A Night Out - Oysters & Absinthe - Brooklyn

Not long ago we visited the new Brooklyn spot Maison Premiere for a hit of Oysters and Absinthe.  We normally will choose champagne to pair with our Oysters (really, what else does a girl need in the world?), but we welcome the change for a  proper Absinthe drip. 

Image via Urban Daddy

Lets chat for a second about  the drip.  The center piece of the epic horseshoe bar is a green marble obelisk that slowly drips cold water over sugar to sweeten the absinthe that is a replica of a drip from the Olde Absinthe House in New Orleans. (More on the obelisk here.)  Cold water drips over a cube of sugar that is placed on an absinthe spoon and slowly dissolves the sugar into the Absinthe.  When the water to Absinthe ratio hits a certain point, the oils that are dissolved during distillation are emulsified, creating a creamy or cloudy effect, known as louche. 

More serving instructions can be found at The Wormwood Society.

Ye Olde Absinthe House

Maison Premiere has an impressive list of Absinthe varieties, new territory for this Gastro Girl, but it is good to know there is a place to go where one can learn.  One is inspired to try every type of oyster and every type of Absinthe to up one's connoisseurship as quickly as possible (read, we'll be back Maison Premiere).

We chose the Frappé and ate the St Simon, Nootka Sound, Faloy Bay, Stellar Bay, and the Goosepoint varieties.  All were delicious and briny, just how we like them.  We were surprised how the Absinthe complimented the Oysters; the Anise, the combination of sweet and salty.  Divine, we say.

Maison Premiere
298 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
347-335-0446



If you're craving an Absinthe cocktail and aren't within a stone's throw of Brooklyn or New Orleans, we've included a recipe from the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book:


Absinthe Frappé

2/3 Absinthe
1/6 Syrup of Anisette
Double quantity of water

Shake up long enough until the outside of the shaker is thoroughly covered with ice. Strain into a small tumbler.