Absente Absinthe Refined

The aroma is entirely black jellybean. The taste is more anise, as anticipated. I sampled a couple of sips neat. It's quite harsh with an aftertaste that borders on burnt plastic. Adding 2 parts water significantly mellowed it but it remained very bitter. I added two more parts water and it became much more palatable. For the second serving, I used the sugar cube method. Much improved. It makes sense to consume it as intended. The flavors transformed from harsh, fresh anise stems to a delicious candy flavor. Hints of lime are now present too. There's no burn left. This goes down easily prepared this way!

After sipping it neat and with a sugar cube, I tried it in a gin martini, a Benedictine cocktail, and with ginger ale. While I typically favor herbal cocktails with bold, bitter profiles, absinthe might not be my preference. The sweet anise notes are intriguing but not what I look for. The aroma is like licorice candy, and the taste features star anise with a touch of mint. It tingles on the tongue and seems to alter my taste perception somewhat. I will need to sample a higher-quality absinthe to see if that changes the experience.

This isn't a true absinthe since it doesn't induce hallucinations, or perhaps it's the high quantity of artificial coloring and sugar it contains. Authentic absinthe, like gin, is made from macerated spirits; this is merely imitation absinthe produced when the ban was active. Many excellent genuine absinthes are available at this cost.

It's a shame the green color comes from artificial dyes. As anticipated, the aroma is dominated by intense black licorice with little else. The palate is intensely black licorice, sugary, alcoholic, and peppery. Quite enjoyable, though quite a jolt on its own. Naturally, this isn't intended to be drunk straight...haha.

This is my inaugural absinthe experience. I primarily selected it due to its small bottle size and price, as I don't use it frequently. I enjoy the flavor, but given the added artificial coloring (and likely chemicals), I'm keen to try a more authentic version in the future.

The easiest way to describe this flavor is 'liquid black jellybean.' It tastes subtly different from black licorice, but very similar. I personally love this flavor and will repurchase it. It does leave a strong tingle on the tongue that's almost a burn.