Hedonist Report post Posted March 17, 2015 I finally tried Butterfly absinthe, and I was very impressed. It's all full of spice and swagger. It sort of reminds me of Edouard a bit, only less refined and with a bigger hammer. It's a bottle I've always avoided due to the high price, but I now see it can be bought from Germany for a reasonable cost. When I tasted the Jades, the balance of my absinthe bar became more or less irrelevant to me. The disparity in preference between my least favorite Jade and my favorite non-Jade was significant. I was "Jaded" so to speak. (I just coined that. And it's documented right here, so don't try to steal it.) Just when I thought nothing could touch the Jades, the Butterfly may be nipping at the heels of my less-favored Jades, especially given the lower price. If nothing else, Butterfly has definitely narrowed the gap. (I'm hopeful L'Ancienne will give the Jades a good run too.) I'm curious to get others' feedback on the rough n tumble Butterfly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fingerpickinblue Report post Posted March 17, 2015 I was "Jaded" so to speak. (I just coined that. And it's documented right here, so don't try to steal it.) As Absomphe would say, "Jaded"TM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLoucheyMonster! Report post Posted March 17, 2015 . I'm curious to get others' feedback on the rough n tumble Butterfly. Yet it has some soft, slightly sweet feminine sides as well. I think I'll finish my bottle today, onacuz Dempsey was Irish and today is St. Paddy's Day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Moss Report post Posted March 18, 2015 Thanks, Monster. And it was also the anniversary of Patrick Dempsey's birthday (1822): presumably that is where he got his name from. I'll leave others to comment on Butterfly in the classic serve. What I have found interesting is how popular it has been in cocktails, especially in London, but now also in Boston, Melbourne, etc. That may be because of its citrus and mint notes: these have contributed to its use it in some very interesting cocktails. I wasn't surprised to see the Flutterby Lassi (yoghurt and a full measure of Butterfly), and this really works well as a digestif cocktail in London's top Indian restaurant. The Pealini has been a surprising success: salted pea cordial, spearmint, Butterfly absinthe, citric acid, prosecco, and British summer(!!). For those of you in or near Boston, Butterfly cocktails are being served at an absinthe dinner at The Study, Cambridge on April 16th. We don't know what Patrick Dempsey would have thought of all those new-fangled ideas, so my St. Patrick's Day cocktail was the more classic Blackthorn cocktail (1922 or earlier) with Irish whiskey, vermouth and Butterfly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JosephLabrecque Report post Posted March 19, 2015 Not a cocktail guy when it comes to absinthe... but Butterfly is a damn fine glass of absinthe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLoucheyMonster! Report post Posted March 19, 2015 Ok, I think I see an ad campaign here: Butterfly Absinthe Its so full of old fashioned feminine spice and swagger, you'll want to be spanked by a Gibson Girl! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Absomphe Report post Posted March 19, 2015 Who wouldn't? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted March 21, 2015 I do like this ad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gee13 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 I consider Butterfly better than the Jades ... and thats me liking Jades.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Gee13, if you like Butterfly and the Jades what else would you recommend? We may have similar tastes. Edited March 22, 2015 by Hedonist Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gee13 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Ive found that my tastes are often seasonal if not cyclical and fine absinthes are as dynamic as our palates are dynamic. I like many on here like quality and range. I would recommend for 'summery' European Vertes currently -La Grenuoille (Stefano Rossi), Mead base (Zufanek) La Coquette (Devoille), Berthe De Joux (Pernot). If you like Butterfly you may also want to try Sade from the same distillery run by Claude Alain Bugnon. For US vertes I have been fortunate to get in Meadow of Love .. a personal favourite of mine. Im trying to figure out how to make this last for 10 years as I only havd one bottle... Edited March 22, 2015 by gee13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted March 22, 2015 Awesome. I do have my first bottle of Meadow on the way right now. I haven't tried the others. I'll look into those. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gee13 Report post Posted March 27, 2015 Forgot to mention Authentique (Pernot) is also a favourite of mine. Everytime I have it Im cast back to the time reminiscent of tasting PF prebans... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Absomphe Report post Posted March 27, 2015 It's really good stuff, but it's not quite that authentique, really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gee13 Report post Posted March 28, 2015 It's really good stuff, but it's not quite that authentique, really. Yeah indeed they should just named it Reallygoodstuffe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EvilAshLives Report post Posted March 28, 2015 How does Butterfly compare to the Delaware Phoenix line? Any similarities? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Absomphe Report post Posted March 28, 2015 (edited) It's sweeter, and heavier in pontica flavor, which has almost a ginger-like quality, or at least that's as close as I can get to describing it. I much prefer the DP line, particularly Meadow of Love. Edited March 28, 2015 by Absomphe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EvilAshLives Report post Posted March 29, 2015 Thank you. I'm not sure I'd prefer something even sweeter than those in the DP line. Meadow of Love will probably be next on my list. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted April 9, 2015 If you like Butterfly you may also want to try Sade from the same distillery run by Claude Alain Bugnon. Wow! Sade is exceptional. Thanks for the tip. I can find very little online about it, and it appears it hasn't even been reviewed yet here. Surprising. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted April 9, 2015 How does Butterfly compare to the Delaware Phoenix line? Any similarities? Admittedly, I'm still new to absinthe, but I've been buying/sampling quite a bit at a rapid fire pace, and I can report what tastes good to me having now torn through my fair share. The others can correct me if I'm wrong, but I would say the Delaware Phoenix absinthes are more traditional than Butterfly. Perhaps Butterfly tastes unusual to me because it's based on an OG American recipe rather than a European one. According to my senses, Butterfly > the entire Delaware Phoenix absinthe line combined. With all the love DP gets here, I was disappointed. Of the three DP absinthes (I think there are three), I would rate them like this: Meadow > Walton > Blues Cat. The DP's are not nearly as fun or as wild as Butterfly, but Meadow is still quite good if you can get past the pink label. I feel sort of strange commenting bluntly here at times because I haven't figured out yet which distillers are members. But I'm hopeful they understand the value of a forum like this is lost without honest and direct communication. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted April 9, 2015 Also, the Meadow of Love louche is awesome if that matters to you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EvilAshLives Report post Posted April 11, 2015 Thanks Hedonist. MoL gets so much love here my expectations for it are perhaps too high. I do enjoy WW, but at times it's a bit too floral for me; from the reviews here I take it that MoL tends to be more floral still. I'm still on the fence as to which one to pick up first, but I appreciate your perspective. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonist Report post Posted April 12, 2015 I had a glass of Walton last night, and it was pretty darn good. I think I was being overly hyperbolic in my earlier post, but it seems it's too late for me to edit it. I shouldn't say I'm disappointed with Delaware Phoenix. Meadow and Walton are very very good. Blues Cat not so much, but two out of three ain't bad. I do prefer Butterfly, but I'm the guy that started the Butterfly thread, so perhaps that's to be expected. Still, for me to write Butterfly is better than the entire DP line combined was perhaps a little over the top. The taste of Butterfly is much more distinct for me and very very enjoyable, and right now Butterfly is fluttering around the top of my preferred absinthes list. Unfortunately, I lack others' ability to sufficiently describe what I'm tasting (i. e., I have no idea what pontica tastes like.) MOL and WW are probably top 10 for me right now, but definitely not top 5. Blues Cat is probably hanging somewhere below St George, Vieux Pontarlier, and Vieux Carrer, but likely higher than Lucid and Kübler, definitely Pernod. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stardust Report post Posted May 3, 2015 I'm definitely more of a fan of Butterfly than I was upon my first glass. It's very good, and fairly available in SoCal. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OMG_Bill Report post Posted May 3, 2015 I've still not had any of the Delaware Phoenix Absinthes. I know they must be good because of my trust in reviews. One of these days........ Peace. B Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alfred Jarry Report post Posted May 26, 2015 (edited) I've still not had any of the Delaware Phoenix Absinthes. According to my senses, Butterfly > the entire Delaware Phoenix absinthe line combined. Edited May 26, 2015 by Alfred Jarry Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
