A frothy, anise-scented coupe built on a bold pour of absinthe, its licorice bite rounded by a quiet touch of nutty orgeat and cushioned under a cap of whipped egg white. A splash of soda opens up the spirit and lightens the foam, so it drinks silky and cool — absinthe-forward through and through, but softened at every edge.
Shaken · Coupe · Up
add
Combine the absinthe, orgeat, and egg white in a shaker.
shake
Dry shake without ice to emulsify the egg white, then add ice and shake again until well chilled and frothy.
strain
Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
top
Add a short splash of soda water to lift the foam.
No single inventor claims the Suissesse — the name just means "a Swiss woman," and the drink turns up independently in bar manuals printed in the US, UK and France between 1900 and 1930, each with small differences of spec. The 1900 20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks lists it as Absinthe Suisse, while Boothby's 1908 book gives both a plain Suissesse and an egg version, explaining that it differs from a Frozen Absinthe only in being sweetened. Ensslin kept the orgeat-and-egg formula in 1917, and Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 traded the orgeat for anisette. Along the way it won a following as a morning "nerve quieter."