What is Absinthe?
Absinthe is a highly alcoholic spirit often flavoured with anise, but also other botanicals like wormwood and fennel to create an intense herbal flavour.
Because anise is usually used, people sometimes misidentify it as a strong anise liquor but absinthe uses macerated botanicals that are distilled into a high-proof base, whereas sugar is added in liquor production. Most absinthe you find will be upwards of 45% ABV and usually around 60%, hence why people are often put off! In fact, there have been loads of things scaring drinkers away from absinthe over the years…
The history of Absinthe
Whilst it is not a regionally protected product, absinthe was originally Swiss (hence the alpine feel it has), but it was in France during the prosperous 19th century Belle Époque era that it peaked in popularity. Indeed, after 15 years of negotiations, as of 2019 the specific ‘Absinthe de Pontarlier’ labelling is the one type of absinthe that can only be produced in the Swiss border region of France.
Around this time and going into the 20th century, absinthe remained the drink of choice for artists and writers such as Picasso, van Gogh, Proust and Baudelaire. This relationship with bohemian Parisians is cemented by The Green Fairy in Moulin Rouge, who the five main characters hallucinate guzzling absinthe excessively. In fact, reports like this were absinthe’s rapid demise.
Tales of hallucinatory properties and dangerous side effects began to appear, not aided by the spirit’s mystical green hue. The Dutch banned it in 1909, and the Swiss themselves followed suit a year later. Pre-empting Prohibition by 8 years, the USA banned absinthe in 1912 and the biggest drinkers France in 1914. Even when the American booze ban was lifted in 1933, absinthe remained prohibited.
These myths that absinthe makes you hallucinate or go crazy in anyway have been proven false, and although it is very strong, any peculiar behaviour is down to sheer drunkenness! Nonetheless, mud sticks, and absinthe still has a cloak of suspicion over it. It even took until 2007 to be reintroduced to America!
So, with drinkers now perhaps ready to embrace absinthe more than ever before, let’s take a look at the various styles being produced today.
What are the different types of Absinthe?
If you’re familiar with absinthe, you’ll probably be picturing it as green but there are actually two distinct types - verte is the green, and blanche is the uncoloured.
In short, botanical extracts of herbs and plants like wormwood, peppermint, star anise, angelica, coriander, and fennel are transfused into an alcohol base, which can be neutral, or grape based.
The result of this first distillation is the clear blanche Absinthe, sometimes called La Bleue and you’ll find a lot of it in Switzerland and France. It tends to have sweeter touches, smoothness, and less herbal complexity than the green which uses chlorophyll-rich herbs and plants to infuse extra notes and give the natural green flavour. Of course, absinthe of lower quality also uses artificial colouring to get this effect.
Whichever type you try, it will pack a serious punch, but if it’s well-made (like our recommendations below), you can usually expect a spicy-sweet liquorice flavour and herbal cleanliness to offset the kick of the alcohol.
How do you drink Absinthe?
Like tequila, absinthe’s reputation suffers at the hands of how it’s drunk. The high alcohol content draws in partygoers to shot it, but this makes the spirit more of a challenge than anything tasty.
A little icy water (3:1 Water: Spirit) creates a ‘louche’ which makes the spirit milky because of the oils. For absolute newbies, passing the water over a sugar cube drop by drop tapers the potentially challenging earthy bitterness, focusing instead on the sweetness of the anise. Similarly, the flaming sugar cube is a notorious way to serve absinthe but alongside a few fire risks, the caramelization destroys any botanical complexity and texture so we don’t recommend that... even if it looks pretty cool.
As with any spirit, however, the most accessible way is through the glorious drinkscape of cocktails!
Which cocktails can you make with Absinthe?
The complex intensity of quality absinthe goes a long way in cocktails, as you’ll find out if you knock up one of these three classics.
Death in the Afternoon
Named after Ernest Hemingway’s 1932 Spanish bullfighting book, cocktails don’t get simpler than this. He is even alleged to have created it himself so you’re in keeping with absinthe’s literary links through the years. Sparkling wine like Cava works fine instead of Champagne! A light, refreshing and fruity cocktail with a punchy herbal undertone.
Ingredients
40ml Absinthe
Champagne to top
Method
Pour the Absinthe into your Champagne flute and top with chilled Champagne. Stir gently to combine. All done!
Corpse Reviver No.2
This is an example of absinthe being used for rinsing the glass, and one designed to pick you up from a hangover to go again! It sounds like that could go one of two ways…
Ingredients
1-2 dashes of Absinthe
25ml Gin
25ml Cointreau
25ml Lillet Blanc
25ml fresh Lemon juice
2.5ml sugar syrup (optional)
Orange peel to Garnish
Method
Rinse the glass with absinthe and discard. Add all of the other ingredients into a cocktail shaker and mix them well until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass without ice.
Green Fairy
The Green Fairy is both a cocktail, and a general nickname given to the spirit. It’s packed with flavour from zippy lemon, bitterness from absinthe and angostura, sugar to sweeten it and some water and egg white to add silky texture. Delicious.
Ingredients
25ml Absinthe
25ml lemon juice
25ml chilled water
10ml Sugar syrup
1 dash angostura bitters
1 egg white (or 15ml aquafaba)
Lemon peel to garnish
Method
Add all the ingredients to a mixer and dry shake (no ice). Then, add ice and wet shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and enjoy! Garnish with lemon peel.
Which Absinthe should I try?
Bareksten Illsint Absint
You’re more likely to have heard of Bareksten’s Gin but the Norwegian producer has moved into absinthe with this sleek bottle representing the brooding forests there. That carries over into the spirit too, turning away from aniseed slightly in favour of earthy Norwegian forest botanicals to create a delicious complex, spicy-herbal blend.
Size: 500ml
ABV: 60%
Find here: £44.94
Morveren Absinthe
Made using Cornish wormwood alongside a host of local botanicals, this is a lip-smacking 66% but it’s intricate with it. There’s a lovely brightness to the lemon, with coriander bringing a touch of heat, subtle caraway, and herbaceous fennel. It’s named after a mermaid too, what more could you ask for?
Size: 350ml
ABV: 66%
Find here: £47.99
Jade 1901 Absinthe
This is a top-end absinthe harking back to the spirit’s pomp by using a 1901 recipe from the Pernod Fils distillery in Saumur, France. The herbal aroma is strong from the off, and this continues on tasting where the mouthfeel is incredibly silky. Anise and fennel lead the way on a wine base for a delicious tingling and shockingly refreshing experience. If this doesn’t win you round to absinthe, then nothing will!
Size: 700ml
ABV: 68%
Find here: £71.74
If you liked hearing about absinthe’s shady past, then check out our guide to one of South America’s favourite spirits – Pisco!