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Cocktail History
The Absinthe Frappé is a classic cocktail of unknown origin that was created sometime in the 1800s. It’s made with a simple mixture of absinthe, water, and simple syrup, and it became popular back when absinthe was known to be a good morning pick-me-up or apéritif before the spirit’s wide-scale ban in 1912.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Absinthe: This is a spirit made with anise, wormwood, fennel, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Great Lakes Distillery Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte because it’s flavorful and made locally to us. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe.
Water: This is a colorless liquid that cools and stretches the recipe. We used chilled filtered water.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s stovetop recipe.
Lemon Wedge: This is a slice of a lemon that has been cut into a wedge shape.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Tasting Notes
The Absinthe Frappé begins with light aromas of licorice and follows with a bracingly cold and herbal but overall pleasant taste that highlights absinthe in its purest form with an added sweetness that helps to numb the burn. The aftertaste goes down similarly, leaving a sugar-tinged herbal note on the tongue.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Although she acknowledged it was light and refreshing, Kendall just couldn’t get past the fact that the Absinthe Frappé is, at the end of the day, straight absinthe. Alex, on the other hand, quite enjoyed this hot-weather take on the traditional way of drinking the spirit.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This cocktail recipe sort of defies the rules since it’s literally just one alcoholic ingredient sweetened with sugar and stretched with water. It’s even simpler than the Old Fashioned, which may disqualify it as a cocktail altogether, in my opinion. That aside, I actually liked this one! Absinthe’s shockingly strong herbal quality was mellowed out quite a bit thanks to the syrup and water, and all three created a sip that had plenty of the wormwood liquor’s character with a nice dessert sweetness.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐
“If there is one spirit that I just cannot drink no matter how many times I try, it’s absinthe. I know many find its licorice flavor very pleasant, but I realized recently that it reminds me of the smell of the tanning oil my mom used during my childhood, and I just can’t get past it. For that reason and since this drink was literally just absinthe, a hint of sugar, and water, I couldn’t drink more than a sip. It’s very light and refreshing, and I can certainly see why folks like it. It just wasn’t for me.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add absinthe, water, simple syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass over fresh crushed ice.
Top with more crushed ice as needed.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
Ingredients
Directions
Add absinthe, water, simple syrup, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass over fresh crushed ice.
Top with more crushed ice as needed.
Garnish with lemon wedge.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe to try a booze-free version of this drink.
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More Absinthe Cocktails
If you like this absinthe-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Weeper’s Joy: An absinthe cocktail made with sweet vermouth, Kümmel, simple syrup, and orange curaçao
De La Louisiane: A whiskey cocktail made with Bénédictine, sweet vermouth, absinthe, Peychaud’s Creole bitters, and a cherry
Brain Duster: A whiskey and absinthe cocktail made with sweet vermouth, Angostura aromatic bitters, and a lemon twist
Empress Corpse Reviver No. 2: A gin cocktail made with triple sec, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, absinthe, and an orange twist
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