Absinthe Afternoon

[akumushi]

Originally Posted by Subvet642

During the ban, it was normally made with pastis like Pernod or Ricard. Pastis is related to absinthe in that it's basically absinthe without the wormwood. There is one from New Orleans, but the name escapes me.

Pastis is a star anise drink, talk about your licorice bomb. I'd stay away from it unless you LOVE black jelly beans. In general an absinthe that uses star anise rather than green anise is considered a sub par drink.
Herbsaint is an acceptable Absinthe substitute, but it is made without the primary ingredient: wormwood. If it's half the price, you might want to try the Herbsaint first, as it is often used in Sazeracs and may actually have been what you were served in NO, since authentic Absinthe has not been widely available in the U.S. until just the last few years, and even now it's hard to call its current status "widely available." Being a fan of Absinthe, I'd say just go with a bottle of Lucid or Kubler and try it out.