The Green Fairy
Many people spent that bright sunny morning of February 3 preparing for Super Bowl parties. Our household was a-twitter about absinthe.
The U.S. government was finally convinced that the dangers of drinking absinthe were more likely those of drinking adulterants such as wood alcohol and copper sulfate, and so removed most of the bans on the production and sale of the fabled green liqueur in 2007. For the first time since 1912, we may pour a U.S.-made jigger of "the green fairy" into a suitable glass, add some ice water or champagne, and watch the louche form. No more pretending with Pernod, nor with that ersatz Czech stuff: the real experience is available...
...for a hefty sum of both money and time. My husband joined a line of dozens, maybe even hundreds, of the absinthe-curious when St. George Spirits opened its doors for one of its infrequent sales of its notorious product. A couple of hours later, he was back home with a neat little bottle of delicately green-yellow liqueur. Both of us paused before tasting; was this really safe?
It was safe enough we invited our friend Jeanne over to help us devise absinthe cocktails. Jeanne, we determined, would have the mixology expertise to help us find the right ingredients to match such a strong anise flavor. She didn't disappoint: Jeanne arrived with printouts of vintage recipes and a sack of brandy, rye whiskey, and ginger syrup.
So far none of us writes like Baudelaire, nor paints like Van Gogh. Perhaps effects are cumulative.
The "Jeanne"
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1-1/2oz rye whiskey
- 1 Dash absinthe
- 2 Dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 lemon peel twist
- crushed ice
Place ice in an Old Fashioned glass to chill it. In another glass, mix sugar and bitters, then add some ice to chill. Remove ice from Old Fashioned glass; pour in absinthe to coat the glass, then pour out excess. Add rye whiskey, the bitters and sugar mixture, and the lemon twist.
The "Michael"
- 1 oz tequila
- 2 oz absinthe
Pour into shot glass.
The "Melanie"
- 1/2 jigger absinthe
- 2 jiggers fresh orange juice
- Chilled Prosecco or Cava
Pour the absinthe and orange juice into a champagne flute. Fill the rest of the glass with the sparkling wine.
Comments