Review: Absinthe Ordinaire Liqueur

Absinthe Ordinaire is a decidedly non-traditional absinthe — in fact, it’s not a true absinthe at all but a liqueur, made with sugar and artificial color, and bottled at just 46% alcohol.

The French product does claim a historic recipe dating back to 1792 and includes classic ingredients of true absinthes, including wormwood. I did have to chuckle however at the warning sign on the back label, noting that the product “is 92 proof, so please drink with extreme caution.”

OK.

Now that we know what we’re getting into, let’s give it a whirl.

Absinthe Ordinaire Liqueur Review

There’s nothing ordinaire about this product, which is a curious and sweet example of absinthe in a lower-proof presentation, one which has already been doctored with sugar. The pale green spirit has the color of chartreuse, but the nose of sweet licorice candy — a lively mix of anise and fresh fennel, with ample white sugar represented — cues you in right away to what you are about to drink.

The palate diverges precisely zero from expectations: It’s like chewing on a licorice whip in liquid form. Late game hints of lemon and vanilla add just a touch of nuance, but the through-line is candied licorice all the way.

The product does louche, but absinthe purists may well revolt about how tempered the alcohol becomes after water is added. The result is closer to a pastis, watered down but still quite flavorful, and actually quite summery and fresh as some new aromatics come into focus. Gentle mint notes inform a lengthy but lively finish, touched with citrus and approximations of baking spice. A pleasant milk chocolate note builds from there, though that licorice/anise note is never far from view.

At 46% abv, no absinthe liqueur is ever going to acquit itself as anything in line with the powerhouse products we’ve become accustomed to, but it’s this product is so effusive and full of life that it’s hard not to love it all the same — at least on its own terms. I’d readily use it as a Sazerac rinse.

92 proof.

B+ / $30

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