A glass of absinthe and a nice...?

[CaptainContrary]

So, I used the handy-dandy search function and discovered that we have a few absinthe drinkers on CP here. I have most of a bottle of Jade PF 1901 in the cabinet left from a little WW1-era party we had last year (AF Hemingways, absinthe -- you understand). Now, I'm not a seasoned absinthe drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy the green fairy. I haven't really been able to find any cigars that I would say really complement absinthe well, though. Do any of you absintheurs have any suggestions or recommendations?

 

[cohibasurfer]

A Romeo Y Julieta Churchill paired well with the anise flavor for me and most of the Porterville crew the night we spent in the daze.

 

[Black Plague]

I don't know if any cigar could stand up to the strong anise flavor of absinthe.

But I will give you a big thumbs up for your taste in absinthe brands. Jade is probably the best out there, and Ted Breaux (the former New Orleanian who makes it) is a very cool guy. I've talked to him before on absinthe forums.

 

[Len___T]

Marilyn Manson is making his own brand of absyinthe...I would like to try the absyinthe some time...seems interesting...len

 

[Rebel Herfer]

I'm actually reading a good book on the subject this month. Last visit with the Green Fairy was with a Bolivar No. 4 (I think, I know it WAS a Boli) where the hints of white pepper was a nice contrast and the long cedary cinnamon finish held up quite nicely. Mike (Pre) & I are looking at indulging here in the DFW soon. I would also bet a Black Tat or ERDM would do nicely as well.

 

[tomthirtysix]

So, I used the handy-dandy search function and discovered that we have a few absinthe drinkers on CP here. I have most of a bottle of Jade PF 1901 in the cabinet left from a little WW1-era party we had last year (AF Hemingways, absinthe -- you understand). Now, I'm not a seasoned absinthe drinker by any stretch of the imagination, but I do enjoy the green fairy. I haven't really been able to find any cigars that I would say really complement absinthe well, though. Do any of you absintheurs have any suggestions or recommendations?

Did you try Hemi Maduros by any chance? Maybe they would work better than the regular ones. If not, feel free to grab Rob, head out to the island, and dig through my humidor to find a suitable one to pair.

 

[JHolmes763]

Is the only way to drink this stuff by using the sugar, flame, water, etc. method? Or can you just shoot/sip the stuff straight up?

Just curious. I saw some brands of Absinthe on a layover in Germany and it detailed a way to drink it... not that I can buy any of the stuff, though.

---John Holmes...

 

[CaptainContrary]

Shooting it straight up is not the recommended way to take your absinthe. It's highly alcoholic, so it'd be mostly the alcohol taste you'd get if you were just powering it down. For me, part of the allure of absinthe is the ritual you go through in order to imbibe. I've been told that lighting the sugar cube on fire is basically a gimmick. So, in a nutshell, the traditionally proper way to prepare an absinthe cocktail is to slowly drip ice-cold water on to a sugar cube, which sits on the slotted spoon over the glass. That said, I believe Hemingway (who was a monster booze hound, and heavy absinthe drinker) *WAS* known to take absinthe just straight up from time to time. So, I guess you could do it -- but I probably never will!

 

[rob300c]

I've had a straight absinthe shot from a bottle stored in he freezer.
I liked it that way...
Never tried the 'traditional' methods.

-Rob

 

[Macion Grey]

Nothing like a nice Green Fairy. I found that suits my tastes more than some of the fancier labels.

 

[Q_The_Cop]

I love the stuff. You have to have a sugar cube and hot water. Most come with an absinthe spoon for the cube and water. It's the only way to drink it. I keep a spoon in my silverware drawer. The absinthe you buy in the liqour stores is not the real thing. Try getting it imported, the real deal is like liquid LSD.

 

[Dsav101]

Speaking as a total noob in the wolrd of absinthe, any of you experienced people would like to seriously comment about the ins and outs of it? I have been waffling about trying it out, but I would love to hear the who, what, when, where, and whys of it along with the pairings and the WDF's of it.

Don

P.S. For instance the hot water and sugar thing? Is that known? Or am I an idiot! On second thought don't answer that

 

[Q_The_Cop]

Speaking as a total noob in the wolrd of absinthe, any of you experienced people would like to seriously comment about the ins and outs of it? I have been waffling about trying it out, but I would love to hear the who, what, when, where, and whys of it along with the pairings and the WDF's of it.

Don

P.S. For instance the hot water and sugar thing? Is that known? Or am I an idiot! On second thought don't answer that

If you've ever watched "From Hell" (I think that's the name of the movie, Johnny Depp Jack the Ripper flick) you'll see him in the bar drinking it. Thats the proper way to do it. Low ball glass, shot of absinthe, put the absinthe spoon on top of the glass, put sugar cube on top, slowly pour hot water over sugar cube till it melts, drink and enjoy.

 

[TugBoat]

I believe it is typically done with ice cold water

From Wikipedia

Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted to a ratio between 3:1 and 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. "opaque" or "shady", IPA [luʃ]). The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to "blossom" and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise.

I have had absinthe a couple times and it has always been prepared with ice water, I don't think I would want to drink it hot.

 

[Azoetia]

Responding to the question of what cigar pairs well with absinthe, I personally find a heavy cigar is preferred so that it can hold its own next to the full flavored absinthe. I generally smoke strong and full-flavored cigars and have found that LFD Factory Press Is, LFD DL Lancero (oscuro) and a Padron 40th hold up quite well. Depending on the proof of the absinthe purchased, the combo of the beverage and a strong cigar can pack a nice little punch (and I am not referring to the pseudo-hallucinogenic qualities that some people attribute to the drink - more for a desire for it to be there rather than anything based on fact; this has been discussed thoroughly elsewhere here but suffice it to say that any liquor that ranges between 120 and 150 proof will have an effect on someone).