In the beginning of the 20th century France was overwhelmed by the fashion for the so-called ‘American-style’ cocktails. Therefore Europeans not only consumed the already existing shakes, but also invented those of their own. This one is a classic example of the early ‘American-style’ European cocktails.

Absinthe amateurs claim the ‘Green Fairy’ and vermouth blend perfectly due to the fact that they are both produced from the same herb – wormwood (or Artemisia Absinthium in Latin). However, one shouldn’t expect to experience the same ‘buzz’ from drinking dry vermouth, because the two alcoholic beverages are made not exactly from the same material. Absinthe is produced from the whole wormwood plant plus some other herbs, and vermouth – only from the wormwood flowers. Moreover, it contains less Thujone than the ‘Green Muse’, which explains the difference in the effect both create.

Alright, that is enough of the theory; let’s get down to the practice. In order to prepare the cocktail, one needs:

• gin (two ounces),
• dry vermouth (half ounce),
• absinthe (one splash),
• ice (three to five cubes).

When tired of drinking absinthe through the traditional French ritual, one starts experimenting. It is true to say that it is most pleasant to play with one’s own homemade spirit (click here to learn how to make absinthe), however if you are too lazy for that the absinthe manufacturers have already taken the pain for you, so that you can use the finished product.

To prepare ‘absinthe suissesse’ the following ingredients should be at hand:

• absinthe (two ounces),
• anisette (one splash),
• white crème de menthe (half ounce),
• raw egg white (one),
• ice (three to five cubes).

You may care or not, but the creator of the drink was inspired by a Swiss girl, thus it was called in her honor. Could be she was plain and easy, but really nice that is why the shake is prepared and looks in a similar way.