An American Cocktail: Absinthe
Absinthe has been part of America's rich cocktail tradition for many years. Some say it even inspired the country's first cocktail: during the 1830s, New Orleans pharmacist Antoine Peychaud entertained friends with the Sazerac, a concoction of brandy, absinthe, and a splash of his secret ingredient, bitters.
Today, the legacy of the Green Fairy continues, and mixologists across the country are again adding it to their repertoires. Check out some vintage and modern absinthe cocktail recipes below, then mix one for yourself with a little help from .Le Tourment Vert.
Absinthe and the Creative Class
Absinthe's enchanting hue — and reputation for sparking creativity — led many artists and writers to romanticize the drink throughout history. The beverage turns up in the work of Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway, among others.
Oscar Wilde
The Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde was an absinthe drinker while he lived in France. Wilde once said, "Absinthe has a wonderful color, green. A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?"
Ernest Hemmingway
American writer Ernest Hemingway was a renowned lover of absinthe. Its most notable mention comes in his novel of the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hero Robert Jordan finds comfort in absinthe's "liquid alchemy," which erases any pain and recalls the better life he had known in Paris.
American Absinthe Cocktails
Revisit the early 20th century with these vintage cocktails recipes, reproduced as they originally appeared.
- 2 oz Le Tourment Vert Absinthe
- ½ oz Gin
- ½ oz Anisette or Gomme Syrup
- 1 dash Orange Bitters
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- Shake thoroughly and strain into a cocktail glass.
- 2 oz Le Tourment Vert Absinthe
- 1 oz Water
- Two dashes of Gin
- Add to iced tumbler, then stir and strain into cocktail glass.
- 1 oz Le Tourment Vert Absinthe
- 2 oz Water
- Four dashes Gomme or Simple Syrup
- Glass of fine ice
- Shake until outside of shaker is covered with frost, then strain into large glass.
Photos from our Flavorpill City Tasting Events
Introducing Flavorpill's
Signature Cocktail
Flavorpill Orange Fresh
- 1 oz Le Tourment Vert Absinthe
- 2 oz Club soda
- Juice of one fresh-squeezed orange
- Shake over ice and pour in rocks glass
- Garnish with an orange wedge
To celebrate our partnership with Distillerie Vinet Ege, makers of authentic French absinthe Le Tourment Vert, we've created our first-ever cocktail, the Flavorpill Orange Fresh.
Absinthe Cocktail Options
Get more absinthe cocktail recipes by clicking on the drinks below.
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