What does absinthe taste like?
Absinthe tastes strongly of black licorice, from anise and fennel, with a bitter, herbal edge from wormwood, and it's very strong, often 55 to 70% alcohol.
Absinthe
strong licorice and herbs
Absinthe is a high-proof spirit flavored with green anise, fennel and wormwood. The first impression is licorice, cool and sweet-smelling, followed by a dry herbal bitterness. It's meant to be diluted: traditionally, ice water drips through a sugar cube on a slotted spoon until the green spirit turns cloudy (the 'louche'). Watered down, it's softer, sweeter and surprisingly refreshing. The hallucination stories are myths; what it really has is strength. Many bottles are 55 to 70% alcohol, well above most spirits.
Where you’ll see it
In a traditional absinthe drip with water and sugar, as the rinse that coats the glass of a Sazerac, in the Corpse Reviver No. 2, and in Death in the Afternoon (absinthe and Champagne).
Order it if you like black licorice, fennel and herbal drinks, and you're happy to take it slow.
Quick questions
- Does absinthe make you hallucinate?
- No. That reputation came from scare stories in the early 1900s, not the drink. The wormwood compound that got blamed is present in tiny amounts.
- Is absinthe legal in the US?
- Yes. It's been sold legally in the US since 2007, as long as it stays under limits on thujone, the wormwood compound.