Absinthe cocktails

Top 5 absinthe cocktails

Abinsthe Frappe

Absinthe is usually very high in proof, clocking in at nearly 70 percent alcohol compared with 40 percent for most vodka, gin, and whiskey. It needs water to bring it down to drinking strength. That's the concept behind the Frappe, an easy way to transform the well-known Absinthe Drip into an iced drink. To make the basic Drip, simply add an ounce of absinthe to a glass, set a sugar cube atop a slotted spoon over the glass, and slowly drip icy cold water over the cube until it dissolves. Those absinthe fountains that you see in old pictures are full of cold water, not absinthe, and allow boozers to dilute the drink to their preferred level. The absinthe in the glass will "louche," or turn cloudy. Add three to five times as much water as absinthe, to taste.

Appetizer Pairing:	Entrée Pairing:
Goat cheese and onion tarts A rich cheese like goat cheese works well with absinthe, and the onions accentuate the spirit's savory herbaceousness. .	Spiced tuna steaks with fennel and red peppers The bold flavor of absinthe can stand up to steaks, burgers, and other hunks of meat. With this spicy tuna steak, the soft anise flavor is downright soothing.

Death in the Afternoon

What could be more decadent than absinthe and Champagne? Absinthe and Champagne and oysters. Death in the Afternoon is not only the name of a Hemingway book, it's also the author's name of a drink he contributed to a book of celebrity cocktail recipes in 1935. His instructions are: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly." I heartily recommend drinking less than five of these, and you may also try pouring the absinthe on top instead; some brands of absinthe will float for a time on the Champagne, and this makes a nifty visual effect.

Appetizer Pairing:	Entrée Pairing:
Oysters Rockefeller Both this decadent oyster dish and the Champagne cocktail contain absinthe—and loads of history.	Fennel- and dill-rubbed grilled salmon Champagne works well with grilled or smoked salmon, and the fennel in absinthe matches the herb rubbed on the fish.

Chrysanthemum

The Chrysanthemum Cocktail, adapted here from the classic Savoy Cocktail Book, is an unusual combination of dry vermouth, the liqueur Benedictine, and absinthe. Each of these ingredients has many herbs or spices as part of its recipe, and it's pretty amazing they don't clash when they come together. In absinthe, the three flavors most brands have in common are anise, fennel, and wormwood, though different varieties add everything from mint to stinging nettles.

Appetizer Pairing:	Entrée Pairing:
Meatball Sliders The herbs and spices in the Benedictine—including juniper, myrrh, saffron, aloe, arnica, and cinnamon—would taste great mixed into the sliders.	Whole-wheat pasta with pecorino and pepper Strong flavors like pecorino cheese and peppercorns demand an equally complex and savory set of flavors, as found in the Chrysanthemum.

Absinthe Sazerac

Absinthe has a very strong flavor in addition to its high alcohol content, so most recipes don't call for very much of the alcohol. A large number of cocktails including the Sazerac, Corpse Reviver #2, and even some tiki drinks call for just a rinse of absinthe. It is poured into the glass, swirled, then discarded. But it still adds a layer of complexity, especially in the aroma, to the final cocktail. Use Peychaud's bitters if at all possible.

Appetizer Pairing:	Entrée Pairing:
Rye twists with anise, fennel, and orange This pairing plays with the duality of the rye (in whiskey and twists), fennel (in absinthe and bread), and citrus (in drink and food).	Gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce A good Sazerac is a little sweet, but the rye whiskey is spicy. Reduce the sugar in the drink to better pair with the creamy Gorgonzola sauce in this dish.

Absinthe Suissesse

In this cocktail, absinthe is paired with orgeat, an almond-flavored syrup. The egg white and cream give the drink a frothy, milkshake-like texture. (As with wormwood in absinthe, the danger of raw eggs in cocktails can be exaggerated.) In New Orleans, many people consider this a breakfast drink.

Appetizer Pairing:	Entrée Pairing:
Twice-baked almond croissants Sticking with the breakfast theme, we pair the almond in the orgeat with these almond croissants.	Poached eggs on artichoke bottoms with white truffle cream and mushrooms Almond, orange, absinthe, and cream balance the dish's artichoke and truffle cream.

More absinthe cocktails

1. Apparent Cocktail (see above): with gin and Dubonnet.

1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeaters)
1/2 Dubonnet (1 1/2 oz Dubonnet Rouge)
dash Absinthe (Verte de Fougerolles)

Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into a cocktail glass. (Orange Twist garnish.)

2. Absinthe (Special) cocktail: with gin, orange bitters and Angostura bitters.

Absinthe Cocktail

1/2 Absinthe (1 1/2 oz Absinthe Verte de Fougerolles)
1/2 Water (1 1/2 oz Water)
1 dash Syrup (Rich Simple Syrup)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Absinthe (Special) Cocktail

2/3 Absinthe (1 oz Absinthe Vert de Fougerolles)
1/6 Gin (1/4 oz Beefeater Gin)
1/6 Syrup of Anisette or Gomme Syrup (barspoon Rich Simple Syrup)
1 dash Orange Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Instructions for both are, "Shake Well and Strain into a Cocktail Glass".

The Special is on the left. 

3.  Blackthorn Cocktail: with Irish whiskey, Angostura bitters and French vermouth.

Blackthorn Cocktail

3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
3 Dashes Absinthe (Verte de Fougerolles)
1/2 Irish Whisky (1 1/2 oz Redbreast Irish Whiskey)
1/2 French Vermouth (1 1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth)

Shake (stir - eje) well and strain into cocktail glass

The Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is a bushy, spiny relative of the plum. It is often planted as living barbed wire in rural landscaping. Its wood is quite hard and the one of the traditional materials from which Irish Shillelaghs are made. It is also used to make sturdy walking sticks. The fruit of the Blackthorn is called a sloe and is used to flavor sloe gin.

More absinthe cocktails will be added on demand. (via comment)