How to Use Absinthe in Cocktails
Ah, the alluring power of la fée verte!
That's French for the Green Fairy - which is synonymous with absinthe.
The Green Fairy really adds extra sparkle when mixed as a cocktail with other liquors like Gin, Champagne, Whiskey, and Tequila. Absinthe is a complex spirit that brings a different sense of magic to cocktails. A little absinthe goes a long way, but a regular pour (1oz) of absinthe also sweetens various cocktails.
Absinthe is a worthwhile spirit to add to your home bar. Absinthe in cocktails adds sophistication and improves your amateur home mixology game!
Here I will outline absinthe's versatility and how absinthe can be used in cocktails.
Can you mix Absinthe in a Cocktail?
Absinthe has a long history of being the "bad spirit," one that was reported to make you hallucinate or drive you to the brink of madness! The truth is absinthe is a misunderstood spirit. It won't actually make you hallucinate.
Absinthe is like other spirits you may be more familiar with, like gin and vodka. It's distilled using a trinity of herbs that delivers its unique flavor. Formed with wormwood, anise, and fennel, absinthe has a daring herbal flavor that adds a touch of freshness to cocktails. Adding absinthe's complex and bold flavor is bound to enhance other liquors.
Shortly after absinthe was made legal in the United States, Wine Spectator published an article that changed how I think about absinthe forever! They stated that most Americans would not come to absinthe through the traditional louche but rather through the cocktail.
This is because Americans do not have the pallet for the trinity of herbs, wormwood, anise, and fennel. Until recently, none of those ingredients or flavors made it to our table. When most Americans think of absinthe, they think of licorice. Licorice is an entirely different plant with a similar taste but one that tends to be used in cheap candy with a bitter flavor. Now, I tell people to think of absinthe like a fresh fennel salad. This is one dish that Americans know and has a similar flavor profile to the refreshing taste of absinthe.
Another benefit of absinthe based cocktails? The cocktail names are downright fun! Ordering a Necromancer sounds way more exotic than a gin and tonic! Or asking your bartender for a Sloe-Down Santa is fun and playful, just like a green fairy would be.
What to Mix with Absinthe
After reading the Wine Spectator article, I started collecting and experimenting with absinthe cocktail recipes. Now I have over 100 absinthe cocktail recipes in my absinthe recipes collection!
When I created the database of absinthe cocktail recipes, I envisioned a customer like you, arriving at their home bar with a bottle of Absinthia's Absinthe. In your home bar, you already have a bottle of gin. Curious as to what cocktails can be made with absinthe and gin you would explore my library of absinthe cocktail recipes for inspiration!
And that's how I created my cocktail library full of recipes! With you and your adventure for trying new things in mind!
Incidentally, Gin and Absinthe pair together deliciously in many recipes!
Adding a high-quality great-tasting bottle of absinthe doesn't have to be expensive! Check out my Absinthe Blanche and Absinthe Verte to add to your home bar.
Many cocktail recipes use absinthe as a dash or a rinse to enhance the outcome of a cocktail. Other times absinthe gets to be the star of the cocktail recipe.
Four Classic Absinthe Cocktails to Try Now
Ingredients: Rye whiskey, Absinthe, Sugar Cube, Peychaud's Bitters
Ingredients: Gin, Absinthe, Cocchi Americano, Marin Farms Curacao, Lemon Juice
Ingredients: Gin, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino liqueur, Orange Bitters, Absinthe
Hopes & Dreams (Hemingway's famous Death in the Afternoon)
Ingredients: Absinthe, Champagne, Simple Syrup
Death in the Afternoon always felt like a dramatic cocktail name to me. In the spirit of my brand, I have renamed it Hopes & Dreams! In my Hopes & Dreams, absinthe cocktail recipe champagne is the Hope and absinthe is the Dream.
And that leads me to say, I hope you've enjoyed finding out that absinthe can be added to cocktails. Check out my library of absinthe cocktail recipes for more ideas!
Are you interested in absinthe's flavor but want your mixed drinks to have zero alcohol? Try Fairy Dust our handcrafted, small-batch syrup that was born from the trinity of absinthe herbs: fennel, anise, and wormwood.
Fairy Dust is made in California and is alcohol-free, gluten-free, and approximately 100 calories per 2 oz. serving.
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