A Tiki Taboo

The Art of The Cocktail weekly cocktail contests continue, and the spirit of choice for week #2 was Okanagan Spirts Taboo Absinthe.  Absinthe is not a spirit I mix with frequently because it's such a tough spirit to integrate well.  Even when I do mix with absinthe it's a barspoon here and rinse there.  But for this challenge I wanted to show off the natural sweetness of absinthe, and what better way to do so than with a tiki cocktail!

A Tiki Taboo
- 1 oz Taboo Absinthe
- 1 oz Gin
- 1/2 oz St. Germain
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- 2 oz Pineapple Juice
- 3/4 Basil Infused Simple Syrup *


- Add all ingredients to cocktail shaker
- Add ice and shake hard
- Dump entire contains of shaker into tiki glass
- top glass with crushed ice
- garnish with pineapple leaves, lime wheel, mint, paper umbrella, etc...(it is a tiki drink after all)

A Tiki Taboo

* Basil Infused simple syrup
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 18-24 basil leaves


- Add ingredients to sauce pan on low-medium heat
- let syrup simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring periodically to ensure all sugar is dissolved
- let cool and strain out basil
- Bottle and store in fridge


Here is a video on the judge's thoughts on all entries.

Week #3 spirit challenge was sponsored by Victoria Spirits' 

Victoria Gin. Check back monday for my recipe, and be sure to submit your own cocktail for future challenges.

Visit http://artofthecocktail.ca/ for more information.