Herbsaint Absinthe Tasting at Tales of the Cocktail

Posted on July 13, 2009 | Permalink

By Lane Casteix

I spent an enjoyable afternoon down in the French Quarter with my bride this past Saturday. The main reason was to visit the Herbsaint Absinthe tasting, which was part of the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail, at the Hotel Monteleone.

We began with lunch at the Acme Oyster House where we had charbroiled oysters and a fried shrimp po-boy. Fantastic way to start an afternoon in the French Quarter!

After lunch we walked over to the Hotel Monteleone for the Herbsaint Absinthe tasting. Monique Bush, the art director on the Herbsaint project, and Keith Maresma, the Herbsaint account executive, joined us there, where we met Kevin Richards, the Herbsaint brand manager.

Since we at SPAR had spent the last several months working on the retro Herbsaint Absinthe package, we were finally getting a chance to taste it! Even though the current Herbsaint recipe, developed after absinthe was banned in the U.S. back in the thirties, is supposed to be a good substitute for the original absinthe recipe, I was sure the original would be different. I was not disappointed.

I have never found fault with the non-absinthe version of Herbsaint, but then I only used it in making Sazerac Cocktails, and my wife uses it a lot in spinach dishes, where it works very well for a kind of faux Oysters Bienville.

My objective was to taste the two side-by-side, which is not an easy task, considering the strong flavor and fairly high proof. One must cleanse the mouth with water between sips.

My first impression before tasting was the nose. The absinthe version of Herbsaint definitely had a more fragrant nose, sweet and a bit flowery. The non-absinthe formula paled by comparison. The bouquet was noticeably weaker.

Next came the taste. I began with the non-absinthe version and found the taste strong and flavorful though not overpowering of liquorish as one might expect. I suspect cutting it with a little spring water and the liquorish-like flavor will come through stronger. The high alcohol content does take a toll on the taste buds and almost overwhelms the flavors of the liqueur.

After a shot of spring water to cleanse the mouth, I sipped the absinthe version. Its richer flavor profile came through immediately. It was obviously the tastier of the two.

I am no absinthe tasting expert but I can tell you which one I preferred and can't wait until Herbsaint Absinthe will be released for sale in October. Besides, I am almost out of my current bottle. Maybe I can prevail on the brand manager for a pre-release sample bottle?