Le Demon Vert
Gin is finding its way into more and more cocktails as fall turns to winter, and absinthe isn’t far behind. The lonely bottle of falernum sits idly in the refrigerator, begging me to make another tiki drink, but I’ve found other uses for it …
Le Demon Vert
- 1 1/2oz gin (used Plymouth)
- 1/2oz absinthe (I used Herbsaint)
- 1/2oz falernum
- 1/2oz lime juice
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a licorice stick.
Source: The Art of the Bar, Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz
For a second try, I used Henri Bardouin instead of the Herbsaint. Beyond changing the color to a creamy white, it softens the licorice flavor a good bit. It’s not sweet, per se, but it is a bit muted.
Flavor
Garnishing this with licorice makes a lot of sense. The drink is dripping with it. Tart lime and crisp ginger bounce around in your mouth like this is some kind of strange tiki drink, but the gin hits home again and again reminding you otherwise. The absinthe is balanced skillfully. I can imagine enjoying this late afternoon on Christmas day or perhaps late at night after Thanksgiving.
KP Questions
- What’s your favorite non-tiki falernum cocktail? (or for those of you who consume nothing but exotic cocktails, what’s a good way to use up your falernum?)
- What are your favorites from Art of the Bar?
7 Responses to “Le Demon Vert”
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Boy, this is up there with my favorites from Art of the Bar. It’s certainly a crowd pleaser.
This and the Ginger Rogers are both Gin cocktails anyone can love.
1. This is one of my own with falernum. It’s a straight-up exotic cocktail.
Downtown Lights
2 oz Gin
1 oz White Rum (Barcardi is fine for this, though Matuselam would be the thing)
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1 tsp Blue Curacao
Shake well with ice and pour into two chilled cocktail glasses.
I don’t really have a problem with the flashiness of blue curacao, though like anything unusual, a little goes a long way.
2. What isn’t a favorite from Art of the Bar? But in any case, it’s fun to sit there and watch them muddle a cucumber for the 21 Hayes, sort of an “up” Pimm’s Cup named for a bus that goes by their door, and one I used to ride home from work. (The bus, not the cocktail, though, um, well….)
I love The Plantation from Art of the Bar and the Galapagos (if you can find Kaffir lime leaves…luckily I have a tree. I’ve seen them showing up at the market lately, it being winter and all).
Here is one of my favorite falernum drinks. I came up with it, but I’m not sure I’d call it a Tiki Drink.
1 ½ oz New Orleans Cajun Spiced Rum (can easily substitute a dark un-spiced rum)
¾ oz Creole Shrub Clement Rhum
½ oz Velvet Falernum
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon caster sugar
Dash of Regan’s No. 6 Bitters
3 Brandied Cherries and a dash of their juice (recipe follows)
Combine in a shaker full of ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the cherries.
How about the famous Chartreuse Swizzle?
(from Marco Dionysus)
http://www.chartreuse.de/trinken.html
1 1/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
1 oz. pineapple juice
juice of a lime
1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum
Shake well with ice and strain
into a collins glass over crushed ice.
Garnish with lime wheel and wedge of pineapple.
Gotta be the Porteno by a mile:
http://marriedwithdinner.com/2006/02/28/%c2%a1que-bueno/
Close second being Corn ‘n’ Oil:
http://marriedwithdinner.com/2007/06/29/dotw-corn-n-oil/
Sorry, hit “submit” too quickly…
as for Art of the Bar faves:
When stone fruits roll around again, make sure not to miss the Peaches & Herb:
http://marriedwithdinner.com/2007/08/10/dotw-peaches-herb/
People own cocktail books not authored by the Beachbum?
Why?