Drinks

Swiss Absinthe Highball

Absinthe is often only used in homeopathic quantities. Yet it can also shine as a main ingredient, for example as a highball.

40 ml La Pontassilienne absinthe
10 ml Meneau orgeat
80 ml Thomas Henry soda

Preparation: Pour absinthe and orgeat into a highball glass with ice, stir briefly, top up with soda and stir again briefly.

We call this drink Swiss Absinthe Highball, because we have not found it prepared this way, as a highball, in the historical recipes. It is based on a recipe from the Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual, on the Swiss Style Absinthe.

Absinthe, Swiss Style. Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual, 2015.

15 ml Orgeat
60 ml Duplais Verte absinthe
60 ml chilled soda water
Lemon zest for garnish

Preparation: Pour the orgeat and absinthe into a mixing glass, fill with ice and stir. Strain into a wine glass and add the chilled soda water. Squeeze a lemon zest over it to release the oils, do not add the zest to the drink.

This mixture was still a little too strong for us personally, and we prefer something more refreshing, lighter in this context, and have prepared the drink with more soda water, as with a highball. So we also took the liberty of adapting the name for better differentiation.

When looking at historical recipes, it quickly becomes clear that there are countless variations of absinthe drinks. The names in the books may always be the same, but the recipes are then very different. Egg whites are added or not, as are other ingredients such as orgeat, curaçao, bitters and whole eggs. It seemed inappropriate to list this variety in this article. The preparation methods vary too much and the boundaries between the individual drinks are not clearly defined. We have therefore made a preselection and limited ourselves to the recipes in which orgeat and absinthe, and optionally egg white, are used. Orgeat is a special ingredient in this drink, and egg white is allowed, as it changes the texture rather than the taste, and one can well imagine that this should soften the intensity of the absinthe somewhat. We ignored all the other recipes, even though they were in the majority.

A review of the historical recipes shows that the use of orgeat together with absinthe is only relatively rarely documented. It is also striking that in the majority of the recipes we found, anisette is also added. Anisette is an aniseed liqueur [1], while absinthe is traditionally made from wormwood, fennel, aniseed and other herbs. [2]

As you can see from the recipe collection, the Dead Rabbit variant or our Highball is based on historical models. But in this form, with only absinthe and orgeat and infused with soda, a comparable recipe only appears in 1935 with John Held as Absinthe Suissesse. If we ignore the addition of anisette, which may be justified, since it actually only intensifies the aniseed flavour of the absinthe, the first mention is in 1909 by Carl A. Seutter, also called Absinthe Suissesse.

Without going into detail about the other finds, it should be noted here that the Suissesses listed in this article can by no means be regarded as typical. There are numerous strongly differing variants, some even made with brandy instead of absinthe. What exactly is meant by Suissesse (also spelled Suisette, Suiesse, Suisses, Suissess, Suissette or Swiss Es, for example) requires detailed investigation, which will be carried out in another post.

The ‘Swiss Absinthe Highball’ has a long tradition. Prepared with normal water instead of soda water, it is called ‘Mauresque’. It is said to have been invented by French soldiers during the Algerian campaign in the 1830s and 1840s, when they served in the Bataillon d’Afrique. It was also called the ‘Bureau Arabe’ after the military department that dealt with local affairs and was said to act like “an iron fist in a velvet glove”. [3]

Sources
  1. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisette Anisette.
  2. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinth Absinth.
  3. https://www.diffordsguide.com/cocktails/recipe/1274/mauresque Mauresque.

Historical recipes

– Absinthe and orgeat –

1900 William T. Boothby: Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender. #3. Absinthe Frappé or Frozen Absinthe.

CALIFORNIA STYLE.
nto a medium-size mixing-glass of cracked ice pour a jigger of absinthe
(if the customer desires sweetening add orgeat syrup to taste), fill the glass with
water, shake until frost appears on the outside of the shaker, strain into thin
cut glass and serve.

1900 William T. Boothby: Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender. #4. Absinthe Frappé or Frozen Absinthe.

EASTERN STYLE.
Fill a medium-size mixing-glass with shaved ice; pour in a jigger of ab-
sinthe, shake until enough ice has dissolved to fill a small cut glass, strain and
serve. No water or orgeat is used in this recipe; but, should a customer desire
sweetening, a dash of orgeat may be added before shaking.

1900 William T. Boothby: Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender. #6. Absinthe Plain.

A NICE WAY.
Fill a large bar strainer with fine ice, and set it on top of a medium-size
cut glass with another glass alongside ofit; now pour a jigger of absinthe over
the ice (and a little orgeat if the customer desires it); and, when it is strained,
place the strainer on the other glass, porir the contents of the first glass over the
ice again, and continue to do this until enough ice has dissolved to fill one of
the glasses; then serve.

1900 William T. Boothby: Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender. #7. Suicesse.

SAN FRANCISCO STYLE.
Into a medium-size mixing-glass place two or three lumps of ice, a dash
of orgeat syrup and a jigger of absinthe. Shake until frost appears on the out
side of shaker, strain into punch glass, fill up with cold syphon soda and serve.

1908 William Boothby: The World’s Drinks. Seite 17. Absinthe Cocktail.

Fill a medium-size mixing-glass with fine ice and pour over it two drops
of Angostura bitters, a dash of orgeat syrup, a dash of anisette and about
half a jigger of absinthe; stir well or shake, strain into a chilled stem
cocktail-glass, squeeze a piece of lemon-peel over the top and serve with a
chaser of ice water.

1908 William Boothby: The World’s Drinks. Seite 17. Absinthe Drip.

FRENCH STYLE.
Into a highball or punch-glass place a lump of ice, a pony of absinthe
and a flavor of either gum, orgeat or anisette (whichever the patron prefers);
then fill an absinthe-strainer (a glass or metallic vessel with a single hole in
the bottom) with cracked ice and water, and hold it high up above the glass
containing the absinthe, allowing it to drip until the glass is full; then stir
well and serve.

1908 William Boothby: The World’s Drinks. Seite 18. Absinthe Plain.

Fill a large bar strainer with fine ice and set it on th e top of a medium
cut goblet or highball-glass with a duplicate glass alongside of it; now pour
a pony of absinthe over the ice (and a little orgeat, if the patron desires it),
and when it is strained place the strainer on the other glass and pour the
contents of the first glass over the ice again, and continue to do this until
enough ice has dissolved to fill one of the glasses; then serve.

1908 William Boothby: The World’s Drinks. Seite 19. Suissesse.

WESTERN STYLE.
A LA JOHN P. GLYNN, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
Pour a dash of orgeat syrup and a pony of absinthe into a small mixing-
glass and shake thoroughly with some cracked ice until frost appears on the
outside of the shaker; then place a bar strainer on top of a punch-glass and
empty the contents of the shaker into the strainer; slowly squirt siphon
seltzer over the ice until the glass is full; throw away the ice, stir well, and
serve.

1909 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 24. Absinthe Suissesse.

Wird zubereitet wie Absinthe-Frappe, nur gebe man noch ein
1/2 Likörglas Orgeat-Sirup hinzu.

Absinthe-Frappé.
Fülle ein Barglas 1/2 voll mit feinem Eis, füge hinzu:
1 Likörglas Absinthe,
3 Dashes Anisette.
Schüttele tüchtig mittels des Schüttelbechers, seihe es in ein High-
Ball-Glas, fülle langsam mit kaltem Selterswasser auf und serviere.

1909 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 37. Absinthe Cocktail.

3-4 Stückchen Kristalleis,
2 Dashes Angostura-Bitters,
2 „ Orgeat-Sirup,
1 „ Anisette,
3/4 Cocktailglas Absinthe.
Mische gut mit Barlöffel, gib eine Olive in ein Cocktailglas und
seihe es hinein. Presse das Öl aus einem Stückchen Zitronen-
schale darüber.

1913 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 24. Absinthe Suissesse.

Wird zubereitet wie Absinthe-Frappé, nur gebe man noch ein
1/2 Likörglas Orgeat-Sirup hinzu.

Seite 24. Absinthe-Frappé.

Fülle ein Barglas 1/2 voll mit feinem Eis, füge hinzu:
1 Likörglas Absinthe,
3 Dashes Anisette.
Schüttele tüchtig mittels des Schüttelbechers, seihe es in ein High-
Ball-Glas, fülle langsam mit kaltem Selterswasser auf und serviere.

1913 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 37. Absinthe-Cocktail.

3—4 Stückchen Kristalleis,
2 Dashes Angostura-Bitters,
2 „ Orgeat-Sirup,
1 Dash Anisette,
3/4 Cocktailglas Absinthe.
Mische gut mit Barlöffel, gib eine Olive in ein Cocktailglas und seihe
es hinein. Presse den Saft aus einem Stückchen Zitronenschale darüber.

1913 Hans Schönfeld & John Leybold: Lexikon der Getränke. Seite 5. Absinth Cocktail.

Schüttelbecher mit 3-4 Stck. Eis, 2 Spritzer
Orgeat-Sirup, 2 Spritzer Angostura, 1 Spritzer Anisette,
1/2 Gocktailglas Absinth, schütteln, in Cocktailglas seihen,
Citronenschale.

1913 Hans Schönfeld & John Leybold: Lexikon der Getränke. Seite 6. Absinth-Suisse.

Fülle Schüttelbecher halb voll Eis, 1 Li-
körglas Absinth, 4 Spritzer Anisette, 1/2 Likörglas Orgeat
Sirup, schütteln, Fizzglas seihen, mit Selters auffüllen.

1914 George R. Washburne & Stanley Bronner: Beverages De Luxe. Absinthe A La Suissesse.

One pony White Absinthe.
One pony Anisette.
Dash of Orgeat Syrup.
(Shake thoroughly and serve with
fizz water).

1920 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 24. Absinthe Suissesse.

Wird zubereitet wie Absinthe-Frappé, nur gebe man noch ein
1/2 Likörglas Orgeat-Sirup hinzu.

Seite 24. Absinthe-Frappé.

Fülle ein Barglas 1/2 voll mit feinem Eis, füge hinzu:
1 Likörglas Absinthe,
3 Dashes Anisette.
Schüttele tüchtig mittels des Schüttelbechers, seihe es in ein High-
Ball-Glas, fülle langsam mit kaltem Selterswasser auf und serviere.

1920 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 37. Absinthe-Cocktail.

3—4 Stückchen Kristalleis,
2 Dashes Angostura-Bitters,
2 „ Orgeat-Sirup,
1 „ Anisette,
3/4 Cocktailglas Absinthe.
Mische gut mit Barlöffel, gib eine Olive in ein Cocktailglas und
seihe es hinein. Presse den Saft aus einem Stückchen Zitronen-
schale darüber.

1925 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 24. Absinthe Suissesse.

Wird zubereitet wie Absinthe-Frappe, nur gebe man noch ein
1/2 Likörglas Orgeat-Sirup hinzu.

Absinthe-Frappé.
Fülle ein Barglas 1/2 voll mit feinem Eis, füge hinzu:
1 Likörglas Absinthe,
3 Dashes Anisette.
Schüttele tüchtig mittels des Schüttelbechers, seihe es in ein High-
Ball-Glas, fülle langsam mit kaltem Selterswasser auf und serviere.

1925 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 37. Absinthe Cocktail.

3-4 Stückchen Kristalleis,
2 Dashes Angostura-Bitters,
2 „ Orgeat-Sirup,
1 „ Anisette,
3/4 Cocktailglas Absinthe.
Mische gut mit Barlöffel, gib eine Olive in ein Cocktailglas und
seihe es hinein. Presse den Saft aus einem Stückchen Zitronen-
schale darüber.

1930 William T. Boothby: „Cocktail Bill“ Boothby’s World Drinks. Seite 10. Absinthe.

Absinthe . . . . . . 1/2 jigger Orgeat . . . . . . . 1 dash
Bitters . . . . . . . . 2 drops Anisette . . . . . . 1 dash
Pour ingredients over shaved ice, stir thoroughly and strain into chilled
cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over and serve with ice water chaser.

1933 George A. Lurie: Here’s How. Seite 1. Absinthe.

Absinthe . . . . . . 1 pony Orgeat . . . . . . . 1 dash
Angostura . . . . 2 drops Anisette . . . . . . 1 dash
Pour ingredients over shaved ice, stir thoroughly and strain
into chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over and serve
with ice water chaser.

1933 George A. Lurie: Here’s How. Seite 161. Suissesse.

Absinthe . . . . . . . . . 3/4 jigger Orgeat . . . . . . . . . . 2 dashes
. Seltzer . . . . . . . . . to fill
Shake until frost appears on shaker and drip through
absinthe dripper into chilled highball glass. Drip seltzer
until full, stir gently and serve with straws.

1934 William T. Boothby: „Cocktail Bill“ Boothby’s World Drinks. Seite 10. Absinthe.

Absinthe . . . . . . 1/2 jigger Orgeat . . . . . . . 1 dash
Bitters . . . . . . . . 2 drops Anisette . . . . . . 1 dash
Pour ingredients over shaved ice, stir thoroughly and strain into chilled
cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over and serve with ice water chaser.

1935 John Held: Peychaud’s New Orleans Cocktails. Absinthe Suissesse.

2/3 Greenopal.
1/3 Orgeat Syrup.
Frappe well by stirring thor-
oughly in glass filled with finely
crushed ice. Strain and serve in
stem glass.
If Orgeat is unavailable, use
Ojen or Anisette.

1938 Bud Caroll: Popular Drinks of Today. Seite 6. Absinthe.

Absinthe . . . . . . . 1 jigger Orgeat . . . . . . . . . . 1 dash
. Orange Bitters . . . 2 drops
Pour ingredients over shaved ice, shake thoroughly
and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel
over and serve with ice water chaser.

1946 Bill Kelly: The Roving Bartender. Seite 24. Absinthe Cocktail.

1 dash Angostura Bitters
1 oz. Orgeat Syrup
1 oz. Absinthe Substitute
Shake. All absinthe substi-
tutes must be well iced so that
the mixer shows a frost before
serving. Cocktail glass.

1948 Trader Vic: Bartender’s Guide. Seite 199. Absinthe Cocktail.

1 oz. absinthe 1 dash anisette
1 dash orgeat 2 drops Angostura bitters
Stir with fine ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist
lemon peel over drink and serve with ice-water chaser. Note:
In all recipes calling for absinthe use Pernod or Herbsaint.
Real absinthe is no longer made.

1948 Trader Vic: Bartender’s Guide. Seite 345. Suissesse 1.

1 1/2 oz. Pernod or Herbsaint 2 dashes orgeat syrup
Shake until shaker is frosted; drip through absinthe drip-
per into chilled highball glass. Drip seltzer until glass is full.
Stir gently and serve with straws.

1950 Ted Shane: Authentic and Hilarious Bar Guide. Seite 146. Suissesse.

1 jigger Pernod 2 dashes Orgeat Syrup
Shake until shaker is frosted; drip through Absinthe
dripper into chilled highball glass. Drip seltzer until
glass is full. Stir gently and serve with straws.

1972 Trader Vic: Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. Seite 105. Absinthe Cocktail.

1 ounce absinthe or Pernod
1 dash orgeat syrup
1 dash anisette
2 drops Angostura bitters
Stir with ice cubes. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Add a
twist of lemon peel, and serve with ice-water chaser.

1972 Trader Vic: Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide. Seite 114. Suissesse – 2.

1 1/2 ounces Pernod or Herbsaint
2 dashes orgeat syrup
Club soda
Shake Pernod or Herbsaint and orgeat with ice cubes until
shaker is frosted; drip through drip spoon into a chilled 4-
ounce cocktail glass. Drip in soda until glass is full. Stir
gently. Serve with straws.

1977 Stan Jones: Jones’ Complete Barguide. Seite 209. Absinthe Cocktail.

Cocktail Glass Shake
1-1/2 oz absinthe or a
substitute
3/4 oz water
1/2 oz anisette
1 dash orange bitters

Variation
1 oz absinthe
1 dash orgeat
1 dash anisette
1 dash Angostura bitters
1-1/2 oz absinthe or a
Lemon twist
Water chaser

1977 Stan Jones: Jones’ Complete Barguide. Seite 409. Suissesse.

Hiball Glass Shake
1-1/2 oz Pernod
1/4 oz anisette
Fill with soda, ice

Variation
1-1/2 oz Pernod
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
Drip soda into glass until filled
Add ice

Variation
1-1/2 oz brandy
Cocktail Glass Shake
1-1/4 oz Pernod
3/4 oz anisette
1 egg white
(1/2 oz cream optional)

2010 Colin Peter Field: The Ritz Paris. Seite 65. Mauresque. 3/10 Pastis; 1/10 Orgeat syrup; iced water.

– Absintho, orgeat and egg white –

1899 Chris F. Lawlor: The Mixicologist. Seite 65. Suissesse.

One-half jigger of absinthe, a tablespoonful of
orgeat syrup, one white of egg; put into a mixing
glass, fill with cracked ice, shake; strain into a
wine-glass.

1900 James C. Maloney: The 20th Century Guide For Mixing Fancy Drinks. Seite 7. Absinthe Swiss S.

Fill mixing glass with fine ice.
1/2 wine glass Orgeat syrup (or Anisette).
2-3 wine glass Eagle absinthe.
1 wine glass water.
The white of one egg.
Shake the ingredients thoroughly with shaker, then
strain into a glass that has been cooled (a six-
ounce glass), give it a dash of seltzer and squeeze
a piece of lemon peel over it and serve.
This is a great nerve quieter.

1912 John H. Considine: The Buffet Blue Book. #201. Suiesse.

Use large bar glass half full of Ice; 1-3
jigger anisette, 1-3 jigger absinthe, 1-3 jig-
ger Orgeat syrup, white of 1 egg. Shake
well, until shaker is well frosted, strain into
medium thin glass and fill up with seltzer.

1913 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 24. Egg-Suissesse.

Fülle ein Barglas 1/2 voll mit feinem Eis, füge hinzu:
1 Likörglas Orgeat-Sirup,
1 „ Absinthe,
1 Eiweiß.
Schüttele alles tüchtig in einem Schüttelbecher, seihe es in ein
High-Ball-Glas, fülle mit kaltem Selterswasser auf und serviere.

1920 Carl A. Seutter: Der Mixologist. Seite 24. Egg-Suissesse.

Fülle ein Barglas 1/2 voll mit feinem Eis, füge hinzu:
1 Likörglas Orgeat-Sirup,
1 „ Absinthe,
1 Eiweiß.
Schüttele alles tüchtig in einem Schüttelbecher, seihe es in ein
High-Ball-Glas, fülle mit kaltem Selterswasser auf und serviere.

1938 Hyman Gale & Gerald F. Marco: The How and When. Seite 150. Egg Suissesse Highball.

1 pony Absinthe
White of one Egg
1 spoon Orgeat Syrup
Shake well
Strain into Highball Glass
Add cube of ice and Seltzer to fill

1957 Lawrence Blochman: Here’s How. Seite 79. Suissesse.

2 jiggers Pernod 5 dashes Orgeat syrup
1 egg white
Shake with cracked ice until it froths, then strain into
an old-fashioned glass.

1977 Stan Jones: Jones’ Complete Barguide. Seite 274. Egg Suissesse.

Hiball Glass Shake
1 oz Pernod
1/4 oz orgeat syrup
1 egg white
Fill with ice, Soda

1977 Stan Jones: Jones’ Complete Barguide. Seite 409. Suissesse.

Hiball Glass Shake
1-1/2 oz Pernod
1/4 oz anisette
Fill with soda, ice

Variation
1-1/2 oz Pernod
1/2 oz orgeat syrup
Drip soda into glass until filled
Add ice

Variation
1-1/2 oz brandy
Cocktail Glass Shake
1-1/4 oz Pernod
3/4 oz anisette
1 egg white
(1/2 oz cream optional)

explicit capitulum
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About

Hi, I'm Armin and in my spare time I want to promote bar culture as a blogger, freelance journalist and Bildungstrinker (you want to know what the latter is? Then check out "About us"). My focus is on researching the history of mixed drinks. If I have ever left out a source you know of, and you think it should be considered, I look forward to hearing about it from you to learn something new. English is not my first language, but I hope that the translated texts are easy to understand. If there is any incomprehensibility, please let me know so that I can improve it.

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