With Halloween come cocktails that are spooky in theme. And ordering an American Psycho or Prince of Darkness – both offerings at Pearl Hour – suits the mood. However, there is a spirit that is already cloaked in an aura of danger.
“Last year we had an absinthe bar for our Halloween party,” says Pearl Hour owner and mixologist Katie Blandin. “It scares people – the lore, the cut-off ears.”
While most of the stories from absinthe’s past are merely tales (you will not hallucinate, you will keep both ears), the spirit is wicked. Its anise grip is powerful and its alcoholic belt can burn. Yet there is a cocktail that turns this force into subtle sophistication.
Pearl Hour serves a proper Sazerac, a blend of rye whiskey, Peychaud’s bitters, simple syrup and a wash of Herbsaint, a liqueur created when the U.S. banned absinthe with wormwood (a ruling that has been lifted). It is haunting, but balanced, with an herbal, medicinal note in tandem with impressions of candied fruit, vanilla and peppery spice. There is a warmth to the cocktail fitting for an October night.
But the bar team will also prepare a version with Pierre Vallet cognac. The soft caramel, cured fruit and floral aromas act like a metaphorical spoonful of sugar to the herbaceous bite. The sip is smooth and opulent. The constant is absinthe or – New Orleans-style – Herbsaint.
“You have to have it to make a proper Sazerac,” Blandid says.