ABSENTE: A TRADITIONAL TASTE OF PROVENCE

Botanical, herbaceous, hallucination-causing… it’s National Absinthe day!

Absinthe has a long and colorful history – it was the favorite of artists and philosophers before being banned for many years. The traditional drinking method, using a fountain to slowly dissolve a sugar cube into the spirit, allows for a very relaxed and social drinking experience. Even without the fountain, Absinthe is a delightful spirit to enjoy alone or in cocktails.

Grande Absente

As the first Absinth to be made commercially after the ban was lifted, Absente has become the best-selling absinthe in most of the world. The Distilleries et Domaines de Provence was distilling the spirit before 1915 and uses a recipe from 1860, one of the oldest existing recipes.

The brand currently makes four expressions: Grande Absente, Absente Absinthe Refined, Absinthe Ordinaire and Absinthe Ordinaire Réserve. Each are made from high quality botanicals and use authentic wormwood. Seven additional herbs and botanicals are added in with the wormwood and are steeped and/or distilled before being mixed in at the time of production. The final spirit is aromatic and intense with a dominate herb and spice profile and a bitter finish. When used in a cocktail Absente adds herbaceous notes that bring botanical dimension to any drink.

The Grande Velvet Daiquiri

The Grande Velvet Daiquiri

Recipe by Bartender Devan van Eyck

Ingredients:

• 1/4 oz. Grande Absente
• 2 oz. Barbancourt Rum 8 Year
• 2 oz. Fresh Lime
• dash of Angostura Bitters
• 1/4 oz. Demerara

Preparation: Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a coupe glass.

This Is The Way

This Is The Way

Recipe by Bartender Joey Clemente

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Grande Absente
• 1 oz. Lemon Juice
• 1 oz. Lavender Honey

Preparation: Mix ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and strain into a coupe glass.