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My Date With The Emerald Imp

      Walking into Barchef on Queen West was an experience worth writing of on its own, but my main focus was on the styles of Absinthe being offered there and how my first experience with the libation was going to go.

      I was intrigued by the ritual surrounding the preparation of the drink favoured by some of my favourite dead people and the hysteria that had kept it largely banned for so many years.

     After 10 minutes of watching drops of ice cold water slowly saturate a cube of sugar suspended over a glass with a slotted spoon, the Pernod Absinthe effortlessly turned from a clear liquid into a cloudy haze of light lime green brimming with licorice based aromatics.

     The Pernod was sweet and fairly balanced on the palate, but couldn't compare with the Sirène Absinthe Verte (middle) out of Lake Bluff, Chicago. Yellow in colour with a citrus nose and slight gin characteristics, this Absinthe had a finesse and louche about it that I fell completely in love with. 

     Finishing with the Hills Absinthe (right) from the Czech Republic was a bit of a let down. It had a great turquoise colour, but it didn't louche and it packed a minimal aromatic punch. Overall, not showing the typical properties one would hope for in a quality Absinthe. 

A few weeks later I tried "Taboo" by Okanagan Spirits and it was by far the best  of all of the previous suspects. If you can find it, invest in a bottle.