Juniper up front, then a cool wave of anise and fennel as the absinthe opens up with a splash of cold water. It drinks like a stripped-down gin cocktail with a louche, herbal backbone.
1½ oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
½ oz
absinthee.g. Pernod · La Clandestine · Kübler · St. George · Lucid
1
sugar cube
¾ oz
water still, chilled
Garnish: Lemon twist (optional) · Ice: Served up, no ice
Mickey Slim (Safe Absinthe Version)
Dry and aromatic with juniper, anise and a light sweetness from the sugar. Strong, spirit-forward and cool on the palate.
The Mickey Slim is one of the stranger footnotes in American drinking history. According to Phil Baker's book The Dedalus Book of Absinthe, it was briefly popular in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s and was made by stirring a pinch of the insecticide DDT into gin. Drinkers claimed the effect resembled absinthe, which had been banned in the US since 1912.
DDT is a toxic chemical that was later banned for agricultural use in most countries, and it has no place anywhere near a glass. The recipe on this page keeps only the idea behind the story: gin given an absinthe character by using the real thing, with a little sugar and ice-cold water in the manner of a traditional absinthe service. Think of it as a safe, legal homage rather than a reconstruction.
No. The original was said to contain DDT, a toxic insecticide. Never add any chemical or pesticide to a drink; this version uses absinthe instead.
It is a spirit-forward drink of gin and absinthe with only a little water, so it is strong. Sip it slowly.
Yes. Pastis is sweeter and lower in alcohol, so the drink becomes softer and more liquorice-led.
The perfect sound
A late, bittersweet hour for thinkers and dreamers.
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