It’s sad when the bottle is nearly empty. That’s what Tammy Coxen of Tammy’s Tastings found when she visited a friend’s house for a party and the bottle of Ann Arbor Distilling Company's new Absinthe Violette was almost gone.
“What have you done to go through that much absinthe?” she asked. The reply was they had been making Necromancers.
A Necromancer is a riff on the classic Corpse Reviver #2. The difference is that the gin and the absinthe trade places. Instead of a dash of absinthe, and a measure of gin, it calls for a dash of gin and a measure of absinthe. That’s not the only swap, but it’s the significant change in the recipe.
In the 19th century, absinthe became known as the ‘Green Fairy,’ because of its color. Tammy says the Absinthe Violette is a “beautiful purple color.”
She says she would have loved using this absinthe in a Corpse Reviver, but during this series, we’ve made that classic cocktail (see here). So, she went with her friend’s impulse and made a Necromancer.
“This made me really happy that this is a little bit of a variation (of the Corpse Reviver #2) which lets the absinthe shine even more,” Tammy said.
The Absinthe Violette is floral, made of a Michigan brandy using Catawba grapes, star anise, wormwood, fennel, and anise seed to give it that classic licorice flavor. The violet color comes from blueberries, but there’s a whole host of botanicals that make this absinthe stand out.
Tammy says it’s well balanced. Lester says he’s ‘wowed’ by the intensity of the absinthe-forward cocktail, but then he’s a fan of absinthe.
It’s a drink that very much reminds them of a Corpse Reviver #2, but with absinthe in overdrive.
There's one sad note. The Absinthe Violette sold out on the first day. You'll have to wait until early summer before the next batch is available.
Necromancer
3/4 oz absinthe (we used Ann Arbor Distilling Company)
3/4 oz St. Germain
3/4 oz Cocchi Americano
3/4 oz lemon juice
dash of gin
Garnish: lemon twist
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a
cocktail coupe. Garnish.
