Absinthe verte (green)

Flagship

Val-de-Travers / Switzerland, Pontarlier / France, Catalonia / Spain, Czech Republic

Famous For

Mauresque

Pastis and orgeat with water. Anise and almond in a Provencal afternoon glass.

ABV45-74%

Sub-styles

Verte (green)Blanche/La Bleue (clear)Absenta (Spanish-style)Bohemian (Czech-style / often low quality)Hausgemacht/Clandestine (Swiss homemade)

Tasting Notes

Primary: anise, fennel seed, wormwood bitterness. Secondary: mint, melissa (lemon balm), hyssop, white pepper. Tertiary: alpine herbs, meadow flowers, green tea, tarragon. The louche changes everything — pre-louche is sharp, herbal, almost medicinal. Post-louche opens into floral, rounded, creamy. Cheap absinthe tastes like licorice candy. Good absinthe tastes like walking through an alpine meadow after rain.

Brand Guide

Well

Absente, Lucid ($30-35)

Call

Pernod Absinthe, St. George ($40-55)

Premium

Vieux Pontarlier, Leopold Bros. ($55-70)

Top Shelf

Jade Nouvelle-Orléans, La Clandestine, Kübler ($70-100+). Lucid is the gateway — the first legal US absinthe, decent quality, easy to stock. St. George is the American benchmark. Jade Nouvelle-Orléans is what absinthe tasted like before the ban, reconstructed from pre-ban recipes by Ted Breaux

Explore Spirits

The Story

The green spirit that haunted Belle Epoque Paris and survived a century-long ban.

Drinks with Absinthe verte (green)(1)

Mauresque