Grande Absente

This addition is apparently Absente with added wormwood.

Color: Artificial, but not totally uninviting.

Louche: Given the levels of anise, I'm not surprised to see a decent louche, but the artificial color kind of ruins things.

Aroma: Heat and licorice. That's about it. Not good.

Flavor: Cloying sweetness. I didn't add a sugar cube, but I guess they did that for me. It's way too sweet. Every else is bland. No herbal excitement at all.

Finish: Numbing and licorice. And no, I don't mean the good flavor that green anise imparts to a well-crafted absinthe. I mean acrid, heavy licorice flavor. Like a jelly bean.

Overall: It's hard to describe this as an authentic absinthe, since it is artificially colored and sugar has been added to it (presumably to offset the 'off flavors' that essences tend to add to spirits), but it's not completely terrible. I'd never turn to this if I wanted a properly prepared absinthe, but I guess I could see using this as a cocktail absinthe. Even then, it wouldn't contribute anything positive to whatever it's added to.