Marteau Verte Classique

Hiram has done something wonderful here. I had the pleasure of tasting the prototype before the initial release at the Tales of the Cocktail event in July of 2007. I immediately put it on my calendar to pick up a bottle when it was formally released.

The color is very nice, although I liked the coloring of the original recipe better than the finished product. It's still a great, vibrant green.

The louche is right on the money. It forms at the right pace, not too fast and not too slow. Mine was finished louching around 2.5:1. With a slow drip from the fountain, I got some great layering and trails while it was building. When complete, it's a nice, thick opalescent green.

Lots of things going on in the aroma. Some minty wormwood, vegetal fennel and sweetness from the anise. I also catch something that reminds me of something like sweet celery. It's a unique and intriguing aroma. I could sit here and sniff it all day.

A well balanced flavor, but noticeably on the sweeter side. I think sugaring this one would be overkill. The bitterness of the wormwood is there, but it's not as dominating as in some others. I can see why this one works so well as a 'cocktail absinthe'.

Overall, this was a great job. It's most definitely an enjoyable absinthe to be drank in the traditional manner, but I have to say, it makes one helluva Sazerac too!