Flying Dutchman

At first look, this drink appears like a halfhearted attempt to make a cocktail. It's really only two ingredients with strong herbal flavors thrown together. No twist, no bitters. Nothing. Then you try it and see that it is indeed harsh and potent (Pernod tops out at 80-proof, but most absinthe is as high as 110!

The thing is, that the Flying Dutchman is really a gin drink with hints of wormwood flavor. It's really like having augmented gin. And for that reason, I chose Bluecoat Barrel Reserve gin for it's sipability on ice. Like I tend to demonstrate again and again, the amount of Pernod the recipe calls for is small enough to get by with a substitution like real Absinthe. If it were a Pernod Flip, I would definitely reconsider. But Absente Refined was perfect. I found myself topping the ice off with more Absente Refined whenever the flavor got too diluted from my giant ice balls.

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. Pernod

Combine ingredients in a rocks glass with ice and stir.