Absinthe
High-proof green spirit distilled with wormwood, anise, and fennel — legendary and potent.
Absinthe is a high-proof anise-dominant spirit distilled with wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), anise, fennel, and a suite of botanicals. The green color comes from a second maceration with hyssop and other herbs. It was banned across most of Europe and the United States in the early 20th century over (unfounded) fears that thujone from the wormwood caused madness; the bans were lifted in the 2000s as modern analysis confirmed the thujone levels were too low to do anything but make the drinker very drunk. Use absinthe in small doses — a rinse, a float, a bar-spoon dash. A Sazerac's absinthe rinse is the drink's signature.
History
Invented in the late 18th century as a Swiss medicinal tonic, absinthe became the drink of Belle Époque Paris — beloved of Van Gogh, Hemingway, Degas. It was banned in 1915 in France and by the 1920s across most of the Western world. Legal again since 2007 in the US.
Common uses
Sazerac, Corpse Reviver #2, Death in the Afternoon.
Cocktails that use Absinthe
- Sazerac — New Orleans' claim to the first cocktail — rye, Peychaud's, and an absinthe rinse
- Corpse Reviver #2 — Equal parts gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, lemon, and an absinthe rinse
Substitutes
- Herbsaint — New Orleans-born anise liqueur; traditional Sazerac substitute.