Absinthe session at Morton’s in Dallas on Friday has attendees seeing green

by Teresa Gubbins

DALLAS — About 40 bohemian wannabes and aficionados of absinthe, a licorice-flavored spirit, gathered at Morton's the Steakhouse in downtown Dallas Friday for Absinthe, The Green Hour, dedicated to exploring the once-forbidden drink.

Menu of absinthe cocktails

The boisson of artists and writers in France in the early 1900s, absinthe was for years banned in many countries, including the U.S. Nothing like a ban to make something seem instantly more alluring. The green-tinted beverage has recently enjoyed a revival, as companies such as Pernod, who hosted the event at Morton's, have issued products anew.

Absinthe has an alcohol content of 68° and contains an unusual combination of herbs including wormwood, fennel, melissa, and the licorice-flavored anise. But not even licorice fans drink absinthe straight. It's strong and not sweet. This session offered up a quartet of cocktails that served as suggestions on how to use the stuff, along with small plates such as sliders, bruschetta-like toasts topped with tenderloin, baked mushrooms stuffed with crab, and oysters Rockefeller.

Morton's sliders consisted of extremely rare hamburgers.

Cocktails included one with orange juice called The Monkey Gland, and another with raspberry puree called La Deuce. But the big attention-getter was the basic absinthe involving ice cold water, a cube of sugar, and a slotted spoon. A representative from Pernod demonstrated.

Pernod representative had nice manicure.

You pour a shot, place a sugar cube on a special spoon, then suspend that across the top of the glass.

Sugar cube slowly disintegrates.

Ice-cold water from an "absinthe fountain" gets drizzled over the sugar cube, which adds sweet and dilutes the alcohol.

And then stir.

The process transforms the liquor from clear to milky.

Despite that sugar cube, the cocktail wasn't especially sweet, but the anise flavor was intense. The Monkey Gland wasn't anywhere near as licoricey, tasting more like an exotic tequila sunrise than anything else.

As tasting events go, this one was fun. It wasn't a seated event, so there was a lot of mingling and no one was shy about making small talk.

Debbie Fuentes professed herself to be an absinthe virgin.

Some attendees, such as friends James Abbey, 28, Jay Cullar, 39, and Eric Brewer, 34, all from Dallas, said that they regularly attend Morton's quarterly events, which added to the sense of familiarity and camaraderie.

From left: James Abbey, Jay Cullar, and Eric Brewer

Abbey said he welcomed the chance to try a new drink he wasn't familiar with.

"I'd had it once before," he said. "When the tasting involves one product and they give the bartender a half dozen cocktails, you really see what it can do."