Mata Hari bills itself as an absinthe without the anis. Well, it definitely doesn't have the anis.



The color is obviously a fake, bright bluish green, but not necessarily unappetizing.



Watering brings about a very quick louche, but it isn't a strong one. Gets a bit cloudy but that's about it. It turns a radioactive green color when fully diluted.



Mata Hari neat has a cinnamony scent that's a bit medicinal. After water it has a strong scent of marjoram and cinnamon with a noticeable absence of fennel or anis. A perfect impression of the smell of those little candy hearts with messages on them that you get during valentine's day.



The flavor is extremely bitter. Lots of wormwood, not much else. Definitely would benefit from loads of sugar if taken like a real absinthe. My recommendation though would to only use this in drink recipes, almost like a bitters.