Absinthe cocktails
5 classic recipes from our canon that use absinthe — Absinthe sits in our liqueurs & fortified shelf.
Sazerac
Rye stirred with Peychaud's in an absinthe-rinsed glass — New Orleans' spirit-forward classic.
Ingredients
- ◆rinse absinthe
- ◆50 ml rye whiskey
- ◆7 ml simple syrup
- ◆2 dashes peychaud's bitters
Method
- 1Rinse a chilled rocks glass with absinthe and discard the excess.
- 2Stir rye, syrup and Peychaud's with ice until cold.
- 3Strain into the glass, neat, and express a lemon peel over the top.
PRO TIP
Served without ice — the absinthe is a rinse, not a pour.
Garnish — Lemon peel, discarded
Corpse Reviver No. 2
Equal parts gin, Cointreau, Lillet and lemon with an absinthe rinse — a bright, dangerous eye-opener.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml gin
- ◆30 ml cointreau
- ◆30 ml lillet blanc
- ◆30 ml lemon juice
- ◆1 dash absinthe
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
PRO TIP
Just a dash of absinthe — too much and it bulldozes everything else.
Garnish — Orange zest
Remember the Maine
A Manhattan laced with cherry and absinthe — dark, spiced and a little mysterious.
Ingredients
- ◆rinse absinthe
- ◆60 ml rye whiskey
- ◆22 ml sweet vermouth
- ◆15 ml cherry liqueur
Method
- 1Rinse a chilled coupe with absinthe and discard the excess.
- 2Stir the remaining ingredients with ice until cold.
- 3Strain into the prepared coupe.
PRO TIP
Cherry Heering is the classic cherry liqueur for this one.
Garnish — Lemon zest
Tuxedo
A dressed-up Martini with maraschino, absinthe and orange bitters — crisp and aromatic.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml gin
- ◆30 ml dry vermouth
- ◆1 bar spoon maraschino liqueur
- ◆1 dash absinthe
- ◆3 dashes orange bitters
Method
- 1Stir all ingredients with ice until very cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled martini glass.
PRO TIP
Old Tom gin and a whisper of absinthe make it sing.
Garnish — Cherry and lemon zest
Monkey Gland
Gin and orange juice with absinthe and grenadine — a strange, bright 1920s curio that works.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml gin
- ◆45 ml orange juice
- ◆1 tbsp absinthe
- ◆1 tbsp grenadine
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
The absinthe and grenadine sound odd together but tie the whole thing up.
Garnish — None
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