blackthorn

1/2 Irish Whiskey (1 oz Knappogue Castle)
1/2 Dry Vermouth (1 oz Dolin)
3 dash Absinthe (1 barspoon Pernod Absinthe)
3 dash Angostura

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
A few nights ago, it was time to make good use of the bottle of Irish whiskey we bought in New Hampshire by making the Blackthorn off of the Anvil's 100 Drink list. The recipe, which we found in the Savoy Cocktail Book, also gave us a good excuse to try our media sample of Pernod Absinthe. All of the ingredients were pale yellows and greens which gave me the impression that the drink was going to be light in color. However, after the 3 dashes of Angostura bitters, the liquid in the mixing glass turned orangey red. Moreover, once the drink was poured, the milkiness from the absinthe louche was evident. The color reminded Andrea of sloe gin which I found interesting since 3 of the 5 Blackthorn recipes in Boothby's 1934 World Drinks and How to Mix Them contained sloe gin instead of whiskey (the last one was a gin drink which would be a similar hue from its Dubonnet content). The Irish whiskey-based drink we made had an anise nose and a rather dry balance. There were malt and dry vermouth notes on the front of the sip followed by absinthe and bitters flavors on the swallow. In essence, the drink was a dry Manhattan with a bit of absinthe. I felt that the subtle flavors of the Irish whiskey were a little lost in the mix as compared to Bourbon or rye in similar recipes, although its maltiness did shine through.