Absinthe Milkshake

Rob Pate, the owner of Peche in Austin, likes to describe himself as, “the angry-looking guy walking from table to table every night.” Of course, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While Pate is nearly always chatting to guests, he hardly looks angry. In the wooden and bisto-like space of Peche in the downtown city center, Pate looks more at home than anyone else in the place. 

Peche is phenomenal, and the city of Austin is lucky to have an institution like this one. The French bistro serves moulés frites, tartare, sweetbreads, essentially all of the food you want there to be in Austin, but can’t find at any other spot. The bar list is extensive, and the drinks are always superb. 

But one thing Peche is known for beyond its charismatic owner is its absinthe list, which is, for lack of another descriptor, exhaustive. Whether you have the chance to visit Peche in person or not, you can still sip one of the best drinks the team serves at home: the Absinthe Milkshake. 

The drink is under the “Adult Milkshake” category on the menu, and it's unsurprising that drinking one after devouring Duck L’Orange makes me feel ten years old all over again. Pate uses vanilla ice cream that’s made in house, a decent amount of cherry liqueur to brighten things up, and of course, a generous dollop of absinthe. 

If you can make your own vanilla ice cream for this, do so. If you live in Texas and have access to Blue Bell, that’ll be the next best thing. Otherwise, it’ll still be great, but for the best results, make sure to use a vanilla with a strong vanilla bean flavoring. 

Once you've sourced your ingredients, the drink couldn’t be easier to make: Just toss it all in a blender, and pour it into a big glass. While I’m typically using all of my fries to devour the sauce from the mussels, I always save a few to dip into this shake. It’s the perfect bite at the end of an already fantastic meal. —Daniel Modlin