The Egyptian cocktail at Adarra (Photo by Jay Paul)
Wormwood (actually a leafy shrub and not a type of wood) has been a controversial ingredient in the United States over the last century, with its most popular consumable product — absinthe — banned for its supposed mind-altering properties. Heralded as a faerie-materializing artist’s muse, its identity was challenged for years before finally being liberated. Well, sort of.
In 2007, a highly regulated version of absinthe was legalized in America under the condition that its active ingredient, thujone, peaked at only 10 parts per million. As in, alcohol poisoning would ensue before imbibers could experience any magical faerie sparkle. But if it’s a psychoactive effect you’re chasing, keep looking; those wild tales of hallucination were likely just drunk people being drunk. The booze was strong back then.
But wait! Absinthe-spiked drinks are still worth seeking. Like many herbaceous infusions, it’s great for digestion, with soothing fennel and anti-inflammatory anise joining wormwood’s happy-gut benefits — and that’s a claim backed by science.
The Egyptian
Adarra’s cocktail program does a lot with a little. The Egyptian lists three ingredients: oloroso sherry, blanc vermouth and absinthe. But the result is a complex, rich marvel with a light licorice hit of absinthe.
138 Swizzle
A 1930s banger containing the most delightful ingredient — “elbow grease” — the Swizzle combines overproof rum, lime, sugar, bitters and absinthe, shaken to hell and poured through an adult-sized glass of snow cone ice.
Sage Against the Machine
Let’s start with celebrating the sage brown butter-washed Dickel rye that is the foundation of this drink. Whew! A bit of absinthe and a bit of Demerara results in a lusciously warm, playful riff on the Sazerac.
