My First Absinthe Experience - Part 1

 

In 2001, Ryan Bergman, a friend and fellow bartender, returned from a vacation to Europe. We used this as an excuse for a late night pool party; loud music, cold beer, basic drinks and good friends.  I had been bartending for about 9 years and the kitchen was full of bartenders talking shop. I had heard of absinthe but had never had the opportunity to try it and since it was just us, we convinced Ryan to bring out the bottle of Czech absinthe that he brought back from his trip.

We immediately opened it and passed it around for a sniff of what was to come.  I remember a deep yellow tint and the overpowering smells of anise and licorice. We had to improvise and replaced the usual sugar cube with simple syrup, mixed it with the absinthe and gave it a shake over ice. Shots were poured and amazingly, they were now a milky white, a far cry from the translucent yellow that went into the tin. I had just experienced my first louche!

 

As the shots were passed, I took the smallest one. Of all the bottles behind a bar, I have been known to enjoy every one of them except for Sambuca and Pernod. The taste was terrible but, admittedly, that wasn't why I was drank it.  Absinthe had been banned in the United States for years and I was drinking a smuggled bottle of it, kind of cool. Why did all those before me love this so much? 

 

Afterward, it made some sense as to why it is so popular in Europe. The flavor profile is what I would expect from a region that appreciates bitter and herbal flavors much more than the American palate. I didn't see the green fairy after one shot, but wasn't interested in another. I had done all I needed to do: taste it.  As the others proceeded to kill the bottle, I was happy with my vodka tonic and the thought that I was now a part of absinthe history.

 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Dave Herlong's "My first absinthe experience"

 

*Dave Herlong is a master mixologist at N9NE Restaurant in Las Vegas