u r o c k t a i l s
Discover a new way to enjoy La Clandestine Absinthe as an aperitif in cocktails. Enthusiastic mixologists have devised easy-to-reproduce recipes that bring out the full aromatic range of Absinthe.
Enjoying La Clandestine Blanche in cocktails
CLASSIC COCKTAILS
b s i n t h e F r p p é
Recipe:
30 ml La Clandestine Blanche
30 ml water,
2 dashes of anisette between mixing glasses filled with fine ice. Strain into serving glass and top with seltzer.
(Source: Arthur, Stanley Clisby. Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em)
Modern variations include the addition of muddled fresh mint leaves.
The Absinthe Frappé was such a popular “morning after” drink that it became the name of a top-selling 1904 song.
e a t h i n t h A f t e r n o o n
Hemingway’s original instructions: “Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.”
Jason O’Bryan Robb Report (2022)
Recipe:
5.5 oz chilled prosecco
0.25 oz La Clandestine Blanche
Combine ingredients in a coupe or Champagne glass.
Garnish : with lemon peel.
“If I had my pick, it would be the delicate blue La Clandestine Blanche, from Switzerland, which gives a soft floral fennel & anise note and doesn’t chase away the charms of the wine itself.” (Jason O’Bryan)
MODERN MIXES
h e C l a n e s i n o o r A b s i n a ï p i r i n h a
First created for the 2007 London Bar Show; recipe modified by a Brazilian expert.
So popular it was even featured in Pernod Absinthe’s own social media!
Recipe:
1.5 oz La Clandestine Blanche
Half a lime, cut into wedges
1 oz simple syrup
Directions: Muddle the lime and simple syrup in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add La Clandestine Blanche. Shake well and serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
a l a n d s t n e E g g N o g
Single serve/at home
Recipe:
1.5 oz La Clandestine Blanche
1.5 oz heavy/double cream
¾ oz simple syrup
½ oz vanilla extract
1 egg.
Directions:
Combine in shaker, combine without ice to mix. Add 1 cup ice, shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour in glass, grate fresh nutmeg over the top, and garnish with star anise.
For more ways to make La Clandestine EggNog, including quickest way and in quantity for bars; a way to make 1.5 litres to serve more customers at once. Search for #bestabsintheeggnog on Instagram.
Enjoying La Clandestine Verte in cocktails
CLASSIC COCKTAILS
a z r a c
The official cocktail of New Orleans and originally named after the cognac it contained.
Billy Abbott, drinks writer of Spirited Matters, writes La Clandestine Verte (then Angélique) is “my favourite absinthe to use in Sazerac cocktails.”
Recipe:
50 ml cognac
10 ml La Clandestine Verte
1 sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters.
Directions: Rinse a chilled old-fashioned glass with La Clandestine Verte and add crushed ice. Stir the other ingredients, with ice in a different glass. Discard ice and excess absinthe from the first glass and strain the mixture into the second glass.
o r i n g l o y F i z z
Recipe:
The juice of ½ Lemon or 1 Lime
½ tablespoonful powdered sugar
1 egg white
2 dashes La Clandestine Verte
1 glass scotch whisky
Directions: Shake well, strain into long tumbler and fill with soda water.
MODERN MIXES
b s n t h e C o a d a
(Maison Première, Brooklyn)
Recipe:
1 oz La Clandestine Verte
½ oz rhum agricole
1 teaspoon crème de menthe
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz coconut syrup
Garnish: bouquet of mint
Directions: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled. Strain over crushed ice into a Collins or hurricane glass.
u i l ( A s i t h e N e g r o n i )
This early version of an Absinthe Negroni first appeared in the 1996 version of Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails.
Recipe:
1 oz gin, 1 oz Campari,
1 oz sweet vermouth,
¼ oz La Clandestine Verte.
Garnish: Orange twist
Directions: Fill a mixing glass 2/3 full with ice. Add gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and La Clandestine Verte. Stir until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist and serve.
Also recommended is an alternative version of the Absinthe Negroni with the classic 1:1:1 ratio of Campari, vermouth and La Clandestine Verte.
Enjoying La Clandestine Blanche Intense in cocktails
CLASSIC COCKTAILS
u i s e s s
This classic cocktail dates back to ca. 1900. “Suissesse,” literally a Swiss woman, brings to mind the pioneering women who created absinthe in the 18th century. And those who kept absinthe alive during the ban, such as Charlotte Vaucher (creator of the original La Clandestine recipe).
Jason O’Bryan, Robb Report’s cocktail writer, describes the Suissesse: “It is absinthe made exuberant … a cocktail that starts with a champion’s pour of absinthe … thought at one time to be so intense as to drive men insane … and invites you to drink it for breakfast … If you feel like sourcing the best possible absinthe for this particular cocktail, I would point you to a clean blanche, like La Clandestine.”
Whilst delighted to see Suissesse being made with La Clandestine Blanche in Dead Rabbit’s first cocktail book (recipe on right), Artemisia recommends trying this famous cocktail with La Clandestine Blanche Intense as an alternative.
Recipe:
2 oz chilled water
½ large egg white
2 dasheds Peychaud’s Bitters
½ ounce Linie Aquavit
1½ ounces Marie Brizard Crème de Cacao
½ ounce La Clandestine Intense Absinthe
Garnish: fresh nutmeg, grated, lemon peel
Directions: Add all the ingedients, except the garnishes, to a shaker. Fill with ice and shake. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Twist the lemon peel over the glass to express the oils., then discard the peel.
a i e n ' s B l s h
A classic 19th Century French creation. Often credited to The Savoy Hotel Cocktail Book (1930), the first Maiden’s Blush can be found in Louis Fouquet’s Bariana (1886), likely the first French language cocktail book. Fouquet’s Maiden’s Blush had twice as much absinthe as gin and specified “Absinthe Blanche.” The Savoy’s Maiden’s Blush No. 2 reversed the ratio.
Recipe:
1.5 oz dry gin
¾ oz La Clandestine Blanche Intense
1 teaspoon Grenadine
Garnish: lemon twist.
Directions: Shake well and strain into coupe.
MODERN MIXES
d a a n d E v l
Conceived as a simple modern mix to introduce more people to fine quality absinthe.
Recipe:
Lots of ice
1 part La Clandestine Blanche Intense
3 parts cloudy apple juice
Stir
The wonderful book
1 c o c k t a i l s m a d e w i a b s i n t h e
By 1930, absinthe had been banned in Switzerland, France and the USA. But that didn’t stop the English enjoying their absinthe as seen in the Savoy Cocktail Guide.
