Absinthe Cocktails Hardcover – October 6, 2010

I was brought up eating lots of black licorice, and when I discovered absinthe 2 years ago I fell in love with it. It's a wonderful liquor whose anise wonderfully mimics that licorice taste I was so fond of growing up. I primarily prepare my absinthe the traditional way of using sugar cubes and water, but I was interested in having this book by my bar to look at other ways it can be enjoyed.This book is very wonderful to glance through and opened up my eyes about the possibility of the drink. However, the cocktails in here are not for the novice bartender. Many of them are not simple and require rather obscure/expensive/rare ingredients. This is not to say the book is bad, but it merely posits different ways in which to enjoy such an iconic drink.The beauty is that absinthe can still be best enjoyed with ingredients found in every home....sugar and water. But this book gives me the aim to try and concoct new complimentary tastes for such an iconic drink.

Ted Breaux makes Absinthe in France & is mentioned in the book. It's the reason I bought the book, also to learn new ways to mix cocktails with Absinthe. Ted was involved in abolishing the ban on Absinthe in the U.S. It was his scientific research that proved the ban was based on false science. He created Lucid Absinthe specifically for the U.S., but also has several superior Absinthes, all made in Saumur, France in 100+ year old copper stills that were originally used for the creation of Absinthe in the 19th century. I was happy to find a book that has so many good recipes.

Our son is a jazz musician in New Orleans. Knowing that Absinthe is associated with that city, I purchased Absinthe, the special glasses, spoons and sugar cubes one needs to embark on an adventure with Absinthe. Not only was the recipient surprised, he has reported enjoying reading the book and assembling some of the recipes. Apparently he and his bride enjoy the ceremony of preparing Absinthe cocktails, feeling connected to earlier times in the fascinating city in which they live.

For those looking to explore the making and some history surrounding the drink known as the green fairy this could serve as a good starting point. The book contains various recipes along with pertinent background information which allows one to reproduce the various iterations of the drink known as Absinthe.

Since Absinthe is new to me I felt it would be wise to purchase a book to help with the basics. I have found this book to be very insightful and helpful and look forward to trying the different recipes. The only challenge is the pages are colored black with white print. It is a little hard to read but is a beautiful book.

It requires a lot of odd ingredients, as others have said, but it's a fun little book and I think we'll probably experiment with the drinks. It's pretty and cheerful.

I purchased this item as a gift and had no idea how much enjoyment it would bring. Hours were spent reading the history of Absinthe as well as studying possible cocktails that could be enjoyed. The item was received in plenty of time for the holidays, arrived in excellent condition and was a roaring success!

It is always fun to find new ways to use something you love. Absinthe is very versitile, and this book offers several good coctail ideas.

Great

A very nice little book for my collection, quite a variety of recipes, this would be great for a bartender. I may try some eventually but for now I drink my absinthe the old fashion way, absinthe, spoon, sugar cube and ice cold water