I'm quite a cocktail aficionado, as well as being quite a fan of black currants. In fact, despite my well-known loathing for any type of flavored iced tea (particularly that vile Paradise swill), I was surprised to have actually enjoyed a black currant iced tea that was served with my meal at the Border Grill in Santa Monica, CA. So naturally, when I first saw Absolut Kurant several years ago, I thought, "This is for me."
I bought a bottle, mixed a cocktail, and said ... "Eww."
Oddly enough, I actually blamed myself. I thought that my palate might not have been sophisticated enough to appreciate it. I would have thrown it away, but I hate to waste liquor so I put it way in the back of the bar and forgot about it.
I've had a recent resurgence of interest in vodka-based drinks (which I'm beginning to favor above most others), and a friend of mine talked about having recently had a "Berry Martini", consisting of Absolute Kurant and Chambord. This sounded tasty indeed. I already had the Chambord, and remembered that the bottle of Absolut Kurant was still in the back of my bar.
Pour, mix, shake, strain. And you know what? It was just as bad as I remembered. I thought, "What a waste of good Chambord." I might have to revise my previous policy on throwing away liquor.
Absolut Kurant has a harsh, medicinal taste, not at all reminiscent of the flavor of black currant as I know and enjoy it. The flavor seemed not natural to me at all, as if the liquor was flavored with chemicals rather than botanicals. It reminded me most of the nasty allergy medicine I had to take throughout my childhood, and that is not a good memory.
In fact, as I've learned to appreciate good vodka, I find Absolut to be harsh in general, not as smooth as Stoli or some of the more refined vodkas I've enjoyed (one from Denmark whose brand name escapes me at the moment, and a wonderful new vodka from Iceland, whose brand name also escapes me). I can still take regular Absolut in a cocktail, but I wouldn't recommend Absolut Kurant to anyone, even as a cough syrup.
(If you have a cough, place a healthy shot of good Irish whiskey in a teacup, boil the kettle, fill with hot water, finish with honey and a squeeze of lemon. You'll stop coughing, and you'll drift off into peaceful sleep.)
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