Absinthe Substitutes
ABSINTHE SUBSTITUTES
(re-posting from the archive)
Absinthe is an old, traditional herbal liqueur that has a strong licorice flavour from anise seeds. The drink was in vogue in the late 19th century, and is the ancestor of today’s anise liqueurs. This legendary liqueur is featured in many classic cocktails such as the Death In The Afternoon. A good quality Absinthe is expensive and not easily found on the shelves of liquor stores in North America.
The following five anise liqueurs are excellent substitutes when a recipe calls for Absinthe. They are sweeter, but have the intense anise / licorice flavour essential to many cocktails. They are Pernod, Pastis 51, Ricard Pastis, Casanis Pastis, and Marie Brizard Anisette.
Other liqueurs that have a predominant anise flavour are: Sambuca, Arack, Raki, Anesone, Ouzo, and Tsipouro.
Cheers!
6 Comments On: Absinthe Substitutes
Very helpful article. Can’t wait to try some.
If you were in NOLA then the one to use is Herbsaint which is the local anise. Good for Sazeracs and other drinks. But not easy to find outside the Big Easy.
I personally like Pernod as a substitute, and it is less expensive.
Thank you for this. I was just in New Orleans and wanted to try their famous cocktail, but can’t do absinthe. I should have thought about checking out this substation before I left. I was just caught up in the moment and didn’t think. I can’t wait to try one now.
Hello Lana,
Thanks! Comments are always appreciated. I’ll keep in mind the ‘liquor/liqueur substitute’ topic for future blogs. I am still working on the liqueurs page, slowly…
M
Hi Micheline,
Love your site!
I am an aspiring bartender and would really love it if you might eventually have other liqueur/liquor substitutions pages (like the Absinthe one) – that would be so awesome!
Also I’m just wondering if I’m missing something, but when I was looking at the ‘Liqueurs’ page, it only goes up to ‘H’. Is there a continuing page somewhere?
Thanks so much and keep up the great work!
Lana