Has anybody ever heard of Ojen? It is an anise liquor from Spain that I learned about a few weeks ago at the restaurant. One of my regular customers came in with a family friend of his who had told me about this absinthe-like product that she'd always picked up in New Orleans. I was not familiar with the product, so she said she'd bring the bottle with her on her next visit.

I asked the woman when she'd bought it last, and she said she picks it up every year when she goes to New Orleans. But one look at the bottle would tell you it was not likely from recent vintage. I was dubious and thought perhaps her memory had lapsed and her most recent trip was 10 years ago...

When I got home, I did a little digging, and found the (very sad) explanation in an article on NOLA.com. It turns out that Ojen, like king cake and CHOP-a-toul-as, has a unique and unexplainable relationship with the Crescent City. The spirit gained considerable popularity in New Orleans, and the Ojen Cocktail (recipe below) was the official Mardi Gras tipple of the Krewe of Rex. Apparently, however, the spirit's popularity declined so much in its native Spain that the manufacturer decided to cease production in the late 1980's. The proprietor of Martin Wine Cellar in New Orleans convinced the distiller to run one more batch, on the condition that Martin purchase all 6,000 bottles of the 500 case run. And so he did. And that stockpile lasted, apparently, until this summer when Martin sold its last retail bottle of Ojen. So my guest was right--that "new" bottle of Ojen was 20 years old!

Ojen Cocktail, how I hope to taste you again some day

Ojen Cocktail
2 oz Ojen
Dash Peychaud's bitters
Barspoon simple syrup
1/2 oz water
Stir with ice to chill, serve

What a bittersweet experience it was to discover Ojen, to learn about a product only to find out that I will never be able to get my hands on it! What's worse is I was there in July just before they sold that last bottle. It could have been me...

Maybe Ojen will become a pet project of some Paleomixologist like David Wondrich, or Eric Seed. In the mean time I guess I will be satisfied by the entire shelf full of other anise spirits we have at the bar...