#16 – ABSINTHE COLADA at MAISON PREMIERE

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

SADLY, MAISON PREMIERE IS NOW CLOSED.

I had high hopes for the Absinthe Colada at Maison Premiere. I’ve been wanting to stop by this place since they opened last year for some oysters and absinthe. The lounge has an old-world New Orleans style to it that seems to be all the rage these days in the city, except this place has an actual working absinthe fountain (although we didn’t see it through the massive crowds at the bar). There’s no food menu here aside from raw and chilled seafood platters. We picked a handful of oysters which were fresh and invigorating. I do love me some oysters.

The cocktails were a bit harder to settle on. Of course, the Absinthe Colada was required since it was on the list. I was tempted to do an absinthe tasting, but we were won over by the sound of the Inland Dynasty, which was two different dark rums, rye, grapefruit, and cinnamon. It had a rich, spicy Christmas-y flavor to it that I quite enjoyed.

I used to love sneaking piña coladas as a kid, sipping them by the pool and savoring the creamy sweetness of the rum melting into the sugar-laced coconut juice. The version at Maison Premiere is a slightly refined take on that poolside specialty, with Appleton Jamaican rum, coconut syrup, pineapple juice, and lemon. But the real kicker is the addition of Germain Robin absinthe.

The absinthe gives my childhood favorite a strong menthol flavor (the drink is garnished with a huge bouquet of fresh mint just to bring the point across), which I think is a strange addition to piña coladas. The first sips were quite intense with anise overshadowing the sweetness of the fruit. It eventually mellowed out as the creamy coconut and sweet pineapple flavors became more present. But I didn’t think these flavors really made sense together. I felt like the absinthe was competing rather than harmonizing with the fruit and mint.

Perhaps it’s just my tastes – I’d rather a smooth, spicy or smoky drink with a touch more sweetness. Or just give me the herbaceous absinthe in a glass so I can really savor the complex flavors. Here it all became a little muddied and biting.

Would Maison Premiere’s Absinthe Colada make my Top 100 of the year? I eventually settled in to the drink, but overall I didn’t think the mix of contrasting flavors (anise, mint, pineapple coconut) worked terribly well together. I have to award it only a 6 out of 10 for its harsh finish.