The Swiss Pearl: An Absinthe Gin Cocktail

This worldly cocktail featuring none other than real absinthe (in a starring role!) is a riff on a riff.

It all begins in 2006, at Pegu Club, that once glorious NYC cocktail mecca which has sadly joined many other stellar NYC cocktail joints at the great bar in the sky. And here Audrey Saunders had an inspired thought. Why not take The Southside, but make it Pastis? And that she did. Thus, a modern cocktail classic, The French Pearl, was born.

The Swiss Pearl plays jazz with Audrey's original line of thinking, switching up Pastis for Absinthe, and dialing the proportions to 11. (Or, to three quarters of an ounce).

Usually absinthe is executed as a rinse, with just a hint of lingering flavor that subtlety influences the drink's overall taste.  Here absinthe takes center stage while still playing harmoniously with the other flavors. And what an absinthe it is.

Kübler’s “Original” Swiss Absinthe hails from the birthplace of absinthe -- Val-de-Travers, Switzerland, following the family recipe first developed by Jacob Frederick Kübler in 1863. The spirit is now produced by fourth generation, Yves Kübler. Yves was involved in repealing the 100 year prohibition on sales of absinthe in the US and Switzerland.

Enjoy a cocktail made with the taste of real absinthe!  The absinthe-forward cocktail is balanced out by a citrus-forward gin that complement's absinthe's distinct botanicals with warm and spicy notes.

Ingredients

2 oz RIGHT Gin⁠
.75 oz Kübler Original Absinthe⁠
.75 oz fresh lime juice⁠
.75 oz simple syrup⁠
7-8 Spearmint Leaves⁠

Method

Combine lime juice, syrup and mint in a cocktail shaker. Muddle together. Add in Kübler Absinthe and RIGHT Gin. Add ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass, garnish with fresh mint and enjoy!⁠

Photos and recipe by Brandon Cummins