In a shocking turn, I had three friends of mine drop in for drinks on Saturday night, although that wasn't the shocking part. They suggested absinthe, which I was only too happy to provide. They all liked it. This left me gob-smacked, and later, very drunk.
Don't you just love that shit...kinda nice cause it forces me to only have the best on tap...
True. And in a departure from my usual practice, we ended with the Lucid. So, maybe starting with Jades is the way to go, who knows?
I put my best first tuck the worst in the middle and end with the good stuff...
(04-12-2010 06:29 PM)homebrewnorcal Wrote: [ -> ]I put my best first tuck the worst in the middle and end with the good stuff...
Ditto!
We usually pour several different things, and direct the noob to something good but perhaps a bit more simple. Then the glasses are passed so that the new person can gather some of the scope of the differences between absinthes. Some of the reactions have been priceless.
All in all we have a pretty good success rate. One met a few people who just don't like the anise flavor.
I used to warn complete newbies beforehand that it may not be to their liking because of the anise, but in the end it seemed to make them focus on it too much. I've had a much better success rate either not describing anything about the flavour, or focusing on describing all the nuances other than anise while opening a bottle.
I also think it's very important to let them try both verte and blanche. A buddy of mine would humour me and taste the absinthe selection at our gatherings, but would always end up drinking something else after the first glass. Then I said, let's try a blanche, and brought out some La Clandestine 55. The other selections had been higher proof vertes like Duplais, so he was shocked at the difference and said to me, "That's one of the best things I've tasted in my life."
Wow. This is some of the best advice I've ever heard.