Absinthe Cocktails (Green Beast)

misrolegit       Drinks    February 12, 2024

Absinthe is often used in small doses—a dash here, a rinse there. Mix classic drinks like the Sazerac and Corpse Reviver No. 2, and a bottle of absinthe could last you a lifetime, or at least a few dozen drinks. But sometimes, absinthe stars in the show. You can find it playing a big role in cocktails like the Death in the Afternoon, the Absinthe Frappé and the Green Beast.

The Green Beast is not just a reference to the Hulk. It’s a drink that was created in 2010 by bartender Charles Vexenat, an award-winning bartender who’s worked in London and Ibiza. At the time, he made the drink for Pernod Ricard as a way to show off the brand’s absinthe. The cocktail has passed the test of time and is one of the most well-known absinthe cocktails of the modern age.

The drink is essentially an update to the Absinthe Frappé, which features absinthe and anisette liqueur over crushed ice. But Vexenat’s Green Beast takes a unique turn by employing fresh cucumbers and lime juice to complement the high-proof absinthe.

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

The Green Beast can be concocted as a single serving or made in a big bowl and served as a punch. If going the solo route, combine your ingredients in a glass and enjoy. If you want to make a punch, you can do so right in the bowl. Simply scale up the ingredients by multiplying each by however many servings you want to achieve.

Party guests love a good punch, but chances are slim they’ve encountered the Green Beast in the wild. This is your opportunity to introduce them to this fierce-sounding—but friendly-drinking—cocktail.

Ingredients

• 3 slices seedless cucumber, peeled

• 1 ounce simple syrup

• 1 ounce Pernod absinthe

• 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

• 4 ounces chilled water

• Garnish: cucumber slices

Steps

1. Muddle cucumbers and simple syrup in a Collins glass.

2. Add the absinthe, lime juice and ice.

3. Top with chilled water, and garnish with additional cucumber slices.