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Absinthe, Pastis, Anisette et al


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there's actually two absinthe products with legal levels of thujone(less than 10mg/liter) already available in the US market. They are distilled using grand wormwood; I have yet to try either brand so I cannot attest to their quality. LUCID is distilled in France at the combier distillery(see below, ol ironstomach was right. I originally put that lucid was part of the jade line, I was misinformed), created by Ted Breaux(a native of New Orleans) a former Absinthe enthusiast/collector. It's already available in several bars/restaurants in NYC and a few in Chicago. The other is Kubler from Switzerland, it was the first legally available in the states because the company negotiated a deal with US customs.

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I finally got my hands on a bottle of LUCID. I have to agree with ol'ironstomach: it's like pastis(it actually reminds me more of cassanis more than Ricard or Pernod) with a little....something sort of grappaish. I can't identify it; it's definitely something I don't care for. I've had two servings(1.5 oz) and I'm not sure I'll keep drinking. It's hit me pretty hard already.

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I finally got my hands on a bottle of LUCID. I have to agree with ol'ironstomach: it's like pastis(it actually reminds me more of cassanis more than Ricard or Pernod) with a little....something sort of grappaish. I can't identify it; it's definitely something I don't care for. I've had two servings(1.5 oz) and I'm not sure I'll keep drinking. It's hit me pretty hard already.

This is a gray area for many of us, I'm sure.

Isn't pastis simply a lower-proof answer to absinthe? Didn't the French create pastis (i.e. Pernod and Ricard) to have less alcohol, more sugar and an anise seed base to fill the void left by the banning of absinthe?

(By the way, Lucid absinthe will be available from a D.C. liquor wholesaler sometime this month)

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That's right. And they actually ended up overfilling the void. The French live and die by pastis. Theres the "yard" and the old joke about the greatest job in France: the mailman because he stops at every house on his route to have a glass of pastis.

I think the big difference in LUCID and Pastis is the foundation. Lucid seems to be missing the bulk of anise and Ceylon spices/roots that its pastis cousins have. I'll say it makes up for it in it's MikeTysonPunchOutiness.

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Supposedly, pastis was once very much closer to absinthe than it is today, having since developed into a style of its own. And regardless of which side you take on Pernod vs. Ricard, I'm here to tell you that both of them are paint stripper compared to the delicate complexity of Henri Bardouin "grand cru" pastis. It's an utterly gorgeous sip on a warm summer night. Thanks again to the Parrott-head for turning me on to that brand during one of our Astor shopping binges. Incidentally, the same group also distills "Absente" - might that more closely resemble an early pastis?

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I finally got my hands on a bottle of LUCID. I have to agree with ol'ironstomach: it's like pastis(it actually reminds me more of cassanis more than Ricard or Pernod) with a little....something sort of grappaish. I can't identify it; it's definitely something I don't care for. I've had two servings(1.5 oz) and I'm not sure I'll keep drinking. It's hit me pretty hard already.

Could it be the 124° and the warning "CAUTION: CONTENTS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE"?

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Could it be the 124° and the warning "CAUTION: CONTENTS HIGHLY FLAMMABLE"?
No doubt. It's anise flavored jet fuel.
Alright, I'll bite: where in this area can we find it?
It hasn't hit DC yet. I know that two or three distributors in this area have bites on some different brands for the future.
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Incidentally, the same group also distills "Absente" - might that more closely resemble an early pastis?
The Virginia ABC nearest us (Sterling-haven't seen it at any others) has been stocking Absente for a while, and it's pretty good - nice enough to drink straight, and mixes very well, which is essential for the Corpse Reviver #2. They also include a drip spoon with each bottle, which is a nice touch - we've given a couple of bottles as gifts because of it.
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Wow, just read this and it blows my mind. Spent a lot of time in Amsterdam and if you are not experienced at drinking the "Green Fairy" you can overdo it. I hope bartenders remember that a few can ruin it for the masses and they keep people from getting utterly wasted.

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The bottle I bought in New Orleans a couple of years ago is called ABSENTE (Absinthe Refined) from Distilleries et Domaines de Provence (France) and inported by Crillion Importers (Paramus, NJ). The process is call petite absinthe and is barrelled in southern wornwood. Anyone know anything about this? It was like 46 bucks ans is 110 proof. It seems like this may be fake stuff

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?o...9&Itemid=85

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The bottle I bought in New Orleans a couple of years ago is called ABSENTE (Absinthe Refined) from Distilleries et Domaines de Provence (France) and imported by Crillion Importers (Paramus, NJ). The process is call petite absinthe and is barreled in southern wormwood. Anyone know anything about this? It was like 46 bucks ans is 110 proof. It seems like this may be fake stuff

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?o...9&Itemid=85

ABSENTE more closely resembles a liqueur.

It is NOT absinthe.

If a product does not contain artemis absinthium (grande wormwood) then it is not absinthe.

Besides the Wormwood Society website which you referenced (which is hard-core and intense in it's information - those folks don't fool around) there are lots of good websites with useful information and I am encouraging consumers to read across a spectrum of informative sites because there is a LOT of incomplete and misinformation about absinthe out there.

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*UPDATE* Kübler Swiss absinthe has officially arrived in the D.C. market.

It IS less-expensive than the Lucid. It only comes in the 1.0-liter bottles, but it is a good $15/bottle cheaper than Lucid already. Someone less math-challenged than I am can do the cost per ounce comparison.

Once again, the Swiss distiller's website is: www.Blackmint.ch (it has an english-language site)

The dedicated website is: www.kublerabsinthe.com

For more seriously-good information on absinthe, I'd like to direct your attention here:

http://www.oxygenee.com/ and http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

These are two of the most serious absinthe websites. I've discovered scores of enthusiast sites, blogs, etc.. but these two have the best information I've encountered. I've been doing a LOT of reading lately and educating myself so that I may educate my customers and catering clients.

Oh, and EVERYTHING that you might possibly want to know about Thujone may be learned here (which Dave has already referenced):

http://www.thujone.info/ (it's a companion-site to Oxygenee.com)

You, too, can learn everything there is to know about absinthe and impress and bore your friends, as I have :mellow:

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Absinthe Verte from St. George Spirits in Alameda, California, is due into the D.C. market tomorrow.

This is exciting - the first legally-manufactured American absinthe made since 1912.

I hope it's as good as their other products.

From their website:

St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte is made with fine brandy, star anise, mint, wormwood, lemon balm, hyssop, meadowsweet, basil, fennel, tarragon and stinging nettles. This infamous liquor reveals seductive flavors of anise complimented with sweet grassy tones, light citrus, white pepper, and light menthol notes.

We have the St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte available for purchase at our distillery store. The 3rd batch was bottled on February 29th and will be shipping to bars/retailers throughout California in the next few weeks.

To learn more about the absinthe, click here to watch our video!

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Well it appears that they have found the culprit for all of the strange symptoms of absinthism, it was none other than alcohol, and lots of it since the old stuff was found to be 140 Proof.

If you've ever spent time with anyone with severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms (delirium tremens) or advanced alcoholism (Korsakoff's Syndrome) this is not a surprise. Not at all fun, for the alcoholic or the people who care about them.

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Well it appears that they have found the culprit for all of the strange symptoms of absinthism, it was none other than alcohol, and lots of it since the old stuff was found to be 140 Proof.

Well, yeah, that's what was knocking all of those Parisians and other 19th century absinthe imbibers on their collective asses, not the thujone content. Absinthe's demonization was due to it being a victim of pseudo-science, a campaign by the French wine industry against one of their chief beverage rivals, and a general backlash against alcohol by powerful and growing prohibition forces of the day.

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Le Tourment Vert Absinthe is, according to what I've read, a limited release and no longer in production, but that doesn't sound like a bad thing. This stuff has some of the most hilariously bad product reviews I've ever read, such as:

If this is legitimately absinthe then it's only by technicality. It really bares no similarity to absinthe in any way; all it is is mouthwash with delusions of grandeur.

;)

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Inspired by Porcupine's Sazerac odyssey, I had that noble concoction at Palena last saturday, made with St. George. Wonderful. It's very gratifying to see such a fine product made in the States.

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Joe,

Have you heard anything about any Rose Absinthe being available in the US any time soon?

No, I've not. Too bad, too. :lol:

However, I did read this choice item in an industry email today:

PERNOD RICARD USA HAS LAUNCHED PERNOD ABSINTHE, a revival of Pernod Fils, said the company. The launch comes months after the Alcohol and Tobacco Bureau approved the sale of absinthe in the U.S. following a 92 year ban.

This makes complete sense. Already on the Pernod-Ricard website they mention a Pernod with absinthe extract, but I just figured that it was for the European market.

I think that this is really interesting. Pernod was one of THE top-selling absinthe brands during the belle-epoque. They were constantly fighting look-alike products and much of French copyright law was established during this period from the legal battles of Pernod to protect their name. One of the most clever of the copycat names was, "Père Nod". Too cute.

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Johnny's Half Shell (yes, it's well documented that the owner, or one of them anyway, is close to me-I would post this anyway because it's on topic, so, well, whatever) now has 7 or 8 brands of absinthe behind the bar and all of the gear to go with it-fountain, spoons, cool glasses, correct sugar, etc. It's not a bad way to go through a see what you want to spend your money on when buying a bottle or two and maybe some of the equipment to go with it. Plus, it's fun to go through the whole process. Mesmerizing might be a good way to describe it, but, then again, it might be the absinthe that's causing the mesmerization.

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7 or 8?

O_o

Ok, Ulysses, I have your answer, straight from Q-Tip, barmaster and co-proprietor of Johnny's Half Shell.

"Verte Suisse 65

PF1901

NOuvelle-Orleans

Blanchette

Lucid

we also carry,

St.Goeorge &

Kubler."

Anyone who has any suggestions on what else is available and where one might get there hands on it would be more than welcome to chime in.

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The historical circle is now complete. Pernod Absinthe has now finally returned to the United States.

To think that entire generations of people have only known Pernod as a simple star anise pastis liqueur, and not as the product which made it world famous. Kind of mind-boggling, really.

Henceforth, when someone sees "Pernod" on a restaurant drinks list, they will have to inquire as to what exactly they are selling you.

Pernod Absinthe is around $70 retail, whereas the Pernod pastis liqueur is around $27 retail.

The big problem is, the two bottlings look very much alike. Not identical, if you see them side-by-side they are easier to distinguish, but close enough to fool the unwary.

Oh, by sheer coincidence, a certain forum member here on DR.com has a new article about absinthe here: Chasing the Green Fairy

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