Véritables absinthes au Canada

This is a translation of an article that originally appeared in English in June 2008.

Est-ce que cette image est vraie? Véritables absinthes? Disponibles au Canada? Oui, mais c’est déjà une longue histoire et c’est sur, ce n’est pas encore fini. En savoir plus, lisez la suite…

D’abord, au Printemps 2006, je suis allé tester le marché de l’absinthe au Canada, en visitant la Nouvelle Ecosse et l’Ontario. Je suis très reconnaissant d’avoir pu passer du temps avec deux passionnés d’absinthe et d’art à Toronto, Scott et Lannie, qui m’ont tous les deux pris pour faire la tournée de certains bars. D’où j’ai vu qu’il y avait une réelle demande d’absinthe. Cependant, il y avait très peu de véritable absinthe sur le marché. Plus tard, j’ai fait la rencontre des gens de la LCBO , étant apparemment le plus grand client d’alcool dans le monde, voici ce qu’il m’ont dit:

a) Il y a peu de demande pour l’absinthe haute-gamme (à ce jour, je ne sais pas comment ils évaluent ceci, vu qu’ils n’ont jamais pris une absinthe qu’on peut considérer comme une absinthe de haute qualité).

b) Quelle que soit l’absinthe qu’ils pourraient considérer devait avoir moins de 1 ppm (partie par million) de thuyone pour être en accord avec Santé Canada. J’ai demandé à la LCBO et à Santé Canada une copie de ces directives, qui devraient normalement être sous la liberté d’accès et d’information, mais j’attends toujours. D’autres entreprises ont différentes versions de cette “directive”, variant du quota de 1 ppm cité par la LCBO. Étrangement, la LCBO à récemment mis en stock “une absinthe”, qui aurait 3.5 ppm! Ils le disent eux-mêmes dans les courriers électroniques adressés à leurs clients. (Brève mise à jour: la LCBO stock maintenant l’absinthe “Sirène”, mais apparemment ils n’ont pas encore changé de point de vu sur la thuyone.

Une partie importante de mon voyage fut quand Scott et moi avons fait une dégustation privée d’environ 10 différentes absinthes, que j’avais introduites et je me souviens qu’il avait aimé les absinthes de la distillerie Clandestine, une distillerie que je connaissais et admirais. À cette époque cependant je ne travaillais pas directement avec eux.

Après trois années, je travaille pour la Clandestine (et d’autres spiritueux haut de gamme) et nous venons d’avoir notre première ouverture au Canada. Bizarrement, depuis que je suis allé dans les provinces de la Nouvelle Ecosse et de l’Ontario, et après avoir discuté avec les gens de BC, notre premier succès n’était dans aucune de ces provinces ; il a été réalisé à Montréal (c’est à Québec pour les américains!). C’est dans une micro-brasserie réputée « Dieu du ciel ». Pour moi c’est parfait, qu’un bar fier de ses bières élaborées à la main soit le premier revendeur d’Amérique du Nord de La Clandestine, confectionnée de façon artisanale au lieu de naissance de l’absinthe (Couvet, Suisse). Beaucoup d’autres bars aux Etats-Unis font de même, en incluant « Please Don’t Tell » et « L’Absinthe à New-York ». Mais c’est une autre histoire…

Stéphane Ostiguy, Président, de la Micro-brasserie Dieu du ciel, nous rapporte des ventes excellentes de La Clandestine et a déjà repassé commande deux fois (Soyez indulgents avec nous, Stéphane!). Évidemment, ses clients peuvent seulement boire dans le bar et ne peuvent pas acheter de bouteilles pour les emmener à la maison… Cela aide Stéphane à garder sa clientèle pour longtemps!


Montréal est juste à quelques miles/kilomètres des Etats-Unis. À tous nos amis des Etats-Unis, vous avez maintenant une autre bonne raison pour passer vos vacances à Montréal cette année. En fait, en regardant la liste de bières de Stéphane, avec Aphrodisiac, Coal Woman and Hemp Smoke, je dirais que vous avec encore plus de raison d’y aller!

IMPORTANTE MISE A JOUR: 11 FEV. 2009

Plus de véritables absinthes arrivent au Canada !

1. L’absinthe Taboo de Frank Deiter's est maintenant vendue en test chez deux revendeurs SAQ. Ironiquement, Frank va trouver plus facile de vendre sa populaire absinthe Canadienne aux Etats-Unis, où il vient de recevoir l’approbation d’étiquette.

2. Il y a un groupe très actif sur Facebook, “Canadians for Real Absinthe”, qui font pressions sur la régie des alcools.. En passant, ils ont échangés quelques histoires d’épouvante sur l’absinthe!

3. Il est clair que la SAQ désire étendre sa gamme d’absinthe en 2009: nous devrions en savoir plus d’ici fin mai 2009. Revenez pour les mises à jour.

4. Santé Canada a maintenant confirmé qu’ils ont révisé leurs directives sur le niveau de thujone dans l’absinthe. Cela peut prendre une année pour voir les résultats de la révision, mais il semble qu’ils reconnaissent que le reste du monde a une perspective totalement différente de la leur. Tenez-vous au courant!

5. Et maintenant, revenons en arrière pour expliquer l’image au début de cet article. La sélection d’absinthes stockées par Premier, Halifax, Nova Scotia. La Clandestine est arrivée à Nouvelle Ecosse fin novembre 2008. Juste à temps pour le Noël Blanc! Depuis le Premier a élargi sa gamme en incluant La Clandestine en 2 grandeurs (700 et 250 ml), Taboo 500ml, et La Fée Parisienne et Bohemian. Premier stocke aussi une gamme d’accessoires pour l’absinthe.



Une fontaine, des cuillères et des verres. Avec tous ces accessoires disponibles, il est le plus proche du paradis de l’absinthe que n’importe quel autre canadien. Pas aussi bon que l’étendue de la gamme disponible dans beaucoup de magasins américains, mais actuellement meilleure que les autres magasins canadiens.

Plus d’intéressantes nouvelles à propos de l’absinthe au Canada arriveront bientôt!

.......................................................................................

Thanks to Maxime Bugnon for the translation.

And as I wrote before some very interesting news is expected from Canada very soon ....

New study on the long term stability of thujone

For many years, proponents of the Czech absinth ideology (affectionately known as 'thujone hypers') have argued that Dr. Arnold's estimations of 260 mg/l of thujone in pre-ban absinthe is correct. They've used the argument that the chemical analysis of existing samples of pre-ban era absinthes would be meaningless, since the data doesn't take into account what the 'original' thujone levels were, solely what is remaining. They've gone on to state that thujone isn't chemically stable, and that levels of thujone must have decreased as the bottle aged. So a bottle of pre-ban absinthe which might measure in at 20 mg/l now, might have had 100 mg/l back when it was first bottled.

These arguments have always been countered by absinthe historians such as myself, Alan, and many others that:

1) Thujone doesn't readily come over into the distillate. It's one of the last components to come over. If the distillation process is cut at the right time, very little thujone should carry over.

2) Absinthe's alcohol level should act as a stabilizing factor. Long term storage shouldn't affect thujone levels.




Following on the heels of a groundbreaking thujone study last year, now there is yet another scientific study to debunk many of the myths that were supported by the esteemed Dr. Arnold.

Last year's study focused on analyzing current thujone levels in both existing pre-ban samples as well as several brands that are currently produced. This study showed that many of the brands tested (including almost all of the pre-ban samples) would fall below either EU or US thujone limits.

The current study was aimed at addressing the 'thujone hyper's' argument that the thujone in vintage bottles would have degraded. According to the abstract:


"Research was conducted to ascertain whether analyses of vintage absinthe samples represent their original composition in the early 1900s. Absinthe stored in traditional green glass bottles and irradiated with ultraviolet light for up to 200 h exhibited unchanged composition. Samples stored in clear glass exhibited an 18% reduction in beta-thujone content and a concurrent decoloration. These experiments indicate the stability of thujone in vintage absinthes, as these were stored in green glass bottles. The preserved color of the preban absinthes subjected to analysis indicates that no significant light exposure occurred throughout the duration of storage, and therefore provides indirect proof that no loss of terpenes occurred. The stability of absinthe was further demonstrated through the reanalysis of samples from 2001-2005, which exhibited no changes in thujone content as of 2008. A previous evaluation of preban absinthe was therefore valid and not confounded by significant thujone deterioration over time."

The importance of this new study cannot be underestimated. Not only does it support the arguments of traditional absinthe historians, it also is a huge blow to those unscrupulous marketers out there who use 'historical' thujone levels as the most important quality of their brand.

How will those marketers respond? Here are a few of my predictions:

1) Since they don't have any real scientific or legal basis to refute the studies, they will use internet forums and blogs to make derisive comments and ad hominem attacks, either going under the guise of anonymity or using fake names.

2) They will continue to use the 'don't believe the science, just trust us' argument. This is the same as the 'we have no proof because ALL evidence throughout the entire world was destroyed during the Communist regime' argument.

3) They will claim that the report is biased, even though it was peer reviewed, and published in a well known journal. Since they don't have any current, concrete scientific proof (other than flawed estimations, such as that of Arnold), they might try to discredit the new information.

4) They will possibly try to distance themselves from their previous claims by reinventing themselves, creating new histories for their brands, and subtly changing their marketing information to reflect the new lower limits that are acceptable in the EU and in the US. There is already a boatload of documented evidence that some brands have done this.

Yours in absinthe,


Brian

"Absinthe" kits

Like many others in the absinthe trade, I get absinthe news and blog alerts every day from Google. And over the last few weeks, the number of alerts that pretend to answer:-

1. What percentage alcohol is absinthe?
or
2. What are the effects of absinthe?
or
3. Sites for purchasing absinthe

has grown from a trickle to a flood. Either business is good, or very bad for these spammers who trick readers to read an article that links to a site selling so-called "absinthe" kits.

Now if this company was honest in its approach to other real absinthes, and to the nature of its own product, then I would just get bored of the blogs and hope that others would too. But their blog articles are wrong in so many ways, I feel I have no alternative but to comment. Here goes:-

Quote: Cost of bottled Absinthe can be quite high, over $100 sometimes, and you may not be able to get it delivered to your country.

Fact: very, very rarely over $100, and there are very few countries where you can't now easily buy or order a high quality absinthe for $80 or less.

Quote: Also, you may find it very hard to find real wormwood Absinthes because according to some countries legislation restricts wormwood as it contains the chemical thujone.

Fact: Most countries around the world (including USA) allow a level of thujone that is identical to that found in 19th century Paris. But, in any case, this is not relevant since the level of thujone in Absinthe Kit's "essences" will not produce any "green fairy effects" unless you drink enough of it to die from alcohol poisoning. Absinthe Kit's suggestion that thujone level is important is blatant deception.

Quote: AbsintheKit.com sell Absinthe essences, that contains real common wormwood , both to the Absinthe industry and to general customers.

They may sell to companies that sell essence-based absinthe, but none of those companies are selling products that absinthe drinkers would recognise as real absinthe. I challenge Absinthe Kit to produce a list of Absinthe brands made with their essences.

Quote: To make your very own bottle of the Green Fairy, mix 20ml of essence with 730ml of neutral alcohol such as vodka or Everclear and add some sugar (about 75g) if you want a smoother Absinthe. Shake the bottle until the sugar has dissolved and there you have it, your very own Absinthe.

Fact: this is not real absinthe, anymore than grape juice and vodka can be blended to make wine (or blended together with soda to make champagne!).

And so on.

Does this matter? Yes, because it deceives those who buy these products into thinking they are getting real absinthe. It preys on the ignorance of some consumers, probably of younger, poorer and more susceptible consumers too.

However it gets even worse: the Wikipedia article on absinthe states this:

"Numerous recipes for homemade 'absinthe' are available on the Internet. Many of these require mixing a kit that contains store-bought herbs or wormwood extract with high-proof liquor such as vodka or Everclear. However, it is not possible to make authentic absinthe without distillation. Besides being unpleasant to drink and not authentic absinthe, these homemade concoctions contain uncontrolled amounts of thujone and absinthins, and may be poisonous — especially if they contain wormwood extract. Many such recipes call for the use of a large amount of wormwood extract (essence of wormwood) with the intent of increasing alleged psychoactive effects. Consuming essence of wormwood is very dangerous. It can cause kidney failure and death from excessive thujone, which in large quantities is a convulsive neurotoxin. Thujone is also a powerful heart stimulant; it is present in authentic absinthe only in extremely small amounts."

In other words, the products of Absinthe Kit could kill.

The Wormwood Society comments as follows:-

Important Note: DO NOT BUY ABSINTHE “KITS”! These are gimmicks aimed at the gullible. They will not make absinthe or anything remotely like it. The people selling these kits either know nothing about absinthe or how it is made, or simply don't care. The results of these kits are a positively vile-tasting, insanely bitter, potentially poisonous mess.

Looking further at the Absinthe Kit site, I find that it is owned by Gert Strand of Sweden who also operates Partymanshop. This site sells Scotch whisky oak chips, which, it is suggested, will turn vodka into scotch, as well as a wide range of liqueur essences, all to be added to vodka to produce drinks that are labelled to look like Malibu, Southern Comfort, Passoa, etc.

Now in case Absinthe Kit feel that I am unfairly picking on them, I have looked at other similar companies.

Green Devil states: "There is a chemical in traditional absinthe called Thujone, this chemical is banned in food products by the FDA. This one chemical is what makes absinthe illegal to sell.

Companies and the liquor industry have found that by filtering out this chemical they can legally sell their brand of absinthe in the USA."

Not true.

And "Absinthe is legal in many countries in Europe. But it is not the same as the absinthe of old."

Not true.

Now maybe I am being unfair to these companies. I have to admit to not having drunk their products. They may be excellent wormwood flavored vodka. But they are not absinthe, and the sooner they stop deceiving consumers, the better. Do any of my readers have any nice things to say about these products?

Real Absinthe comes to Asia

Malaysia, truly Asia. I have to admit to a soft spot for Malaysia, having lived there, as an "orang putih*" from 1999 to 2002. It's tropical, but not impossibly so. The people I worked with then were straightforward, very hard-working, and fun to be with. The food was amazing (if sometimes a little too hot for me) and the shopping was excellent value. Finally my second daughter was born there and so boasts a Malaysian birth certificate that we can't decipher. So when I had the opportunity to start selling both La Clandestine and Angélique absinthes in Malaysia, I was thrilled.

The official launch was held at Werners in Bukit Bintang at the end of March 2009 (when, through bad planning, I was in Los Angeles), and has already been covered by a photographer's blog, by a local liquor blogger, and by another local blog. The photographer has posted more photos on their main site: click on Events, then on TWE Absinthe Launching to see all 86 photos from the launch party.

A short selection follows. The guests and media gathered at the bar to witness the preparation of the Absinthe cocktails:


The Fairy Station, where traditional methods and shooters are shown, with Absinthe Fountain and Spoon:


Local mixologist, Ben Ng, demonstrating traditonal preparation methods:


Thanks, Ben!

Two local mixologists shaking up the absinthe cocktails:


and the traditional French method with sugar cube over Absinthe spoon:


A big thank you to Vincent and Michelle of TWE for organising this event: prospects look great.

This article is headed "Real Absinthe comes to Asia." But isn't real absinthe already in Asia? There is a small selection of good absinthes, including both La Clandestine and the Jades, in Japan.

There are other cheaper absinthes/absinths in Asia: La Fée has made it to Thailand (primarily the Bohemian version) and Singapore. Sebor has apparently been shipped to China and Fruko is in Taiwan. But to date, none of them seems to have focused on traditional consumption methods which will, in my opinion, be important to create a long-term sustainable business.

I like the fact that while absinthe flaming was apparently allowed at the event, Ben and the Malaysia team actively promoted traditional consumption methods. I already wrote that I sometimes found the Malaysian food too hot, and I also prefer it if my absinthe is not served too hot! Durians are too "heaty;" absinthe, preferably with "sky juice" is "cooling!" Best - lah!

* For my readers outside Malaysia, you may wish to study Manglish to understand some of this article!

Mossfest 2009

Absinthe lovers love nothing more than getting together to share their enthusiasm and passion for absinthe. The Louche Fests held by members of the Louched Lounge are legendary, sometimes going on for several days at a time.

So, while visiting Los Angeles in March 2009, I was delighted to be offered a Mossfest. At first the name Mossfest upset me: I was concerned that I would be the main attraction at a barbecue. But thanks to Timothy, Molly and Alyssa I soon realised that there was nothing to worry about except my waistline and the possibility of a mild hangover the next day.

Our host, Timothy:


who finally made it onto his harp about 3:30 on Sunday morning.

Alyssa and Tim, with Misanthrope playing in the background:


Local bands treated us to many classics with a rendition of Gogol Bordello's "Start Wearing Purple" probably the hit of the night.

Chris on harp:


Kurt, straight from work:


There may be better photos of Kurt added later ...

And of course the absinthes:


The mysterious Verte Moss absinthe supplied by an anoymous donor was especially well received.

After an hour of trying, Mossfest 2009 achieved a first with live webcam feed of the party, and the broadcast was watched by more than 80 spectators all over the USA, and as far away as France. Hopefully my wife didn't find the broadcast!

A great evening, night and morning, followed by washing up, brunch and a drive along the ocean: what more could I want? Although it didn't live up to the several day louche fests celebrated by those on the Louched Lounge, members there commented:

"Boy, you look all really really drunk, good one!"

and

"Looked like a bunch of drunken hippies..."

So it appears that the event objectives were achieved.

Cheers, and thanks again to Timothy for allowing us to trash the place, and to Alyssa and Molly for the culinary delights.

Mossfest 2010 is already booked for Grand Rapids, MI ...

Press Release: Point/Counterpoint

Recently, Admiral Imports put out the following press release regarding its new brands of 'absinth' that will soon be available in the U.S.

In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I've prepared some counterpoints that further explain certain assertions contained within the release. The original release is in regular type, my counterpoints are in bold.

_______________


CEDAR GROVE, N.J., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Admiral Imports has announced that it has been named the exclusive importer of "Green Fairy," "Djabel," and "Koruna" Absinths from the Czech Republic. The new acquisitions position Admiral Imports to be the leading U.S. importer of Absinth.


Absinth, a highly alcoholic spirit derived from several herbs including wormwood, contains the chemical "Thujone" which has been surrounded by myths about its effects. Although Absinth production probably dates back to the 1600s, it gained popularity in the early 1900s when cheap industrial producers began artificially coloring it with toxic chemicals like copper and zinc making people sick.

While it is true that there were unscrupulous producers who were using adulterants in their absinthes, the more popular brands such as Pernod Fils were producing high quality and perfectly safe product as early as 1805. Literally millions of people throughout Europe and the U.S. drank absinthe on an almost daily basis, without incident.

It was the abuse of the product (both high and low quality absinthes) by end-stage alcoholics where the majority of the purported side effects were noted. Many of these people would ingest absinthe straight, not diluted with 3-5 parts water as it should be prepared. Ingesting alcohol of any kind at that potency can cause serious health problems.

Poor testing incorrectly linked the thujone to these illnesses. As a result, it became almost universally banned with the exception of what is now the Czech Republic where production continued uninterrupted. In 2007, the ban on Absinth in the U.S. was lifted.

Recent scientific studies have revealed that the levels of thujone in absinthe during the Belle Epoque were highly overestimated. Other studies have shown that thujone, which can also be found in common culinary ingredients such as sage, does not exist in high enough amounts to cause any effect, even in those products that have the highest reported levels.

While poor testing might have played a part in the banning of absinthe, propaganda and prohibitionist sentiments played just as much of a role. Absinthe, being a high proof, extremely popular product was the perfect target. Using pseudoscience and false logic, the case against absinthe was built, and ultimately led to absinthe’s demise.

There were several countries in which Absinthe was never banned, including Spain (Pernod Fils relocated to Tarragona after the ban in France), Japan, the U.K., and the Czech Republic. However, to date, there has been no evidence that Absinthe (or Absinth) was produced on a large scale in the Czech Republic until Rodomil Hill’s company began operations in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s. If this evidence does exist, it has not yet been made public.

Absinth is typically green from the natural herbs from which it is produced or from additives and became known by the moniker "la Fee Verte" or "Green Fairy" in English.

Traditionally made absinthe comes in two major forms, clear (Blanche or Le Bleu) or green (verte). Clear absinthes do not go through the final coloration step that lends the green color to a ‘verte’. This final step involves soaking certain herbs such as petite wormwood, melissa and hyssop in the clear product, where the chlorophyll is transferred from the herb into the alcohol. There is also historical evidence of a red absinthe that was produced during the Belle Epoque. Surviving examples of red absinthe have not yet been discovered, only an advertising poster for Absinthe Rosinette.

Artificially colored absinthes that were produced during the Belle Epoque were commonly viewed as lower quality absinthes, as they were much cheaper to produce. Currently produced absinthes that use artificial coloring see the use of these additives as a way to either make the beverage more attractive (i.e. bright, uncommon colors), or to stabilize the color for the long term. Most absintheurs (experienced absinthe drinkers) recognize that a traditionally colored absinthe will fade or become yellow/brown as it ages, due to the degradation of chlorophyll. This is not viewed as a product flaw, but instead, as a characteristic of a quality product that was colored naturally.

Today, this name is the trademarked brand name of the Czech Absinth imported exclusively by Admiral Imports. "Green Fairy is based on a traditional Czech formula which has made it the Absinth by which all other Absinth is judged," said David Higgins, Director for Green Fairy Absinth. Green Fairy is 60% alcohol by volume and will retail for a suggested $59.

While this product in particular has trademarked the name ‘Green Fairy’, it is a common moniker for all absinthes, which may lead to some confusion to consumers who are looking to purchase French or Swiss Absinthe, as opposed to Czech Absinth, which has a different flavor profile and many times uses different production methods.

The two other Absinths being introduced to Admiral's portfolio are "Djable,"[sic] and "Koruna." Djable, [sic] which translates to "Devil," is similar in nose and taste to Green Fairy and is bottled at 70% alcohol by volume with a suggested retail of $64. Koruna exhibits different characteristics than Green Fairy and Djabel, contains wormwood leaf sediment in the bottle and is 73% alcohol by volume with a suggested retail of $79.

Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium to be specific) is known as one of the most bitter herbs in the world. Distillation helps to reduce the acridity of wormwood, and leaves only a pleasant, alpine bitterness. Why a producer would let it macerate in the bottle is something of a mystery.

Also, there seems to be a small bit of discrepancy. According to their website, wormwood 'bark' is left in the bottle, whereas the press release states 'leaf sediment'.

"All three items have less licorice taste than their French and Swiss competitors making them mix well with fruit juices, soft drinks and energy drinks and thus more appealing to mixologists," said Dan Lasner, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Admiral Imports.

The misperception that French or Swiss absinthes do not mix well in cocktails has been aggressively propagated by those that are marketing brands that do not contain anise. While anise is not as popular of a flavor in the US as it is in France, French and Swiss absinthes do indeed mix very well. In fact, one of the oldest cocktails in the U.S., the Sazerac, uses absinthe as an ingredient. There are literally hundreds of cocktails that include absinthe or an absinthe substitute such as Pernod or Anisette, which are built on the anise flavor inherent in aforementioned products.

There are those in the absinthe community that would argue that a beverage can’t be considered absinthe unless it has the dominant flavors of wormwood and anise. While there is no current definition of absinthe in the U.S. that mandates certain ingredients or flavors, evidence suggests that all traditional absinthes that were produced during the Belle Époque, which are responsible for making absinthe famous, included both wormwood and anise as the dominant ingredients. Traditionalists will always believe that those two ingredients are what make absinthe what it is. Many would also argue that fennel should be included to make up the ‘holy trinity’, although several historical recipes, while not widely used, did not include it.

Admiral Imports represents some of the finest international brands in the world such as Iceberg Vodka, Sheep Dip Blended Single Malt Scotch, Pig's Nose 5 Yr. Old Scotch Whisky, Voodoo Tiki Tequila, Berentzen Apfel, Green Fairy Absinth, Famega Vinho Verde, Luis Felipe Edwards wines from Chile, Royal Oporto, Wines of Real Companhia Velha, Wines from Bacalhoa, Tishbi wines from Israel, Fabiano Wines from Veneto, Fazi Battaglia wines from Marche, Italy, Villa Dante Toscana, Sielo Blu from Josef Brigl, Tosti Sparkling Wines from Piedmont, Italy, Torlasco wines and much more.

For more information visit www.admiralimports.com.SOURCE Admiral Imports


To sum up, as with many press releases, this one was meant to marginalize other brands, while at the same time, promoting certain 'facts' that make these specific 'absinths' more relevant.



Always helping to bring truth to advertising,

Brian

How do we manage attacks from 'Anonymous' posters?

Throughout the past several years, Alan and I (along with many others) have scoured the internet looking for opportunities to educate people on the realities of absinthe. Apparently, another sorry soul (or souls) has been following us around, trying to refute all of the information we post.

Most people who read this blog, the now defunct Rend Fou, or any of the other dozen forums where they've seen the debate take place, can see through the vitriol and the lies. It also doesn't lend much credibility to our detractors when the majority of the attacks against us have been posted by 'Anonymous' users, despite dozens of requests for them to come out and identify themselves.

After some discussion, I think Alan and I have come to a good resolution.

We will continue to encourage open and civilized debate. Not only does it provide some interesting reading, it also helps to flush out some facts that otherwise wouldn't be known.

However, for a fair debate to occur, the identities of all of the participants should be disclosed. Please either post with your registered account, or sign your message before submitting it.

If an attack or criticism is made without proper identification of the person who made the post, we reserve the right either to edit the post, or delete it alltogether.

We'll try this out for a few months. If it doesn't work, then we will discuss the OpenID requirement, meaning we will at least have information on the back end of who made the post.

Happy posting!

53 and counting: the week in Absinthe ...

To celebrate the arrival of Brian (aka Shabba53) here, I have just updated the list of absinthes that are either approved for USA launch or are in process.

Appropriately the new total is .... 53.

BevLaw has managed to find the Pernod Absinthe COLA and it is interesting to compare the Pernod and La Fée approvals.

Meanwhile in the UK, two TV shows have featured absinthe in the last week.



An Absinthe Jelly was created by Michelin 3 Star chef Heston Blumenthal. Unfortunately, and entirely coincidentally, he has just closed his restaurant down temporarily due to a reported 400 cases of food poisoning.

Elsewhere, David Nathan-Maister hit British TV screens wearing a tie for Jeremy Paxman's show on the Victorians. Although the shot was not clear, he seemed to serve Jeremy a glass of pre-ban absinthe, which did not get the response David would have sought!

The Real Absinthe Blog goes global!

I am delighted to announce that Brian Robinson, aka Shabba (53?), joins me as co-author on this blog.

Brian and I have several things in common:-

1. We both love absinthe.

2. We have both spent a lot of time over the last two years debating the finer points of real absinthe with some .... "non-believers."

3. We both love rugby, a game that I, as a Brit, have grown up with and that Brian, unusually for an American, took to like a duck to a water. I just hope that other Americans do not take up this sport, one of the few (apart from marbles) that England can sometimes excel at.

Bearing all the above in mind, I am really looking forward to sharing this mission. Brian has a broader exposure to more absinthes than I. He also knows the USA scene far better than I do (yet). We haven't agreed a split of responsibilities here yet, but I feel we'll work together well as a team. Between us, we can cover many more issues, State-side and in Europe and Asia.

Santé, Brian!

Online Absinthe Survey

I see that the Absinthe Review Network has announced an important online survey of the absinthes drunk in the USA. The announcement has now also been made on MySpace, here, the Wormwood Society, and on Facebook.

The survey itself seems quite simple to do, and I suspect that the results could be very interesting. Click here to go to the survey.

Some may think me a bit biased so I won't be doing the survey myself. From discussion on the Wormwood Society, it sounds like someone else has already been trying to cheat!

Ben from the Absinthe Review Network tells me that the survey will probably be the biggest public survey of absinthes ever completed (unless they did something bigger in the 19th century, of course). He is looking for hundreds of responses. I will be in touch with the Absinthe Review Network to see if I can get some key findings from the survey when it is complete.

Check back later ... but in the meantime, try the survey yourself.