Okanagan Spirits Taboo

Vernon, Okanagan Valley, BC
$55-60 for 500ml
www.okanaganspirits.com

With Halloween around the corner, this is the one time of year that it’s perfectly and widely acceptable to act a little bit Taboo. And think about it – spirits – Halloween… Right? Ok, so Master Class Distiller Frank Deiter at Okanagan Spirits has made it easy for us with his stunning Absinthe, Taboo. Absinthe, aka The Green Fairy (costume idea?), is an anise flavoured liquor that was the drink of choice for many of the great artists and intellectuals in late 19th- early 20th century France. This potent liqueur was, and still is, outlawed in many countries for years following many instances of harmful effects (i.e. deaths) of drinkers, most of which were due to over indulgence of the green spirit.

Taboo Absinthe is made from an historic French recipe and is crafted in the European tradition using a hand-crafted and wood-fired copper pot still. The recipe includes Grande and petite wormwood, anise, hyssop, lemon balm and fennel. What it doesn’t include? Chemicals, artificial flavours or sugar in Taboo Absinthe.

You can, of course, drink Absinthe straight, but it is generally not recommended as the taste can be too bitter and the alcohol content too strong. How to DRINK? In a cocktail impressing ghouly gals and guys at your Halloween party, preferably prior to monster mashing. There are a number of recipes on Okanagan Spirits’ Taboo site here – http://tabooabsinthe.com/drinks.php.

Absinthe Serving Ritual:

Step One

To serve Absinthe, you’ll need an Absinthe spoon or fork, sugar cube and glass.

Step Two

Pour one shot 1.5 ounces of Absinthe into a glass.

Step Three

Lay your slotted spoon or fork over the glass. Place a sugar cube on top of the spoon. Drip or slowly pour 3 ounces of ice water over the sugar cube.

Step Four

The Absinthe will become cloudy or “louche”. A green ring will form around the periphery of the liquid. When the green ring disappears, the Absinthe has been properly diluted.

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Taboo Absinthe is made from an historic French recipe and is crafted in the European tradition using a hand-crafted and wood-fired copper pot still. The recipe includes Grande and petite wormwood, anise, hyssop, lemon balm and fennel, You can, of course, drink the anise-flavoured Absinthe straight, but it is generally not recommended as the taste can be too bitter and the alcohol content too strong. How to DRINK? In a cocktail impressing ghouly gals and guys at your Halloween party, preferably prior to monster mashing.