est. 2007
Training Your Absinthe Palate!
So you’ve tried a few brands, gotten used to the taste and have come to the conclusion that you will inevitably become a life long absintheur. But you’re not quite sure where you should go from here with such a vast array of brands, styles, and prices. Well, where you decide to go from here is ultimately up to you, but here’s our best shot at getting you on the express highway to absinthe heaven…
A popular opinion these days seems to be that one need not try middle of the road absinthe brands-to just start at the top with the best recommendations. Well, they may have their opinion, but I beg to differ, friends. Those that have never touched a single Czech offering, those who say working your way up in terms of quality is a waste of time and money...I beg to differ. Because no matter what the drink in question, one thing holds true: you can't appreciate the best until you've had the worst. Just be sure to order in sample size when you order the worst (read: Czech “absinth”).
Remember the high school and even college parties where you tried to enjoy yourself choking down shots of Smirnoff dribble? Then the first time you had a quality (or even half-decent) scotch you finally come to the realization that "by golly, alcohol can,...can actually taste good!". Someday you'll probably think that same scotch is shit, but hey, its a start. I say work your way up in quality. Compare similar drinks side by side, and explore at your own pace (seriously, no rush). Find the little nuances and unique qualities in each drink, working your way up in complexity and quality, so that you build up your understanding accordingly. Otherwise, it'd be like leaping into buying a $400 bottle of wine and trying to make heads or tails of it. It wouldn't be worth it, as an inexperienced palate would not yet be able to appreciate such a wine.
Of course, you won’t get anywhere if you’re always drinking the same old brands. There are two easy ways to get exposure to a lot of brands relatively quickly: group ordering and buying in sample size. Or hey, why not do a group order OF a bunch of samples? Brilliant! Browse special offers for per-bottle discounts, and make sure everyone in the group is buying a different brand for maximum exposure! Sample sizes may seem like a rip sometimes, but trust me,…you’ll save a lot more money spending $8 on a sample than you would laying down $80 on a bottle before you realized you didn’t like the brand! www.absinthe.de has plenty of sample size bottles.
Equally important is trying contrasting brands. Buying every Jade will earn you a liquor cabinet with some damn fine absinthe, but really, not much in terms of experience if that’s all you’re drinking. If you want a Jade to start out with, add a bottle of an entry-level oil mix like Fee Verte Classic to really appreciate the quality of the distilled Jade. Try an anise-bomb next to a wormwood heavy-hitter like Doubs Mystique. The spicy, sweet Montemartre against an absinthe with a very traditional flavour. A verte and blanche side-by-side, preferably from the same distillery so it will be fairly even quality. You get the idea. If we don’t have a review of it yet, hit the forums and see what others thought of your potential pick. Just watch out for the poseur connoisseurs and users labeling anyone asking a question as a "twat" (not all absintheurs are as newb-friendly as we are, so beware...).
Finally, for aspiring future absinthe reviewers, www.absinthe.de carries 2 nice little tasting kits to give you a chance to sample individually distilled herbs. It’s probably a wee bit easier reading a review when you know what each ingredient tastes like…
Well, hopefully that set you on the straight and narrow road toward alcoholism! We will understand if you don’t send us thank you letters, as it IS quite difficult to type when you can’t walk…
Posted 3/12/2008