Highlights from a Morton's Absinthe tasting

Not long ago I mentioned that Morton's Steak House is hosting Pernod Absinthe in a series of tastings across the country. The tasting in my area isn't for several months, so I sent fellow Examiner, and vintage cocktail fan, Joshua McIntire to attend one of the Denver area tastings. Here is what he had to say about the event.

Recently I was invited to attend an unusual event at Morton's Steakhouse here in Denver.  An absinthe tasting was absolutely something I could not resist.  Like many attendees, I thought the drink was illegal and the most I knew was that it caused people to cut off their ears.

I couldn't have been more incorrect.

The people of Pernod are bringing something old back again. Absinthe, the anise/licorice-flavored liqueur favored by 19th century Romantics and painters, was banned in 1912, but in 2008, Pernod brought the Green Fairy back to America.   

At the tasting, we were treated to a bit of history as Yoko, the Pernod rep, gave us a demonstration of the traditional serving using a fairy fountain.

Along with oysters prepared in Pernod, three very different signature cocktails were served.  A Sazerac, with rye and a splash of absinthe, the Monkey Gland, a cosmopolitan-like cocktail spiked with a touch of absinthe, and the lightest of the three, Le Deaux, a signature combination of champagne, raspberry puree and absinthe.  Each was intriguing and the licorice flavor was subtle but added entirely new dimensions to what otherwise would have been boring traditional drinks. 

Of course, the most traditional service for absinthe, was equally intriguing if not show-stopping. After pouring a measure of absinthe into an absinthe glass (with the traditional bubble in the bottom) a slotted spoon holding a sugar cube was placed over the rim of the glass. Ice water was then drizzled over the sugar. As the cube melted, it dripped through the slots in the spoon, mixing with the absinthe. Three to six measures of cold water are then added to the absinthe, diluting it into a milky green.  This allowed for the purest tasting of the drink and was my top choice of the evening. 

The cocktails, combined with an absinthe-infused oyster's rockafeller, capped off a lovely evening in which the attendees were allowed to return to a forgotten era and a forbidden recipe, the most accurate recipe from the very first producer of absinthe; Pernod.

I highly recommend picking up a bottle of the new "it" drink - if you want to impress.  But, read up on the history of the drink as it makes for outstanding conversation.  Even those who don't enjoy licorice will succumb to the power of Pernod when added to a more traditional cocktail - the Sazerac in particular. 

There are other "absinthe" options available, and many of them are decent - but when trying something new, I highly recommend sticking with the original, the one with the history, the one that was banned, the classy one - Pernod.