Alpine Tundra

I bought a bottle of absinthe for the first time only a few months ago, and learned very quickly how much I loved anise flavor. I've lately becomed enamored with a cocktail at one of our local bars that combines sambuca, grapefruit, passionfruit, and lime. Anyway, I digress - I love anise! I found it to be a fun challenge to mix in cocoa, not my top favorite flavor, but I do enjoy incorporating creaminess in my cocktails. Baileys seemed like a great fit to accomplish both. My thyme plant in my garden has also been lush and plentiful lately, and I was determined to mix in my love of herbal flavors like thyme into the drink. It seemed like a mix of citrus-forward gin, lemon for acidity, thyme syrup I could make, Baileys and egg white for cocoa creaminess, an herbal liqueur, an absinthe rinse, and even a little spice to make it feel a bit cozier, seemed like the best combo. I'm thrilled how it turned out!

The recipe:

St. George Absinthe rinse

1.25 oz Hendrick's Oasium gin

1 oz Baileys

0.25 oz Yellow Chartreuse

0.5 oz homemade thyme syrup*

0.75 oz fresh lemon juice

Egg white

Small splash St. Elizabeth allspice dram

Instructions: In a coupe glass, rinse with absinthe. In shaker with ice, combine all ingredients except absinthe and shake. Strain into the coupe. Add star anise for garnish.

*Note on the syrup; I eyeballed about 10 sprigs of fresh thyme, roughly a half cup of sugar, and maybe 3/4 cup of water. Not very scientific but I stirred it over medium heat until dissolved, and when I sniffed the mixture, it didn't seem strong enough thyme scent, so I left the thyme sprigs to seep a little more while the mixture cooled. Then strained and put in the fridge.

The scent: The anise in the absinthe mixes with the smell of creamy cocoa so beautifully, it makes me think of a minty hot chocolate drink or even reminiscent of a grasshopper (the dessert/drink, not the bug)!

The flavors: The herbal notes of the chartreuse and the thyme syrup show up first, and the anise is still present. The Baileys follows with a hint of cocoa and finally, a creamy acidity of the lemon and citrus notes from the gin to end on the palette.

The mouthfeel: I have to repeat myself but creamy acidity seems to be the best description of the mouthfeel. There is a tiny amount of lemon-y pucker that is enjoyable - the Baileys cuts into it a bit, but not too much.