As I'm fairly new to this, I would love to know what you seasoned folks feel is good if anything, to nibble upon whilst imbibing. I'm a HUGE port fan, and have that whole thing down, but absinthe...hmm.

Lemon cookies? Biscotti? Pralines? nothing at all? fresh or dried fruit? What are ye words of wisdom?
I would tend to think something light and not too sweet would work, heavy flavors would get in the way of the subtleness of a good absinthe....

Thanks in advance! -Scott

Dark chocolate! Yummy

Generally, absinthe is an aperitif so think in terms of appetizers.
Also, if you poke around through various threads, you'll discover several discussions on absinthe and food pairings.
Keep your eyes and taste buds open for new flavors, too. After louching a nice spicy blanche for myself last night, Jules decided she wanted "comfort food," specifically, Frito-chili pie. After calling her several names, I gave in and I must say, the absinthe held up just fine to that culinary garbage.

Frito pies rock!

To be authentic, though, they need to be made with taco meat, not chili, and the cheese has to be very coarsely shredded and bright orange.

This whole "chili" ritual in Frito pies is a recent invention- there is no historical evidence of using chili in a Frito pie before the 1970s at earliest. Regarding the levels of natural, uncolored, or finely shredded cheese, chromatographic (both GC and HPLC) studies of pre-ban Frito pies have shown very high levels of highly colored processed cheese foods- much higher than most modern Frito pies- and visual examination of period pictures of Frito pies always shows them with very large shreds of cheese.

I once had a damn-near-religious experience with a bison steak whilst imbibing; but usually it's a snack platter of some sort.

Escargot in garlic butter....

Indeed!

Hopefully very soon we’ll have lots more things to add to the list mentioned above… in book form

(Semi-bump to the foodie project, which I am working on feverishly!)

I've heard it on good authority that pizza and preban go marvelously together, so it stands to reason that newer absinthes should also go well with pizza.

I had absinthe with some leftover pizza once...it was good. I'm having some pizza now. Damnit Ron!

YES!!!
Though dark chocolate goes with everything.
Yes it does...

Like garlic salt.


Or coke.

I just did a post about chocolate and absinthe... it's on my shop blog.
Mint dark chocolate is fabulous with some absinthes; plain milk or dark chocolate better with others.
Of course, this is a subject I'm willing to do countless hours of research on... and probably treadmill time too!
Perhaps I should switch to dried fruit...

(My shop link is in my signature.)

White fish, but not to salty, is, as far as I'm concerned what goes best with absinthe

Though, some cheese (Prométhée with Tête de moine was a great experience ) can be wonderful too.

I know absinthe is mainly considered as an aperitif, but a strong, herbaceous absinthe (thinking Devoille here), is also great with cake and pastries.

A good story though, about chocolate and absinthe.

I was invited to a famous absintheur's birthday party, and baked a honey and absinthe cake specially for the occasion, using Duvallon (an excellent swiss absinthe, very strong flavored) as a part of the receipe, and as a syrup to cover the cake.
We drank many a good absinthe this night (with a 2006 Verte Suisse which was a marvel), and when dessert came, we couldn't find the taste of absinthe in my cake.

At this precise time, another guest's GF proposed we tasted her chocolate cake before having another go at the absinthe one. And lo ! Suddenly the absinthe was there, powerful, fruity, etc.

Yes, absinthe and chocolate, definitely going together, revealing each other

Now if only the fish were to be cooked with absinthe as well.
I have always been partial to good crusted artisan bread and cheese.
Although the secret to a good pairing is picking the right cheese.
Gouda is usually a safe bet for me. Add some sliced heirloom tomato
and maybe some basil sprigs and voila, simple yet good. This is something
that should be more palate clearing than anything else. This is great to
have in between tasting different kinds. Promethee and Tete de moine?
Yes please. Anyone have any more good cheese suggestions?

I had some nice camembert on rosemary crackers with it last night...not bad...

Surprisingly, I tried a spinach, cheese pizza that had several types of cheese...went really well with absinthe. Olive oil garlic instead of red sauce.

OK. Now I'm hungry.

Sushi (at the Liberty here in Seattle) is nice.
Lamb... burgers or a boned out leg rubbed in mint, garlic and rosemary, grilled.
But usually cheese and fruit works nice.

Gio

Mostly, I just enjoy absinthe with my absinthe.

Now I'm thirsty.

on the chocolate tip. I gave a friend a bottle for tattooing me a few years back, and when I saw her again a few months later it was almost gone. She said she would make licorice tea, throw a shot of absinthe in there, and toss some shaved chocolate on top of the whole thing. She said it was delicious, but I was too busy reeling from the blasphemy to comment....

At least you got some good ink (hopefully ) out of it! My tattoo artist never got absinthe from me, but I always leave him something cool for the wall.

I've never been given a bottle of absinthe as a tip, but I got a bottle of Jameson's awhile ago from a client. I have, however, been given a sample of CLB as a tip and it was quite appreciated.

Had a dark chocolate Trader Joe's caramel last night with some Pacifique. Scary good. I'm thinking any mediterranean appetizers would be great too...mini spanokopitas (spinach pies) for example....

I like olives with absinthe, I find that they don't so much compliment the absinthe as much as clear your mouth and lets you enjoy the whole flavor. They sort of un-numb your mouth.

I'm sure you would.
And a while ago you had a special Absomphe size glass constructed to hold the 10oz Absomphe sized dose.

I had pizza with my absinthe last night and for desert, I had more absinthe. They all went together perfectly!

^^ Ditto. Plus, a couple of dark chocolate caramel squares to go with my dessert Absinthe.

Maybe a razor sharp cheddar...

Now what's my excuse for not opening the wedge of it that I have?

Damn, that sounds fantastic.

Guinness goes well with absinthe, especially as we get closer to St. Paddy's day. In separate glasses, of course

Or in the same glass. Here.

And on Alan's blog.

I had an impromptu absinthe brunch of sorts one recent Sunday as my friend's brother was visiting from France and wanted to try a US absinthe; en bref Pacifique and croissants pair quite well

it's worked for me for years now.

Not that I'd recommend eating it, but a medium-bodied cigar of relatively simple flavor complexity can make a nice pairing. I've had some pleasant times with absinthe and an Hoyo de Monterrey double corona, for example.

I recently discovered Lindt dark chocolate with Sea Salt in it...

It goes VERY well with the Kübler I was drinking the other night - we'll see how it goes with Pacifique and Obsello tonight

The saltiness of bacon is a nice addition to chocolate, or so I'm told. I think I saw some bacon chocolate bars on Amazon once. I'm not sure how salty bacon chocolates will pair with absinthe, but bacon goes with everything, and chocolate has been reported as a nice compliment to absinthe. Hmm. Sounds like a test waiting to happen.

We had a chocolatier visit us at the distillery a few months ago and she brought us come chocolate covered bacon pieces. It was very, very good.

+1!

Funny you mention such an abstract treat, Z. Today at work our Caffe offered Brown Butter Bacon Toffee Truffles for dessert. Being at work, I could not pair this delight with an Absinthe but I can imagine the pairing would have been perfect with a bolder absinthe like CLB or VP. A spicy glass of Pacifique would have been enjoyable, as well!

I recently bought dark chocolate with crystals of ginger inside that was amazing with the spiciness of Vieux Carre.....

I've tried a dozen or two different variations of chocolate with absinthe (lots of "gourmet" bars, some cookies, some biscotti, etc.), and without question, my favorite pairing is a good vert and one or two of these



Both the taste and the texture mesh perfectly with the absinthe, especially as you swish the booze around in your mouth to enjoy the full flavor AND to get the last little crumbs of cookie!

Took your recommendation Jay, and added a couple boxes to my most recent Vitacost.com order. Can't beat $3/box and flat-rate shipping.

Surprisingly good, for a gluten-free, organic cookie.

I'm a sucker for dark chocolate anything. I recently tried some dark chocolate covered Goji berries which were less than impressive.

Not always. Anyone who says chocolate and red wine pair together in anything more than a menagerie of "bad" on the palate should be bopped in the mouth and face with a length of rubber hose.

Dark chocolate, cocoa-dusted truffles and absinthe is delicious. And while not being a big fan of Marteau, it suddenly became delicious when paired with a massive piece of a sub.

I could see how the maltiness of Guinness would work nicely juxtaposed against the relative astringency of absinthe.

Sharp cheese? Dunno about that one. Maybe a soft, intense brie.

So what you're saying is...more intensity?

The Nautilus, perhaps?

Oh wait, that would have been pre Belle Epoque.

What about the Sawfish?