Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Dub
Fully understood, I also don't tolerate stupidity, but I seem to have a better threshold compared to you. 
Yea, the owner answered questions, and one of them was why they did the ritual of sugar cube + dripping water, and he said that it's so the drink turns milky white, aka louching like you said.
He even said that Muslims [or whatever religion/middle easterns that cant drink alcohol] louche their absinthe on purpose so as to fool the Allah, cause it looks like milk. Now that I don't know, but seems possible.
After I got home (I didn't drink too much, not enough to feel drunk, but just a slight buzz) I did some of my own reading and research. Really got confused as to why the Hills drink didn't louche...
Is real absinthe supposed to taste so strongly of anise/licorice? I really don't like the taste of it.. never liked the candies as a kid.  |
The "holy trinity" of absinthe is green anise (not star anise, although many use that since the louche is much stronger), fennel, and wormwood. Every brand is different though, and can add various herbs (including licorice). Depending on your tastes, you might not like the flavour of anise. To me, it does have similar characteristics, but you should try others before writing absinthe off. Don't let Hill's ruin your opinion of this wonderful drink
I am enjoying a glass of Duplais Verte right now, and I made a video of the louche. I'll post it on Youtube and put it up here so you can check it out. Duplais doesn't have an intense milky louche, but it is enjoyable. My favourite characteristic is when the water/sugar first hits the absinthe, and forms tiny crystals that seem to dance around in the liquid. It is also enjoyable to observe the small chunks of undiluted sugar as they drop down. As they hit the absinthe, they leave trails behind in the liquid, almost like a shooting star.