Joe went to the liquor store with the intention of buying Luxardo, a maraschino liqueur. But fate had other plans.
Many cocktail recipes seem to call for Pernod, and maybe it was a good idea to have the spirit on hand for future endeavors. Having no idea what the primary flavor of the spirit would be, the bottle was acquired and hidden from Dave.
And here we are.
To learn more about this fine spirit, we, alas, had to turn to the official wesbite of Pernod.
Fun Fact: Pernod is owned by Pernod Recard, a huge multinational corporation that owns countless brands, including Kahlua, Absolut, (my beloved) Glenlivet, Malibu, Chivas, Seagram's, etc. You name it, they probably own it. I find this obnoxious. Can't we just have nice, small companies instead of enormous conglomerates that own half the market share?
Anyway.
Pernod was apparently the original absinthe liqueur. I had traditionally-prepared absinthe in the Czech Republic a few years back, and it was not an experience I'd be excited to replicate. I disliked the flavor immensely, and I am now greatly concerned about Pernod.
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| Dave and I pretend we are in a turn-of-the-century French Cafe |
The bottle we bought is the traditional Pernod, not the absinthe, though star anise is the key ingredient in Pernod. The original recipe was developed by a French doctor and was marketed as a medicinal remedy. Eventually this doctor joined forces with a distiller, the titular Pernod, and a full-on distillery was opened.
The drink was a hit in France, and soon the product was imported to the United States. When absinthe was banned in 1912, the Pernod company went silent for a few years before reintroducing their spirit without the absinthe. That is the spirit we will try today.
The Tasting
We opened the bottle, and immediately the entire balcony smelled like licorice.
"This is not something you drink by itself," Dave proclaimed before drinking it by itself.
The color is a beautiful yellowish-green that looks a bit like olive oil.
We weren't pleased to learn that, according to the back label, it is artificially colored.
Once poured into the glass, Pernod takes on a new scent profile. You can smell the liquor, but the licorice is subdued and accompanied by floral and herbal notes.
Here we go!
WHOA.
Dave: It's great to drink if you're having sinus problems.
Joe: Whoa-hoah. This could burn a hole through your tongue. This is definitely something you mix with another liquor. I am not a fan. At all.
At this point, Dave has elected to remain silent, claiming that I surely have enough thoughts for both of us. And he's right. I do.
I can't even begin to tell you how alarming the taste of this is. It is extremely licorice forward. It might as well have a warning label on it. Something like: DO NOT DRINK IF YOU HAVE NO TASTE FOR LICORICE. And then when you purchase the bottle, the clerk at the liquor store should be required to ask, "Are you sure?" And if you say, "Yes", you should have to sign a waiver that you will not complain when it hits your tongue.
Dave is now reading to me several cocktails that have Pernod in it, and I'm starting to worry about the month of May.
Although... he just "oohed" contentedly.
But he might be looking at kitty cat videos.
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