I've been a slack blogger lately-- what to say, now that absinthe is legal?!
Well, one thing for sure: YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!! I subscribe to a Flickr feed of all absinthe-tagged photos, and it seems like the "fire ritual" is the way most people are getting absinthe served to them. GAH!!!
It's as if beer was suddenly back after a long hiatus, and people forgot how to drink it, so everybody's drinking it out of a funnel because they just don't know any better. [sigh]
Viridian Spirits, of Lucid fame, have announced that they are bringing T.A. Breaux's Jade Nouvelle-Orléans and Claude-Alain Bugnon's La Clandestine to the U.S.!
Prices of $110 and $80 seem fair (given current exchange rates, [grumble grumble]) for two of the finest absinthes available-- Nouvelle-Orléans is my favorite Jade, and La Clandestine is a much fresher and more complex Swiss blanche than Kubler.
(via)
We received an order from Liqueurs de France a few days ago-- mostly for me, a few bottles for friends. I hesitated ordering and Gaudentia Persoz' La P'tite sold out! Too bad, but that means there'll be another big order in the fall when there's (hopefully) more Belle Amie as well...
Seriously-- do NOT burn absinthe! And tell everybody!!! It's a waste of good alcohol, plus it means that the terrorists have won! Save your flaming booze for Sambuca, Bananas Foster, and burning your face off...
Posted because Unkle Paul announced a party in August-- the FIRST thing I saw when I attended one of his events was absinthe on fire. The corset-wearing pierced and tattooed bartender sincerely related how the fire makes the absinthe louche. GAH!
Top absinthe experts have finally put their money and lab equipment (and vintage absinthe) where their mouths are, publishing a paper to back up what they've been saying for years: that
absinthe didn't (and doesn't) have very much thujone in it, far less than the badly estimated 260mg/l figure that so many idiots people still cling to.
More opinions to come, but I didn't want to post before reading the study in its entirety. The paper is convincing as far as its results are concerned, though I worry it may only stoke the fires of conspiracy theorists and other internet douchebags.
Oxy psoted a great link to a Lehrman Beverage Law PLCC page listing details on U.S.-legal absinthe, including a listing of TTB-approved absinthe labels-- might have to stop rooting for everybody if there are going to be this many entrants to the market-- surely many distillers will file papers and turn a few batches just to grab some cash after all the press about St. George...
Chicagoist reports that North Shore Distillery owners Derek and Sonja Kassebaum brought an assortment of spirits to Malt Advocate magazine's WhiskyFest, including two absinthes "Sirène"-- a white and a green-- and that they expect to have a product available to the public very soon.
With St. George from California and the upcoming Marteau Classic on the way made by House Spirits in Oregon, that's three from the U.S.-- four from North America if we count Okanagan Spirits in BC! Who ever would have guessed...?!
Please poke around the Absinthe Map to see who else is making it and where you can be served, and please email me or comment if you find more distilleries, bars, or specialty shops-- I'm rooting for everybody!
(via the Fée Verte Forums)
Update: Right after posting, I poked around the Wormwood Society Forums and read that there's yet another American distillery trying its hand at absinthe-- the Portland Tribune reports that Integrity Spirit also from Portland, Oregon is awating approval of their "Trillium" absinthe.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held on March 15 and 16, and while the results have been released to entrants, I'm curious to see the complete list after yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle blurb mentioned that ten absinthes competed, and the winner-- "Vieux Pontarlier," distilled at the Emile Pernot distillery-- is not even on the market yet.
Update: Results were posted by the organizers, though to see award winners for absinthe, you must click through a finicky menu-- results reposted here (click on the image to the right) for easy viewing. Surprised to see La Fée winning a gold-- that's some lousy absinthe-- looks like the kind of competition where everybody wins.
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Update: The topette is mine! I've read that topettes were used at cafés to let absinthe drinkers enjoy as much or as little as they felt like drinking, paying when they left based on how much absinthe remained in the topette. I should refer to this as a "5 doses topette," for authenticity...
My Inbox has been blowing up-- everybody's sending me links to the
absinthe article in today's San Francisco Chronicle-- it made the front page of the online edition (need to get a paper paper). With expected local nods to to Lance Winters of St. George Spirits and Absinthe (the restaurant), the article dares to ask, "will consumers continue to lap it up?"
The author Stacey Finz gets some good answers-- the hype will (and should) subside, and we'll be left with... well, pricey absinthe on liquor store shelves (hooray!) and lots of people knowing they don't like real absinthe (as opposed to not liking Czech "absinth"/"absynth"). Best of all, everybody benefits from its presence behind the bar since it opens the door to so many savory old school cocktails-- you can finally get a decent sazerac... [phew!]
I'm hoping this means more-- that it marks the start of a microdistillery revolution the same way microbreweries suddenly appeared 20 years ago and transformed millions of beer drinkers' palates. Imagine choosing between locally-produced spirits-- gins, vodkas, whisk(e)ys, even absinthes-- when you belly up to your local bar? We're there already in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it seems people everywhere are seeking (and paying more for) local, lovingly crafted products-- absinthe is coming back now because people are ready for it. In marketing terms, remember that even though most people say they hate it, many many bars serve lots and lots of Jagermeister: there's room for a few bottles of absinthe behind American bars.
btw the wording of the article's "Absinthe facts, myths and urban legends" section seemed backwards to me at first since the statements are all myths and urban legends. In the end, though, the article gets the facts straight, nailing the worst myths of all: thujone, shots, and fire [shudder].
expected junk dreamed of sweet scores like that-- but was shocked to find a brand new San Miguel cordon absinthe glass, different from the San Miguel glasses at Liqueurs de France.
Santé!
Update: Need to check with those-in-the-know about this glass-- curious if it was made for absinthe.
The key, really, is having a comfortable setup so you can add as much or as little cold water and sugar as you would like-- folks aren't missing anything if all they have is a small glass and a little ice water. But paraphernalia and rituals are fun...
Absinthe glasses:
Asking about the taste differences between the two batches, a few folks told me the wormwood was more mature for this batch-- that it had big flowers-- but was otherwise the same formula. With twice as much made as last time, they said they were just trying to satisfy demand before changing anything.
Here's hoping everybody's having a great day with friends, family, good eats, and a glass of the good stuff, whatever that might be for you!
Thrilling that an American absinthe is as unique as this, appropriate that it comes from the Bay Area-- first had stinging nettles at the Chez Panisse Café-- it's one of the original gourmet ghetto ingredients-- chuckled when I first saw it listed on St. George's label!
For a little holiday cheer, try coming up with a new absinthe cliché/pun with this handy form:
I leave San Francisco later tonight and figured I'd try the St. George absinthe when I get back in a few days, but DM just called to say he picked up my bottle from D&M Liquors-- I'm off to the Mission to pick it up!!! First louche picture to come ASAP...
Update 10:00PM: Got the bottle but I need to head to OAK in a few minutes...:( No time to louche it up, but I'll be following reports of the release event and tastings over the next few days, and I'll be back in SF by Christmas Eve for my first taste with a few friends. Couldn't resist shooting the label since it's not the 21st yet.
Not the other way around!
With so many people finding absinthe available in the U.S., it's important that newcomers understand that the Czech fire show done with inferior absinthes may be fun when you're on vacation in Prague, but it is a party trick akin to beer bongs, keg stands, body shots, cement mixers, and its original inspiration in the 1990's: flaming Sambuca shots. Those games don't relate at all to how you would normally drink beer or spirits.
Thankfully, real absinthe distributors are taking the opportunity to explain the proper way to drink absinthe-- diluted or mixed in a cocktail. Ordering Kübler last night at Dalva, I asked "You don't burn it, do you?" and the bartender replied, "No, this isn't Czech garbage." Right answer!
So why not burn absinthe?
Following its article yesterday about St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte, the San Francisco Chronicle posted an "All About Absinthe" Q+A section and an AP Interactive graphic with a voice-over by Ted Breaux. I don't dig the skull motif, but they didn't ask me.
As always, many questions and answers can be found at the two premier absinthe FAQ's online, at La Fée Verte and The Wormwood Society.
I'd heard rumors and now the word is out-- St. George Spirits of Alameda got final approval last Wednesday for their label and will start selling Absinthe Verte on December 21! The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle are running full stories on it today, with photos and interviews with Lance Winters and everything! It's a pleasure to add an American distillery to the absinthe map. The cowbell on the label is a nice touch.
