Week 5: Absente [52 Whispers From The Muse]
Absente
Overall Rating: 2.4
Appearance: 3.0
Louche: 3.0
Aroma: 2.0
Flavor/Mouthfeel: 2.0
Finish: 2.0
Overall: 2.5
Country: France
Appearance: A pleasant pale green that seems natural enough if a little dull.
Louche: Louched quickly with a thick fog to a nice milky green. A little thick but pretty.
Aroma: The aroma was not unpleasant but it was all a flat plane of anise. Not very strong, not all that remarkable.
Flavor/Mouthfeel: Like the aroma it didn’t taste bad but it was very one dimensional and over sweet with the only characteristic to stand out being a very sweet Star Anise.
Finish: It’s kinda like Absinthe. The sweetness lingers with the Star Anise.
I don’t know if I’d call Absente a good introductory Absinthe but it does seem to be available everywhere. It is actually even safe to say that it’s not a true Absinthe as the label even lists it as a Liqueur, By definition a liqueur is bottled with added sugar. Unfortunately it’s my understanding that there are still not strict, official definitions of what Absinthe should be across the globe but a true Absinthe is not a liqueur and had no added sugar when bottled. Whether you add it yourself at the time of imbibing or not is a whole other story.
I am glad I had a chance to try this in a formal tasting. I did have a chance to try some form of Absente many years ago before they advertised that it was made with Artemisia Absinthium, but to be fair it wasn’t a proper tasting. I was already drunk, ogling my then newly acquired girlfriend while she danced in a short skirt, with the Absente quickly diluted with bottled water and then heathenly served in a viking drinking horn.
Liken it to supermarket sushi; There are just some times when you really crave sushi and it’s right there in the supermarket when you’re shopping for food. You’re already hungry, you remember how much you love sushi and there it is, right in front of you beckoning you to indulge. It’s convenience and availability make it so very appealing to your short memory of the disappointing regret you’ll have after the desperate need for it is unsatisfyingly squelched.
