Cheers to National Absinthe Day, March 5
The Verte (photo courtesy of Absinthia Vermut)
Toast National Absinthe Day on March 5 with a Verte. It’s made by combining equal parts Absinthia Absinthe Verte, Campari, and vermouth. Stir and strain over a large ice cube and garnish with an orange slice.
This cocktail was created by Absinthia Vermut, an Oakland gal who acquired that storybook name as she was launching her exploration into the spirit called absinthe. Like so many of us who came of age in the 20th century, Absinthia grew up in a United States where absinthe was banned due to the allegedly poisonous properties of some of its botanical components. Absinthia was introduced to the banned spirit at the 1996 San Francisco Cacophony Society party, and within a year, she had learned how to make her own version, which she unveiled on April Fool’s Day 1997. Everyone loved the spirit and everyone started calling the maker Absinthia. Continuing to work at perfecting her recipe, Absinthia crafted her absinthe with all organic ingredients to make double sure that it would not poison any guests.
Absinthia never expected absinthe to be legal during her lifetime, but lo and behold, it was legalized in 2007. She then spent another decade working on her version while raising two teenagers as a single mother. She founded Absinthia’s Bottled Spirits LLC in 2013 and made her first sale in 2017. In 2018, she received her MBA, and in 2021, she acquired Nickel Dime Syrups, under the ABS LLC umbrella, where she was a cofounder of the now-award-winning cocktail syrups: Caged Heat, Fairy Dust, Cherry Bomb, and Crimson Smoke.
If you’re feeling especially excited about absinthe cocktails, you may want to attend the Edwardian Ball 2022 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on April 1 & 2, 2022, where Absinthia Bottled Spirits will be the sole absinthe provider.
Want more? See the collection of Absinthia’s most popular absinthe cocktail recipes here , and also check out the Women’s Cocktail Collective, of which Absinthia is a member.
