We had a bottle or two in our FarmLogs (yc12) office. Would bring it out once in a while to celebrate something, and would always snag a noobie or intern to fall for the trap.
Neat. What was the trap?
It tastes like roadkill soaked in turpentine.
The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
31–40 of 152 posts
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#32> It is also, in five words, the unofficial liquor of Chicago No, it's a meme that hipsters have somehow latched onto because the Chicago aesthetic seems to be popular now. If a native Chicagoan tells you that you have to have a shot of Malort when you're at the bar because it's the "unofficial liquor of Chicago" - they're pulling a prank. It's somehow lasted a century as a prank you pull on your buddies who don't dr…
Yes, this, exactly.
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Neat. What was the trap?
It tastes like roadkill soaked in turpentine.
It's not just that it tastes bad. Elisir Novasalus tastes bad. Lots of things taste bad. Malort tastes like something you are not supposed to be drinking; like solvents, like something leaking out of the engine of a car. Not in a good way. It tastes like a bad product.
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#34I went on a stag do (bachelor party for non-Brits) last year. The groom had just returned from Chicago on a business trip the morning we went away. He brought back a bottle of Malört. I developed a taste for it that weekend - it's not that bad (I'd take it over something like Becharovka). Annoyingly years ago (2009ish) I spent a fair amount of time over in the Midwest with work and never drank the stuff.
Becherovka? I love that stuff. I'm afraid to try Malört though.
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#35> It is also, in five words, the unofficial liquor of Chicago No, it's a meme that hipsters have somehow latched onto because the Chicago aesthetic seems to be popular now. If a native Chicagoan tells you that you have to have a shot of Malort when you're at the bar because it's the "unofficial liquor of Chicago" - they're pulling a prank. It's somehow lasted a century as a prank you pull on your buddies who don't dr…
Yes, this, exactly.
The most annoying part of Malort discourse is that it’s changed since it was purchased by CH and isn’t nearly as strong.
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#36Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#37Malört is the name of the herb wormwood in Swedish. The swedish name means "clothing moth herb", and has been used to fight cloth moths among other uses. Also especially popular spirit flavoring, which it's latin name hints of. Artemisia absinthium
I'd imagine there's as much actual wormwood in Malort as there is fruit in a Froot Loops.
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#38I like it fine, it doesn't taste especially unusual among other herbal bitter liquors, a category I like. It's not the best (or as expensive as the best! they can get pricey), but it's not the worst, it's a fine drink. The NYT story above mostly stayed away from how it's become known as like "the worst drink ever" or something, something you drink as a kind of challenge rather than that it's enjoyable. I've suspected…
If you like Fernet?
Fernet is 100x better in every way.
Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#39Re: The Rise of Malört, an Unexpected Midwest princess
#40I like it fine, it doesn't taste especially unusual among other herbal bitter liquors, a category I like. It's not the best (or as expensive as the best! they can get pricey), but it's not the worst, it's a fine drink. The NYT story above mostly stayed away from how it's become known as like "the worst drink ever" or something, something you drink as a kind of challenge rather than that it's enjoyable. I've suspected…
If you like Fernet?
Then you will be disappointed by Malort, which is one-dimensionally vile and without any charm. The sad thing is Chicago is a big amaro town; Malort is to a serious amaro what a bottle of 70% isopropyl is to Glenrothes 18.