The Ansonia

If you enjoy Sambuca this cocktail should be a must try.

Myles Davies was nice enough to point out that Ojen bitters where a ploy to fool ATF, the body that governs alcohol in the United States. You see at the time America had a ban on Absinthe, much like the rest of the world. He pointed out that Ojen was a Spanish Absinthe.

So I started my hunt looking for a bottle of Ojen Absinthe. I talked with a good friend of mine in New Orleans that told me that Ojen had closed in 1980. The Martin wine cellar in NOLA talked the owner of Ojen into one last order of 500 cases thinking that it would last him forever. In 2009 they sold the last bottle of Ojen. My friend told me to use Luxardo sambuca as a substitution.

Original Recipe

2/3 Scotch
2 dashes Italian vermouth
2 dashes Maraschino
Dash Ojen Bitters

My Take on the Recipe

2 oz Balvenie 15
1/2 oz luxardo maraschino
1/2 oz sweet Italian vermouth
1 dash Ojen anise liqueur or luxardo sambuca

Add all ingredients to a glass with ice, and stir with the bar spoon. Use your julep strainer and strain into your chilled cocktail glass.

Taste

I’m not a big fan of black liquorice, but I find this cocktail to be more enjoyable then the Administrator. The Maraschino and Sambuca overpower the Scotch just enough. I was a little nervous it would be like a blast of Scotch due to its lack of colour. I was very happy to find that all parts played well together. If you enjoy Sambuca this cocktail should be a must try.