The holidays are upon us. There’s madness in the air. This year however I am not going to get caught up in the madness. No big parties at my house. No interstate travel. Even my gift list will be pared down. Because this Christmas I want to enjoy the meaning of Christmas and not get bowled over by the hype and hoopla.
One way to do this (for me) is to develop a drink that is special enough for the holidays. Something with festive flavors and something sophisticated enough to make intimate evenings with close friends feel exceptional. So I’ve developed a drink that I’m calling Foaming Fairy. It’s a cocktail made with a touch of absinthe. Because absinthe cocktails have all the qualities I’m looking for in a drink this holiday season. Absinthe is not a spirit that you’ll find in my liquor cabinet all that often, so it does feel special. Its mysterious reputation and anise flavors make it a perfect choice for the holidays. Besides absinthe cocktails are a festive shade of green.
Absinthe Cocktails
Foaming Fairy is what you might call an old-fashioned cocktail. Partly because it contains two ingredients that were once common, but either fell out of favor or were changed in some fundamental way. One of these ingredients is Old Tom gin. For political reasons (that only a king can understand) William III, a Dutchman who ascended to the throne in England, banned French brandy from Britain. I guess he preferred genever, which is often called Dutch gin. So the English began producing gin, and lots of it. It was of a low quality and sugar was added to tame its nasty bite. This precursor to modern London style ‘dry’ gin became known as Old Tom gin. Which means when delving into very old cocktail recipes ‘gin’ probably meant Old Tom gin. Anyway, as production quality improved less and less sugar was needed and ‘dry’ gin came in fashion.
Fortunately modern cocktail geeks can experience the original intention of some of these ‘old fashioned’ cocktails more closely. Several brands have reintroduced Old Tom gin. Hayman’s Old Tom gin was created in 2007, based on what is said to be an authentic recipe.
2007 was the year another old liqueur made a comeback. Once referred to as “the green fairy”, “opalescent muse”, or “the essence of life” absinthe cocktails were the drink of choice for 19th century artists in Paris. Gradually the perception of its powers shifted. Van Gogh is said to have sliced off his ear while drinking absinthe. It gained a reputation as an hallucinogenic. Worse, it was said to lead “straight to the madhouse or the courthouse” according to the French druggist who led the charge to outlaw the green liquid. Indeed, it was illegal in the U.S. for about a century. Then something changed. People either forgot, disregarded or discredited the reasons for the ban on absinthe. The green fairy got a reprieve and is once again available in North America.
Which means modern mixologists can once again start mixing up absinthe cocktails like my Foaming Fairy. GREG
Ingredients
- 2 ounce Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce absinthe
- 1 small egg white
- 4 drop The Bitter Truth Creole Bitters
Directions
Add the gin, lemon juice, absinthe and egg white to cocktail shaker. Cover and vigorously “dry shake” the ingredients about 30 seconds to combine. Uncap the shaker and fill ⅔ full with ice and shake again vigorously until frothy, at least 30 seconds. Using a Hawthorn strainer double strain the cocktail through a wire-mesh sieve into chilled cocktail glass. Wait a moment for the foam to rise, then strategically place 4 drops bitters in a circle on top. Use a skewer to connect the dots. Makes 1.
The only change I made was gin used beefeater London dry
Enjoyed it and I’m sure with every different make of gin will change the taste thanks for sharing
I used a Brockmans Gin for this, muddled fresh blueberries and a squeeze of fresh orange, little bit of sugar syrup,fine strained, ditched the bitters. Changed the colour,but a good drink
So in a nutshell you made exactly, a different drink altogether right? Make what you like and post it too, just don’t say you used every ingredient other than the absinthe and say you made this. I actually am having one right now, I agree maybe only add the bitters to taste but I didn’t say replace with an alternative that has nothing to do with original ingredients.
I remember when absinthe came back onto the scene. It was a good year. 🙂
Has anyone actually tried it? Because I did, and it’s bloody awful.
Absinthe is not for everyone. GREG
I just tried it and indeed it was awful, I added 40ml of simple syrup to the above recipe and it was better but still not something I’ll likely make again.
lazy research (as in non-existent) on the absinth, i have to say.
it’s pretty simple — it was banned for the wrong reasons. research showed that the awful poisonings were due to badly produced alcohol, not the absinth itself.
beautiful looking cocktail, anyway!
Did you read the whole thing? I believe I plainly stated in the 2nd to last paragraph that eventually folks “discredited the reasons for the ban on absinthe”. Thanks for stopping by. GREG
Yeah I don’t like know it alls either Greg but that doesn’t give you free reign to be a dick. Thanks for the informative read though, sticking to only the facts really works for you.
You know what they say, absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. No?
I didn’t know that it was ever illegal, I’m so out of touch with those kind of things. Which speaking of prohibition, I wonder if any chefs in Colorado will start cooking with cannabis as a seasoning.
Have you not tried our potsta sauces?
Nice booze factoids — I love learning something new. And I love your foaming fairy recipe. It looks festive and fanciful. Absinthe rocks.
Yup, you know your gin. 😉 Absinthe is good stuff, isn’t it? Strong flavor, though, so balancing it can be a bit tricky. This drink, though, looks perfectly balanced — good job.
I love the title and the color! And the boozy trivia & factoids. I need these in my life!
I remember when absinthe came back onto the scene. It was a good year. 🙂
So your cocktail is one part historic England and one part historic Paris? How Waterloo of you. 🙂 Everything about this drink is intriguing and I loved the history snippet. Thanks!
gorgeous
I’m doing same thing this Christmas. Low key, but nice. However, I wouldn’t mind if a fairy or two visits me!
God I love absinthe.
What a cool looking cocktail and what a great idea. I didn’t know that about Old Tom Gin. I actually thought it was just another brand, but now I know the truth.