Malört is flavored with wormwood, an herb also found in absinthe. So Malört 's similar to absinthe? Gizmodo gives a qualified maybe ... absinthe without sugar cubes, ice, or other additives, or "the most disgusting liquor of all time ... a harsh, extremely unpalatable beverage with an hour-long bitter aftertaste." Thrillist compares it to "drinking pesticide," while Chicago calls it "a challenge to drink" with an "undefinable unsavoriness."
Even the brand itself admits that the flavor is, well, an acquired taste: the original bottle labeled its contents "rugged and unrelenting," while the current one goes with "bitter taste ... savored by two-fisted drinkers." Other comments quoted by Chicago include "the liquid equivalent of a Chicago winter," "pencil shavings and heartbreak," "a burnt condom full of gas," and "baby aspirin wrapped in a grapefruit peel, bound with rubber bands and then soaked in well gin." (This last description comes from Malört's marketing director!)
Twitter, of course, has plenty to say about Malört. Users describe it as tasting like "jet fuel," "bandaids," "the 2021 Bears," "driving through Peoria with your mouth open," "grapefruit and burnt rubber," "like licking a permanent marker that's been soaking in gin," and "the underside of the devils infected b***sack" (this last commenter admitted to serving the stuff as a practical joke). A rare positive(ish) comment came from someone with Chicago Detours: they compared it to " a good amaro, like Fernet," but allowed they still didn't like it.
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