Chilled 100 Cocktail Recipes with Absente Absinthe (Part 2/3)

By Isabella Cruz

Absente challenged our Chilled 100 members to get a little bold—and a little green!

Each bartender received a bottle of Absente and was asked to craft a cocktail using at least one ounce of the famed absinthe. The result? A collection of inventive, flavor-forward recipes that showcase absinthe’s complexity in approachable ways.

Follow Absente on Instagram here!

“An Homage to old New Orleans, its tropical flavors, brutal summers, and the spirits that roam its streets. This summer cocktail is approachable, delicious, and refreshing. Perfect for a hot day at the Pool or a stroll through the Quarter. It will utterly surprise you. Cheers!” — Christina Ramirez

Absinthe

Saint Haint

by Christina Ramirez - @murcie_mixology / High Five, Barnett Hotel - New Orleans, LA

Ingredients

  • ¼ oz. Passion Fruit Purée
  • 1 oz. Spicy Ginger Tea*
  • ¼ oz. Vanilla Syrup**
  • ¼ oz. Lemon Juice
  • 1 ½ oz. Absente Absinthe
  • Glassware: Rocks Glass
  • Garnish: Lemon Wedge, and Fairy "Swizzle"

Preparation

  1. Introduce all ingredients to your tin.
  2. Add Ice, seal the tin, and shake vigorously.
  3. Pour into Bamboo leaf lined glass, add crushed ice, lemon wedge, and fairy "swizzle."

Additional Notes

***Melipone Mexican Vanilla is an authentic Mexican formulation over three-quarters of a century old that is made in New Orleans by Chef Reginald. It is named after the Mexican Melipona bee, which pollinates the vanilla orchid. In Mexico, as in other warm climates, consumers demand more vanilla flavor intensity. This concentrated vanilla is 3-4 times stronger than ordinary vanilla and has a full-bodied, rich, and creamy taste. 

*Spicy Ginger Tea

Ingredients

  • Black Tea
  • Ginger

Preparation

  1. Republic of tea Assam Black Ginger Tea brewed with extra pieces of fresh ginger.  

**Vanilla Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups Water
  • ¾ oz. cups Coconut Palm Sugar
  • ¾ oz. Raw Sugar
  • 1 oz. Ronald Reginald's Melipone Mexican Vanilla*** (Or go crazy! Use 2 oz.!)

Preparation

  1. Heat water on stove top, devolving sugar slowly.
  2. Once sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (pot should be WARM to the touch) before adding your vanilla to taste.

“This cocktail is inspired by the song “Soda Pop” from the hit movie Kpop Demon Hunters. That is correct; I wanted to build upon the dark, rich wormwood and anise complexity to build a bright and fizzy “Kpop” cocktail. In the movie, “Soda Pop” is performed by a group of demons posing as a boy band. I wanted to emulate that and create essentially a “soda” of my own. I wanted to create a cocktail that, on the surface, is sweet and floral, but also contains the “demonic” edge underneath that the Absinthe does a beautiful job of balancing with everything else. The result is a “soul-suckingly” tasty drink guaranteed to hypnotize any type of palate.” — Zach Finney



Absinthe

Soda Pop

by Zach Finney - @yourstruly7225 / @yours_trulys_thirst_traps - Pinballz — Austin, TX

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ oz. Absente Absinthe
  • ¼ oz. Clarified Pineapple-Jasmine Cordial*
  • ½ oz. Yuzu Acid Solution**
  • 2 drops Saline Solution (10:1)
  • Lychee-Rose Soda***, to top
  • Glassware: 12 oz Highball
  • Garnish: Coconut Nitrogen Foam**** & Color Straw

Preparation

  1. Build ingredients in a chilled collins glass and add ice.
  2. Stir with a barspoon to mix and chill.
  3. Use ISI Whipper to dispense the coconut foam.
  4. Add a silly straw of your choice.

*Clarified Pineapple-Jasmine Cordial

Ingredients

  • 250g Fresh Pineapple Juice
  • 100g Jasmine Tea
  • 125g White Sugar
  • ~.2% Agar Agar by total weight (about 1g)

Preparation

  1. Add all ingredients to a saucepan and whisk to disperse.
  2. Heat to at least 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius) and simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Pour the hot mixture to a baking dish.
  4. Let it cool at room temp for 10 minutes.
  5. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes until fully set.
  6. Cut the gel into small chunks.
  7. Let it drip slowly overnight over a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter. The syrup will collect at the bottom.

**Yuzu Acid Solution

Ingredients

  • 100g Water
  • 5g Malic Acid
  • 10g Citric Acid

Preparation

  1. Combine and incorporate.

***Lychee-Rose Soda

Ingredients

  • 200g Lychee Puree
  • 300g Water
  • 15g White Sugar 
  • 2 drops Rose Water

Preparation

  1. 2 drops Rose Water
  2. Pour mix into a plastic soda bottle, leaving a couple inches for headspace.
  3. Screw on carbonation cap and connect to CO2 tank.
  4. Set to about 40 psi and blast with CO2 for only a few seconds.
  5. Shake the bottle for about 30 seconds. Repeat last couple of steps about 2 more times
  6. Let sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to stabilize.

****Coconut Nitrogen Foam

Ingredients

  • 100g Coconut Cream
  • 75g Water
  • 1g Xanthan Gum
  • 10g White Sugar
  • Salt (to taste)

Preparation

  1. Combine ingredients in blender and blend for at least 30 seconds.
  2. Let rest for a couple of minutes before straining/transferring to ISI whipper container.
  3. Seal tightly and add a N2O charger. Shake for about 10-15 seconds.

“My inspiration for my cocktail LOVE MY WAY was to enhance the botanicals in Absente Absinthe while bringing out the wonderful aniseed notes. I usually name my cocktails after songs and LOVE MY WAY is an 80s hit song by the Psychedelic Furs!” — Paula Lukas

Love My Way

by Created by Paula Lukas - @paulalukas27 / Freelance Bartender and Beverage Consultant - New York City, NY

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ oz. Absente Absinthe
  • 1 oz. The Macallan 12 Double Cask Single Malt Scotch
  • 1 oz. Raspberry Beet Pink Peppercorn Shrub*
  • 3 dashes Blue Coast Black Walnut Bitters
  • Glassware: Nick and Nora
  • Garnish: Gin Spiced Pickle Juice Lotus Root Slice and Dried Chile

Preparation

  1. Combine liquid ingredients in a mixing glass with ice.
  2. Stir until chilled and strain into a Nick and Nora glass.
  3. Garnish with Gin Spiced Pickle Lotus Root Slice and Dried Chile.

*Raspberry Beet Pink Peppercorn Shrub

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Raspberries 
  • ½ small roasted Beet
  • ½ tsp Pink Peppercorns, crushed
  • ½ cup Sugar
  • ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Preparation

  1. Muddle raspberries, beet and peppercorns with sugar.
  2. Macerate for 1 hour Add vinegar, stir well, strain and refrigerate 2 hours.

“Forever inspired by Lord of the Rings, the chance to incorporate dragon fruit into a cocktail with the magic elixir of Absente Absinthe Refined was too tempting to not explore!” — Geo Thompson

Absinthe, Rum

The Last Flight of Ancalagon

by Geo Thompson - @tradergeo / Eat Local Restaurant Group - Boston, MA

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. Absente Absinthe
  • ¾ oz. Passion Fruit Rum
  • 1 ¼ oz. Dragonfruit-Cranberry Shrub*
  • ½ oz. Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed
  • ¼ oz. Honey-Thyme Syrup**
  • 2 dashes Orange Bitters
  • 2 oz. Club Soda
  • Glassware: Collins
  • Garnish: Expressed Orange Swath

Preparation

  1. Combine Ingredients in a shaker tin.
  2. Shake and strain over crushed ice.
  3. Top with club soda, give one stir with a mixing spoon.
  4. Garnish with an expressed orange swath.

*Dragonfruit-Cranberry Shrub

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Frozen Cranberries
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • ½ cup Dragonfruit Purée

Preparation

**Honey-Thyme Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1:1 honey syrup
  • thyme leaves

Preparation

  1. Boil mixture of 1:1 honey and water to dissolve.
  2. Sprinkle fresh thyme leaves in mixture.
  3. Let cool and strain and store.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

Related Posts