Absente Absinthe Refined

Aromas are all black jellybean. The flavor is more anise as expected. I tried a couple sips neat. It’s pretty harsh stuff with an aftertaste that tends toward burnt plastic. I added 2 parts water and it mellowed out a lot but still very bitter. I added two more parts water and it was far more drinkable. For the second glass I did the sugar cube thing. Much better. Makes sense to drink it the way it should be drank. Flavors went from harsh fresh picked anise stems to delicious Good ‘N Plenty. Hints of lime now too. No burn left. This goes down easy like this!

After trying it neat and over a sugar cube, I experimented with adding it to a gin martini, a Benedictine cocktail, and a ginger ale. I generally enjoy herbal-forward cocktails with strong, bitter flavors, but absinthe might just not be for me. The sweet anise flavors that it offers are interesting, but not something I seek out. Nose is of licorice candy and palate gives you star anise and a bit of mint. It costs the tongue and feels like it is altering my taste buds to an extent. I’ll have to try a higher quality absinthe and see if it makes a difference.

Not technically an absinthe, as it doesn't make me hallucinate. Or maybe it's the large amount of artificial colors and sugar added to the drink. Proper absinthe should be a macerated spirit, akin to a gin, this is just fake absinthe that was produced when the ban was still in effect. There are plenty of fantastic true absinthes available in this price range.

Bummer that the green comes from food coloring. As expected, the nose is potent black licorice and really nothing else. Intense black licorice, sugar, alcohol and black pepper on the palate. Pretty tasty, though quite a jolt by itself. Of course this is in no way designed to be imbibed neat…lol

This is the first absinthe I’ve tried. Mostly chose it for the small bottle and price since I don’t use it that often. Like the flavor, but particularly with the added artificial color (and I’m guessing chemicals as well) I’d love to try something more authentic in the future.

The simplest way to sum up this flavor is “liquid black jellybean.” The flavor is subtly different than that of black licorice, but close. I personally love this flavor and will be buying more if this. It does leave an intense tingle on the tongue that borders on burn.