methods of distillation, pre-ban absinthes made in the early 1900s. I've sampled three pre-ban absinthes, and the best contemporary absinthes rival those vintage spirits in flavor and complexity, lacking only a century in the bottle.

Less-than-scrupulous vendors are still peddling the "hallucination" myth for profit. At 100 to 145 proof, absinthe is a high-octane spirit, but at no point in its history has it ever possessed hallucinogenic properties.

There was speculation for some years that thujone — a component of wormwood and a neuroconvulsant in large quantities — was absinthe's "dangerous" ingredient. Modern chemical analysis of vintage pre-ban absinthes has shown that very little thujone survived the distillation process. Any manufacturer who tries to sell you absinthe based on its "high thujone" content is robbing you in broad daylight.

Just for the record, thujone is present and measurable in common foods and beverages such as vermouth and kitchen sage. One famously unpleasant Czech "absinth" (sic) claims that its 750ml bottles contain 100 mg thujone. To put this in perspective, that's 6-7 mg of thujone per 1.5 fluid ounce serving — roughly the amount of thujone in a pinch (600 mg) of ground sage. Again, that's sage......the featured player in turkey stuffing.

[mrfreeze]

02:16 AM on 10/12/2010

I've now tried two brands of Absinthe and, frankly, there's nothing notable about this liquor. It's intense liquorice flavour certainly catches one's attention, BUT, there's nothing psychotropic, hallucinogenic or magical about Absinthe. Apparently, when the stuff was first distilled it was made green by contamination by copper which may have given it some toxic (thus psychotropic) qualities. There is also the belief that another ingredient, wormwort, is mildly hallucinogenic.....Well, there's another forbidden liquor made in the Piedmont region of Italy, genepi, which is also made with a type of wormwort that is a much better tasting liquor.

[rumblingspire]

02:09 AM on 10/12/2010

http://www.oxygenee.com/absinthe-BOOKS9.html

WORMWOOD

[CommanderChe]

01:48 AM on 10/12/2010

I had no idea this was legal now, wow.

[KIVPossum]

01:38 AM on 10/12/2010

The Czeck and Spanish varieties are sold here. Not something I want to drink on a regular basis.