The Five Biggest Absinthe Myths

"Nature abhors a vacuum." Absinthe was unavailable in most of the world for nearly 100 years, and this vacuum led to many half-truths and complete myths about absinthe. Here are the myths I hear about most frequently:

 
1. "Drink absinthe and you'll see the green fairy."  Usually with an encouragement to drink more to see more fairies. 

NOT TRUE. The most powerful ingredient in absinthe is the alcohol: drink a lot of absinthe and you may see pink elephants, or perhaps the pavement/sidewalk at very close quarters. Yes, there is a chemical called thujone in absinthe (there's even more in sage apparently), but you'd have to drink so much absinthe to get any meaningful effect, you'd die of alcohol poisoning first. So maybe you'd get to see angels, if you think you're headed for Heaven (failing that, then devils).

2. "Absinthe should be enjoyed by burning an absinthe-soaked sugar lump which is then added to the absinthe to set fire to that." Or a variation of this. Clearly a great way to have fun ...

NOT TRUE. There is no record of burning sugar lumps and absinthe prior to the 1990’s.  Burning sugar adds a caramelised taste to the absinthe, which spoils the taste of a well-made absinthe; setting fire to the absinthe also burns off a lot of the alcohol, which is a major part of the cost you've just paid. There is no historical basis for this abuse of absinthe. No impressionist painter set fire to his absinthe just before pouring it down his throat.
3. "Real absinthe only comes from the Czech Republic," or "You cannot buy real absinthe in the USA" or similar. 

NOT TRUE. Absinthe was born in Switzerland; during the 19th century most absinthe was made in Switzerland or France. And today most of the absinthe available in the USA is real absinthe, whether made in France, Switzerland or the USA. Sadly in Europe and a few other countries, many of the absinthes available are little more than wormwood-flavoured, artificially-coloured vodka, but it is heartening to see some good absinthe coming out of the Czech Republic now.
4. "Real absinthe is bright green, like the fairy, and so we add artificial colouring to make it green." Well, maybe no manufacturer actually says it like that, but some of them encourage this myth by selling artificially coloured absinthe.  

So, NOT TRUE. If an absinthe is unnaturally green, it's a manufacturing short-cut, and probably a sign of other short-cuts in the process.
Finally, and this is really something I hear almost every time I do an absinthe event ....

5. "Van Gogh cut off his ear because of absinthe." 

NOT TRUE. He spent most of his day breathing in paint fumes, and it is probable that these caused much more harm than absinthe.

Given the recent fuss about the Sour Toe Cocktail, I am tempted, however, to consider a Van Gogh's Ear cocktail ....

There are other myths I hear from time to time, but the five myths above can be traced to manufacturers or vendors of lower quality "absinthes," who do not sell their products through legal channels (especially in the USA). They have a vested interest in promoting these myths. Buyer, beware!


So how should you enjoy absinthe?

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Read more about the myths and about some of the surprising truths behind absinthe in my 10 Key Facts series.

Pernod Absinthe: "The Original Recipe"

Almost three years after the April Fool's Day blogs (mine and the original French spoof) about Pernod bringing back the original Pernod Fils, it looks like this - or something like it - may eventually be happening. On March 5th, 2013, the TTB issued their approval of the following labels:

Absinthe lovers will note the inclusion of the words "The Original Recipe," the fact that Pernod clearly states that their 1805 distillery is France's first absinthe distillery (and not the first absinthe distillery in the world which was in Switzerland a few years earlier), the mention of plants being distilled in wine alcohol, and the disappearance - at last - of the artificial colours that have been in Pernod Absinthe up to now.

I, for one, am delighted that Pernod have at last removed the artificial colours. Several other high volume absinthes still use artificial colours, and maybe this will force them to ditch them too. Artificial colours are a short-cut that provides a cheaper cost and a sub-standard product. Companies using them have had an unfair cost advantage over those companies that have chosen to make traditional absinthe in the original way.

In fact, I tasted what I was told was the new Pernod product a few weeks ago, and it was clearly a significant improvement on the current product.

Pernod's new, old recipe may well herald improved standards globally in the category and the consumer is the ultimate winner!

UPDATE: July 5, 2013.

I wrote above: "I, for one, am delighted that Pernod have at last removed the artificial colours. Several other high volume absinthes still use artificial colours, and maybe this will force them to ditch them too. Artificial colours are a short-cut that provides a cheaper cost and a sub-standard product."

And now (surprise, surprise), the first French post-ban absinthe becomes the first to copy Pernod in ditching its artificial colours.

One wonders what took them so long ...

Absinthe's bright (but not artificially bright) future?

Hidden away in a prospectus for a report on the Global Absinthe Market, I came across the following quote:

Pernod Absinthe international director Jean-François Collobert says: “Although we did have an absinthe-like product on the market [before the lifting of the French ban], we weren't comfortable marketing a product that was not exactly authentic absinthe. Since the restrictions were lifted in France in 2011 we decided to accelerate the redevelopment of our absinthe brand both in terms of the product itself, but also in terms of geographic expansion.

It's a very surprising announcement to make ... I have already seen it described as a confession. So what does it actually mean? And what are the implications for the absinthe category?

Firstly there does not yet seem to be a new Pernod Absinthe on the market, although there has already been one new label design approved by the TTB in 2011. Here are the labels approved in 2009:


and here are the labels approved in 2011:




There is no evidence of a product recipe change here, and the only major alteration comes in the first paragraph of the back label (from Pernod opening the "first absinthe distillery" in 1805 on the old label to opening the "first French absinthe distillery" in 1805 on the new label). So if the promised product "redevelopment" has not yet been made, what might it be? Could it really be the re-introduction of the old Pernod Fils as speculated (somewhat jokingly) here? Or maybe a partial move in that direction, by removing artificial colours? It's impossible to know exactly what Pernod will do, but the next few months will be interesting, and real absinthe lovers will be keenly following these developments.

Of course, if Pernod does go all the way to its historical 19th century recipe book, that will be almost universally welcomed. In that case, within just two years, one infamous artificially coloured absinthe (Le Tourment Vert) will have started to disappear from US shelves and bars, and another artificially coloured absinthe will be completely replaced. The US market will still have another dozen or more artificially coloured absinthes, while globally some countries are dominated by such products. Will the demise of Le Tourment Vert and the re-formulation of Pernod persuade others to up their game? It could do, and it should do. And if one more of the big players in the category drops artificial colours, it could help the framing of any future legal definition of absinthe. Maybe other countries could even move towards the uniquely high standards of Switzerland (absinthe must be distilled and cannot be artificially coloured).

It's too early to take this promised redevelopment as a Christmas present for the absinthe category, but it certainly looks encouraging!

What makes the "Green Fairy" green?

I love discussing absinthe with fellow absinthe fans, with so-called "absinthe virgins," and with customers, and I have the opportunity to do so nearly every day. I have done so in North America, Europe (including Russia), Asia and Australia.

And one question that is commonly asked wherever I go is "What makes the Green Fairy Green?"

That's an interesting question to ask, having just gone past mid-summer's day (in the Northern hemisphere), and as I look out at our garden which remains a beautiful natural green. Which is more than can be said for many of today's vertes.

In the USA, the addition of artificial colours in absinthe has to be declared on the label. This is what is declared on three absinthes that are available in the USA:-

Absinthe 1:

Contains caramel color & certified colors FD&C Blue #1 & FD&C Yellow #5

Absinthe 2:

Contains FD&C Yellow #5 and Blue #1

Absinthe 3:

Alcohol with natural flavors, certified colors and FD&C Yellow #5 added

And this is what one of those looks like (removed from the bottle to spare their blushes).
Now it is true that in the 19th century some absinthes were artificially coloured, but these were the lowest quality absinthes that were available. So there is a precedent for artificial colours in absinthe. What's the difference, then, between these artificially coloured absinthes and those vertes made without artificial colours?

Naturally Green Absinthe

I'll use the Wikipedia description:

"The distillation of absinthe first produces a colourless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 72 percent ABV. The distillate can be bottled clear, to produce a Blanche or la Bleue absinthe, or it can be coloured using artificial or natural colouring. Traditional absinthes take their green colour from chlorophyll, which is present in some of the herbal ingredients during the secondary maceration. The natural colouring process is considered critical for absinthe ageing, since the chlorophyll remains chemically active. The chlorophyll plays the same role in absinthe that tannins do in wine or brown liquors. This is done by steeping petite wormwood, hyssop, and melissa (among other herbs) in the liquid. Chlorophyll from these herbs is extracted giving the drink its famous green colour. This process also provides the herbal complexity that is typical of high quality absinthe."

This process can take 24 hours and produces an absinthe with complexity, one that change subtly in the bottle over time. Just like fine wine.

Artificially Green Absinthe

The process to add artificial green colouring to a clear absinthe is very different. It is simply added in the way that cassis is added to champagne to make a Kir Royale. Instant visual effect, but no added complexity. In fact adding colouring in this way has been likened to adding red colouring to white wine, and then declaring it as ... "red wine."

I am grateful to Ted Breaux for helping me with these notes on artificial colouring:

"The colours that are almost always used to create an artificial green are what are formally known in the U.S. as FD&C Blue #1 and FD&C Yellow #5 (FD&C = Food, Drug, and Cosmetic). U.S. labeling requirements mandate that artificial colors be disclosed in the USA market, although this is not generally so elsewhere.

FD&C Blue #1 in the USA is E133 in the E.U., “FCF Brilliant Blue” in commerce, or to the scientific community: N-Ethyl-N-[4-[[4-[ethyl[(3-sulfophenyl)methyl]amino]phenyl]2-sulfophenyl)methylene]-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-ylidiene]-3-sulfobenzenemethanaminium hydroxide inner salt, disodium salt. First discovered in 1896, it is commonly used as a textile dye and wood stain. The Wikipedia article is quite informative. It is a synthetic dye that is produced from petroleum, was previously banned in most of Europe, and remains a subject of debate where health is concerned.

FD&C Yellow #5 in the USA is E102 in the E.U., “Tartrazine” in commerce, or to the scientific community: 4,5-Dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-4-[(sulfophenyl)azol]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid trisodium salt. It was first patented in 1949, and has also been used in textiles. Of the synthetic azo dyes, this one carries the greatest possibility for allergic reactions. Again the Wikipedia article is well worth reading, revealing a very questionable track record for this synthetic dye, which has raised some serious concerns in the UK."

Caveat Emptor

Of course consumers can make up their own minds whether to choose blanche absinthes (like La Clandestine), naturally coloured verte absinthes, or artificially coloured absinthes. The use of artificial colours does not make an absinthe "not real," although some of the artificially coloured brands do also add sugar to their recipes. Using artificially colours in a pre-sweetened product delivers a product that is much cheaper to make, but, in most cases, not much cheaper to buy.

Maybe some of the poorer 19th century poets and artists drank lower quality artificially coloured absinthes sometimes. But they were clearly in a minority. For 21st century consumers looking to enjoy the drinks enjoyed by most people in France, Switzerland, the USA and the UK back then, you might want to check the ingredient list if you live in the USA. Or just hold your absinthe up to the light if you live elsewhere ...