This wonderful drink was supposedly created at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop in the French Quarter in New Orleans, and has become a favorite of ours. While you may certainly use an absinthe substitute/pastis such as Herbsaint or Pernod, it’s at its best when you use real, quality absinthe. We like native New Orleanian Ted Breaux’s Absinthe Nouvelle-Orléans, made by his company Jade Liqueurs, available from Liqueurs de France, Ltd. and, we’re told, an American distributor soon.

Don’t let this drink’s name become something more meaningful. Reread the above article and do what I say.

The Obituary Cocktail

2 ounces strong gin.
1/4 ounce dry vermouth.
1/4 ounce absinthe.

Combine with cracked ice in a cocktail shaker.
Shake vigorously for 13 seconds, or stir vigorously for
no less than 26 seconds. Strain into a cocktail glass;
no garnish.

You really should visit the Jade Liqueurs site, and I can’t recommend their products more highly. They’re expensive, but worth it — a truly handmade product that’s the result of years of miraculous research (revist the articles about Ted in the Gambit and Wired to learn about how he did it). Ted also could use the income, as he lost his New Orleans home to Katrina.

Incidentally, Obituary Cocktail: The Great Saloons of New Orleans is the name of an excellent book by Kerry McCaffety that you should probably buy.