This variation on the classic is from Jessica Toews, bar manager at PiDGiN in Vancouver.
• 1 bar spoon absinthe
• 1 sugar cube
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 2 oz Uncle Nearest 1856 bourbon
• Garnish: lemon twist
Sazerac
Sazerac
Originating from New Orleans, the original Sazerac used Cognac as the base ingredient (it was later replaced with rye whisky). Apple brandy provides a smoother, more fruity base for this locally inspired iteration.
1 sugar cube
2 straws Ms. Better’s Bitters Aromatic Bitters
2 oz Forbidden Spirits Adam’s Apple Brandy
Rinse: Okanagan Spirits Taboo Absinthe
Garnish: lemon zest
De La Louisiane
The original La Louisiane cocktail dates back to the late 19th century in New Orleans, where it featured equal amounts of rye, vermouth and Bénédictine. This contemporary version, which is far less sweet, is adapted from The PDT Cocktail Book by Jim Meehan (2011).
2 oz rye whisky
0.75 oz Bénédictine
0.75 oz sweet vermouth
3 dashes absinthe
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Garnish: 3 brandied cherries
Live @ 5
Recipe by Pourhouse Bar Manager Adam Domet. A re-interpretation of that summer classic, the Margarita, with the licorice-y hint of absinthe.
• 2 oz Altos Blanco Tequila
• 0.5 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
• 1 tsp St. George absinthe
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 0.5 oz Five Alive Cordial (see below)
Turf Cocktail
The Turf Cocktail emerged around the same time as the Martini, and some believe it was an early version of it (not likely, but you never know).
• 1.5 oz Plymouth gin
• 1.5 oz dry vermouth, preferably Noilly Prat
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• 2 dashes maraschino liqueur
• 2 dashes absinthe
• Garnish: olive
Return of the green fairy
The spirit that supposedly drove a generation of French artists mad is back in B.C., where distillers are reinventing absinthe
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an ear. Vincent Van Gogh’s escapades might have delivered the final cut to the fashionable, anise-flavoured spirit absinthe, invented in Switzerland in the late 18th century and favoured by Belle Époque bohemians. Seen as highly addictive and dangerous, it was banned in the U.S. and much of Europe for nearly a century, until 2007.
Likely the poor quality or high-proof base spirit—not the relatively small amount of hallucogenic thujone, naturally found in absinthe’s bittering agent, wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)—was responsible for absinthe-attributed naughtiness. But its reputation as the bad boy of the spirits world persists, as does its role in cocktails, particularly of the French-influenced New Orleans school, such as the Sazerac, Corpse Reviver No. 2 and La Louisiane.
Here are five local absinthes to try, from newcomers to B.C.’s standard-bearers.
Absinthe Mojito
Okanagan Spirits’ anise-flavoured take on the Cuban classic.
• 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 6 mint leaves
• 1 oz Taboo Absinthe
• 1 cup crushed ice
• Sparkling water
• Garnish: 1 lime wheel
Bohemian Mule
At Arbutus Distillery, they use their own house-made ginger beer, but any good commercial one would work as well.
• 1 oz Baba Yaga Absinthe
• 0.5 oz fresh lime juice
• Ginger beer
The Green Beast
This modern take on an absinthe frappé was invented about a decade ago by French bartender Charles Vexenat for Pernod Ricard. At Pemberton Spirits, they make it with The Devil’s Club Organic Absinthe instead.
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 1 oz absinthe
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 4 oz water
• Garnish: 4 slices cucumber
Tip-Toes in the Tulips
This floral, low-proof cocktail comes from Tofino Distilling and is a cool refresher on a hot day.
• 1 oz absinthe
• 2.5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 5 oz lavender syrup
• 5 oz still water