So there was a reprise of last year's theme to celebrate the Solstice and Full Moon.
When people arrived I offered a choice of four cocktails. Debra, Wendy and Kaarina opted for Death in the Afternoon; Liz and Chris chose Corpse Revivers; Virginia and I went for the Sazarac; while Nicolette and Grace opted for whisky. No one chose the Obituary (cocktail recipes follow below).
People brought nibbles for potluck and we filled our appetites before beginning the ritual of melting sugar cubes with absinthe under a slow drip of ice cold water.
An evening of great conversation! Grace had firsthand information on Scotland's distilleries, Nicolette about whiskey tastings in Ireland, Virginia talked about architecture in Berlin, Kaarina about an upcoming Hamlet with a signing performer in one of the roles, Wendy about her experiences learning British slang as a third language, and Liz about starting her day with ten deep breaths.
As she was leaving Chris handed me her info on female artists of the Belle Epoch... I had asked everyone to bring some facts they learned about absinthe and plan on parlour games, but then got so absorbed in the conversation, the evening seemed to come to a sudden ending.
At one point I looked around the room and thought how blessed I was to have known such interesting women for years. I look forward to many more spent in their company.
The Ritual
The use of a perforated absinthe spoon specifically for absinthe became widespread in the 1880's and 1890's. From the 1890'2 onwards, it seems, on the evidence of existing engravings and cartoons, almost all absinthes in bars and cafés were served with a perforated spoon.Place a sugar cube on the spoon.
Drip a few drops of water on to the sugar cube, just enough to saturate it thoroughly.
Then do nothing, just watch the sugar cube for a few minutes. It will spontaneously slowly start to collapse and drip into the glass, eventually leaving only a few drops of sugared water on the spoon. Then add the rest of the water in a thin stream.
The correct dose of absinthe is about 30ml – just over an ounce. Add three parts water to one part absinthe and then taste. For casual drinking (as opposed to tasting a rare bottle) you might prefer to add a little more water, bringing the ratio up to 4:1 or even to 5:1.
Overall, it’s worth taking the trouble to prepare an absinthe in the traditional way like this. The slowness and care required help put one in the right frame of mind to appreciate the subtleties of the drink, and it undoubtedly tastes better this way as well.
http://www.absinthespoon.com
Absinthe Cocktails
Corpse Reviver
Popularized by the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, this classic cocktail is part of a succession of "Corpse Revivers" originally devised as a hangover cure. An ice-cold nip of this elixir is refreshing, astringent, and strong enough to perk up the senses.
CHARACTER:
Bitter , Herbal INGREDIENTS: 20ml Hendrick's Gin 20ml Cointreau 20ml Lillet
20ml Lemon Juice Dash Absinthe
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake briskly over cubed ice. Double strain into cocktail glass.
The Obituary Cocktail
As the name indicates, the Obituary Cocktail is not a tame drink and it is the concentration of absinthe (which equals dry vermouth here) that is likely the source of the warning. That aside, it is a stellar drink that retains the opalescence of the traditional absinthe drink, simply bringing it into the classic Gin Martini mix.
If you are new to or rediscovering absinthe, this is the cocktail to try because it makes for a very fine tasting experience. Remember, don't skimp on the quality of the gin here either, because cheap gin equals a cheap (tasting) drink.
If you like or if they are simply more accessible, any absinthe substitute (such as Pernod) will do here.
Ingredients
2 ounces gin
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce absinthe or substitute
Steps to Make It
Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with cracked ice. Stir well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
The Ritual
The use of a perforated absinthe spoon specifically for absinthe became widespread in the 1880's and 1890's. From the 1890'2 onwards, it seems, on the evidence of existing engravings and cartoons, almost all absinthes in bars and cafés were served with a perforated spoon.Place a sugar cube on the spoon.Drip a few drops of water on to the sugar cube, just enough to saturate it thoroughly.
Then do nothing, just watch the sugar cube for a few minutes. It will spontaneously slowly start to collapse and drip into the glass, eventually leaving only a few drops of sugared water on the spoon. Then add the rest of the water in a thin stream.
The correct dose of absinthe is about 30ml – just over an ounce. Add three parts water to one part absinthe and then taste. For casual drinking (as opposed to tasting a rare bottle) you might prefer to add a little more water, bringing the ratio up to 4:1 or even to 5:1.
Overall, it’s worth taking the trouble to prepare an absinthe in the traditional way like this. The slowness and care required help put one in the right frame of mind to appreciate the subtleties of the drink, and it undoubtedly tastes better this way as well.
http://www.absinthespoon.com
Absinthe Cocktails
Death in the Afternoon
This one came from Ernest Hemingway, who explained: “This was arrived at by the author and three officers of H.M.S. Danae after having spent seven hours overboard trying to get Capt. Bra Saunders’ fishing boat off a bank where she had gone with us in a N.W. gale.” Even under less dramatic circumstances, it’s a drink that packs a punch. (Pastis is often substituted for the absinthe, but if you want to be as Hemingwayesque as possible, stick to the original specs.)
Hemingway knew his spirits well: The minerality and sparkling texture of the champagne temper the intense herbaceous quality of absinthe, blending together to create a cool, silky sip that’s just the thing to calm the nerves and pique the appetite before dinner. Although the original recipe doesn’t call for it, a hint of citrus from an expressed lemon peel helps balance and brighten the two ingredients even more. Hemingway’s directions include the admonition to add champagne “until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness.
Drink three to five of these slowly.” An editor’s note, taking into account the tolerance of lesser mortals, adds: “After six of these cocktails, The Sun Also Rises.”
Ingredients:
1.5 oz absinthe
4 oz champagne
Lemon twist
This one came from Ernest Hemingway, who explained: “This was arrived at by the author and three officers of H.M.S. Danae after having spent seven hours overboard trying to get Capt. Bra Saunders’ fishing boat off a bank where she had gone with us in a N.W. gale.” Even under less dramatic circumstances, it’s a drink that packs a punch. (Pastis is often substituted for the absinthe, but if you want to be as Hemingwayesque as possible, stick to the original specs.)
Hemingway knew his spirits well: The minerality and sparkling texture of the champagne temper the intense herbaceous quality of absinthe, blending together to create a cool, silky sip that’s just the thing to calm the nerves and pique the appetite before dinner. Although the original recipe doesn’t call for it, a hint of citrus from an expressed lemon peel helps balance and brighten the two ingredients even more. Hemingway’s directions include the admonition to add champagne “until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness.
Drink three to five of these slowly.” An editor’s note, taking into account the tolerance of lesser mortals, adds: “After six of these cocktails, The Sun Also Rises.”
Ingredients:
1.5 oz absinthe
4 oz champagne
Lemon twist
Pour absinthe into a champagne flute or coupe, add chilled champagne, and stir. Express a lemon peel over the top the drink and drop in.
Sazerac
Essentially New Orleans' version of the the classic whiskey cocktail (whiskey, water, bitters, sugar), the sazerac has been around since the middle of the 19th century. It is named after a brand of cognac called Sazerac-de- Forge et Fils, which was the original liquor used to make the drink. The modern version, which uses rye whisky instead of cognac, is the classic sort of cocktail that conjures a bunch of hardened newspaper men talking horse racing results in a smoke-filled pool hall. That is to say, it's not a drink for the faint of heart. But if you love a good whisky cocktail, especially one that's topped off with a splash of absinthe, then the sazerac is tough to beat. (Esquire)
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 oz. rye whisky
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters 1 dash Angostura Bitters absinthe
lemon peel
old-fashioned glass
DIRECTIONS
In an Old-Fashioned glass (not a mixing glass; it's part of the ritual), muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water.
Add several small ice cubes and the rye whiskey,* the Peychaud's bitters, and the Angostura bitters.**
Stir well and strain into a second, chilled, Old-Fashioned glass in which you have rolled around a few drops of absinthe (no substitute really works, but you can try either a mix of Pernod and green Chartreuse, or Absente) until its inside is thoroughly coated, pouring off the excess.
Sazerac
Essentially New Orleans' version of the the classic whiskey cocktail (whiskey, water, bitters, sugar), the sazerac has been around since the middle of the 19th century. It is named after a brand of cognac called Sazerac-de- Forge et Fils, which was the original liquor used to make the drink. The modern version, which uses rye whisky instead of cognac, is the classic sort of cocktail that conjures a bunch of hardened newspaper men talking horse racing results in a smoke-filled pool hall. That is to say, it's not a drink for the faint of heart. But if you love a good whisky cocktail, especially one that's topped off with a splash of absinthe, then the sazerac is tough to beat. (Esquire)
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 oz. rye whisky
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters 1 dash Angostura Bitters absinthe
lemon peel
old-fashioned glass
DIRECTIONS
In an Old-Fashioned glass (not a mixing glass; it's part of the ritual), muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water.
Add several small ice cubes and the rye whiskey,* the Peychaud's bitters, and the Angostura bitters.**
Stir well and strain into a second, chilled, Old-Fashioned glass in which you have rolled around a few drops of absinthe (no substitute really works, but you can try either a mix of Pernod and green Chartreuse, or Absente) until its inside is thoroughly coated, pouring off the excess.
Corpse Reviver
Popularized by the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, this classic cocktail is part of a succession of "Corpse Revivers" originally devised as a hangover cure. An ice-cold nip of this elixir is refreshing, astringent, and strong enough to perk up the senses.
CHARACTER:
Bitter , Herbal INGREDIENTS: 20ml Hendrick's Gin 20ml Cointreau 20ml Lillet
20ml Lemon Juice Dash Absinthe
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in cocktail shaker and shake briskly over cubed ice. Double strain into cocktail glass.
The Obituary Cocktail
As the name indicates, the Obituary Cocktail is not a tame drink and it is the concentration of absinthe (which equals dry vermouth here) that is likely the source of the warning. That aside, it is a stellar drink that retains the opalescence of the traditional absinthe drink, simply bringing it into the classic Gin Martini mix.
If you are new to or rediscovering absinthe, this is the cocktail to try because it makes for a very fine tasting experience. Remember, don't skimp on the quality of the gin here either, because cheap gin equals a cheap (tasting) drink.
If you like or if they are simply more accessible, any absinthe substitute (such as Pernod) will do here.
Ingredients
2 ounces gin
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce absinthe or substitute
Steps to Make It
Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with cracked ice. Stir well.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
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