Somehow, Viridian Spirits of Manhasset, N.Y. has managed to get US approval for what appears to be an actual "absinthe" with apparently significant consulation with Mr. Ted Breaux. The New York Times reported this last week (Times Select) (Lucid article pdf) and while I haven't had time to do much research and the marketing sort of rubs me the wrong way (unlike, for instance, the Jade designs), I'd like to hear more about how it tastes; one account here by Darko is pretty complimentary. Still scratching my head...
Update: Donnie Darko posted the first official Lucid review on the Fee Verte Forums, scoring it 80/100.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Lucid Absinthe Supérieure... for the U.S. market?!
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Well, there seems to be some really mixed opinions about this so far, but for the most part, I think it will be positive!
ReplyDeleteThe absence of "southern" wormwood has brought about some controversy at Feeverte.net. One user pointed out that not fighting for true wormwood to produce a real absinthe effect will only further set in stone the current regulations because they have embraced the closest legal alternative. I did not consider this until I read his/her post and I can see where they're coming from, but realistically in my opinion there should be two things future US absinthe distilleries should be focusing on right now. Number one priority, hands down, should be the spreading of absinthe AWARENESS! Show off that mystical louche! Tout that absurdly high (and almost taboo in the US) alcohol content! Show the world that absinthe is something DIFFERENT! And secondly, focus on producing a floral, great TASTING absinthe! The biggest hurdle to overcome in the US is to get the general population accept the taste of anise. It is WIDELY believed here in the US that black licorice=yuck, period. Most drinkers already refuse to drink Jager, so hopefully they will not automatically label it as a "high-proof Jagermeister". So in future spirits I think we will see low-anise varieties.
My opinion aside, the few that have tasted it seem to be reflecting positively on the experience!
I just hope this isn't absurdly expensive...but! I can't tell from the picture, but it looks as if it is one of those cool extra-tall .5 litre bottles! I'm crossing my fingers that that will be true...
Oh! And is it just me or does the background have a 6-PACK image!?