The Green Fairy cocktail is a very old classic, probably one of the oldest cocktails in the world. It’s so named because that’s the nickname for its main ingredient, absinthe.
The original recipe probably predates shakers, so it called for you to drip ice cold water onto a sugar cube in absinthe until the cube melted.
This would yield about 3-4 ounces of water to 1 ounce of absinthe. But now we have shakers and absinthe today is weaker than it was back then, so the recipe has adapted over the years.
The lemon flavor actually leads here, but it’s quickly overtaken by the anise from the absinthe. The lemon and bitters make the anise flavor less overwhelming while the egg white gives it added richness and a bit of a frothy texture.
As with most absinthe-based drinks, if you’re one of those people who can’t stand black licorice flavor, you won’t like this drink and probably shouldn’t even try it.
But if you do, it’s something special. (As always, if you’re afraid to use raw egg, a pasteurized egg white based substitute product will work just fine.)
If you enjoy this drink, check out the Absinthe Suissesse, which features absinthe along with orange flower water, white creme de menthe and anisette.
Green Fairy Drink Recipe
- 1 ounce absinthe
- 1 ounce water
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons of egg white
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour in all ingredients. Shake thoroughly and strain into a cocktail glass.