Post #104870 by Doctor Z on Thu, Jul 29, 2004 8:11 AM

Absinthe in a Mai Tai?? BLECCCHH!! I'll bet Trader Vic is rolling over in his grave at the mere mention of it! With few exceptions, there's no quicker way to ruin a drink than to add absinthe to it, I tell ya... I've made Don the Beachcombers Zombie (the one from "Hawaii: Tropical Rum Drinks & Cuisine") that has both Pernod and absinthe in it, and I swear no fouler concoction has ever passed my lips... Don was really big on Pernod/absinthe for some reason, and indeed, his Mai Tai does call for it. But then again, Don's Mai Tai is a completely different drink than Vic's Mai Tai: in fact, they only have 3 things in common - lime, rum and the name! According to Dale DeGroff's "The Craft Of the Cocktail", the Mai Tai doesn't call for any Pernod/absinthe or most of the other ingredients in Don's recipe. DeGroff's recipe is nearly identical to Trader Vic's recipe.

Absinthe is great on its own (or in a Sazerac - MMMMMmmmm...), but keep it away from tropical drinks!! :)