Ojen
Friday, April 3rd, 2009
A long-time reader, friend-of-many-friends, photographer, and fellow beverage enthusiast Brother O’Mara has discovered a fascinating jewel of New Orleans drink culture: OJEN
There is something very special about New Orleans… a certain je ne sais quoi. There are so many traditions, influences, and stories that are unique to the city. I think it’s safe to assume that the mardi gras beads and hurricanes that have been exported to the rest of the us is just a tiny tip of the true New Orleans iceberg of culture that remains hidden to outsiders.
Ojen is actually a spirit distilled in Spain. You simply cannot buy it in most of the USA (certainly not in North Carolina, even through our impressive special-order ABC website). It is in the absinthe family in that it is anise-based (and therefore tastes of licorice).
There was not a lot of information on the web about Ojen… until now. The La Fille De La Ville (who blogs about food & drink from a New Orleans perspective) and O’Mara team appear to be the web’s best information on the subject of Ojen. Go check it out.
Anybody planning on making a NOLA to NC trek, please contact me about smuggling a bottle across state lines for me.