A Taste for Absinthe

I wrote about absinthe cocktail books just over six months ago, and at that time there were only a few such books around.

As we approach the holiday season, things are hotting up with at least two new absinthe cocktail books being launched. The first one, A Taste for Absinthe, written by R. Winston Guthrie with James F. Thompson, has just been launched in North America, and it's a clear step up from the books I reviewed six months ago.

R. Winston Guthrie is an absinthe expert and the founder of The Absinthe Buyers Guide. The Guide itself is a litte out-of-date for Americans (with very little on the current absinthe scene in the USA, whether it be absinthe made in the USA or absinthe sold in bars and stores in the USA): however Winston tells me that the Guide will be updated to reflect both the current US market and European absinthes. His book is already up-to-date and thus very relevant for US readers. It is very much "born in the USA," with absinthe and absinthe cocktails as found across the USA today.

Initial impressions of the book are that it is very well produced and excellent value for money. Great photography (by Liza Gershman) with photos of cocktails made by many of America's finest cocktail makers:

Jeff Hollinger from Absinthe Brasserie and Bar, San Francisco

Ryan Fitzgerald of San Francisco, making the Hermitage, blending mezcal, maraschino, Dubonnet rouge, grapefruit bitters and absinthe.

Mae Lane from Griffou

Others have commented on Amazon on the recipes themselves as being quite complex, calling for many different ingredients. I calculated that I could probably make around 20 of the 65 cocktails at home now, and I think my cocktail cabinet is about "average" (for an absinthe drinker, that is). In fact, I think it's much more interesting to have "aspirational" cocktails to work to; ones where I have to get an additional ingredient or two. I like the fact that many different mixologists have provided cocktails; I also like it that Winston often indicates where a blanche or a verte is called for (as opposed to always saying "1 ounce of absinthe").

In addition to the cocktails themselves, there is a fair amount of additional information. Nothing very new for those who know their absinthe, but useful - and accurate - for beginners.

And for beginners, the 10 page Buyers Guide at the end is very different from the website with only current US available brands listed (except for one that is in the process of being approved). Winston is tougher in his brand list than Paul Nathan was in his absinthe cocktail book (The Little Green Book of Absinthe): he leaves out Le Tourment Vert and some Bohemian "absinths" not yet available in the USA. Of the 18 brands reviewed, 14 are stocked in Drink Up New York, demonstrating a good quality bias in Winston's selection. Here's one of the reviews:


A Taste for Absinthe is now available from Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, and Amazon UK (as an import?). It would make a very good gift for both current absinthe drinkers and for beginners. If you do buy it as a gift, beware: you may find yourself using the book before you've wrapped it.

Thanks to Winston and to all those who contributed to the book. It must have been tough work, but it was definitely worthwhile. Santé!

Absinthe in the UK

There's a well-known saying in London about buses: you wait hours for a bus and then three (or more) come along at the same time.

It now appears that this could be true of real, higher quality absinthe with several good - or very good - absinthes all hitting the UK market at the same time.

Industry experts have previously quoted the UK (and Canadian) absinthe market as being effectively still-born with a plethora of "absinthes" on the market with artificial colouring and/or pre-sweetened and/or made using a cold mix system. Co-incidentally the BBC has just aired a programme about so-called nasty ingredients in drinks. So the time appears right in the UK for absinthes that are made to much higher standards, with no artificial colourings etc and with support that focuses on quality, bar staff training, consumer re-education etc.

Of course there are some good absinthes in the UK already, but most are in fairly limited distribution. That's why the news of at least four good absinthes coming to the UK or ramping up their current operations is of great interest.

First out of the blocks and from Switzerland is La Clandestine: first in as much as it has been in limited distribution in the UK up to now.

La Clandestine is probably already known to many of my readers, given my involvement with the brand. So little to more to say, except that I personally see a great opportunity for La Clandestine and the other three newer absinthes to come to the UK.

Next comes Lucid, the first absinthe launched in the USA since prohibition.


Ted Breaux and Jared Gurfein of Viridian Spirits (who are also responsible for La Clandestine in the USA) were recently on a whistlestop tour of London to launch Lucid and it will be fascinating to watch its progress in a new market.

Next up is Maison Fontaine, a new ultra-premium blanche absinthe, made by French distiller Emile Pernot, and the first product from a new company, Metropolitan Spirits.


I enjoyed meeting Sven Olsen, their CEO, in Hong Kong and in Switzerland, and am looking forward to seeing him and Maison Fontaine in London!

Last, but by no means least, is Butterfly. An absinthe that, somewhat paradoxically, is both old and new. Born in Boston in 1902, and now made by the distiller of La Clandestine in Switzerland.


I will relate more of the Butterfly story at a later date: readers interested to know more now may like to read my interview with Brian Fernald, the American from Boston who is behind its renaissance.

As the writer behind the Real Absinthe blog, I am delighted that four very real absinthes will be making waves in the UK over the next few months and beyond. It's good news for absinthe, it's great news for bars who want to experiment with absinthe, and it's wonderful news for UK consumers who have not had so much choice in the past.

Santé to all four absinthes and to those responsible for bringing them to the UK!

And, just a few months later, bars in London are started to have absinthes lists like this (from 22 Below, near Carnaby St.):


Update: To keep up with news and information about absinthe specifically in the UK, there's a new Facebook page intended just for that. Cheers!

Soccer ... absinthe ... what's the connection?

For the last month, hundreds of millions of people all over the world have been watching one of the biggest sporting events in the world: the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

There may seem to be little or no connection between this and absinthe, but as the tournament has progressed I have noted links between one world and another.

Early on in the tournament I tweeted about the best absinthe distillers in the world (the Swiss) playing the best footballers in the world (Spain) and speculating that the half-time oranges should be replaced by absinthe. Evidently that happened, since, in one of the biggest upsets in the World Cup, Switzerland won (unfortunately that was their only victory).

If Switzerland was the birthplace of absinthe, then the French can claim to have made it popular during the 19th century. This resulted ultimately in the biggest hangover ever when the French went from feast to famine and banned absinthe in 1915. France suffered another major hangover when their soccer team self-destructed in the World Cup.

England was the birthplace of soccer, is home to at least one absinthe company (although very little absinthe is made in England), and has the distinction of one of the most famous cocktail books. The 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book has 104 cocktails which contain absinthe. As an Englishman, it pains me to say that their soccer team was swept away almost as comprehensively as the Savoy Hotel has moved away from absinthe over the years.

What of the USA? Well, they are clearly an emerging nation in both soccer and absinthe, and maybe 2010 will be seen to be the year in which soccer started to hit the mainstream.

And so to tonight's final. On the one side: Spain, who have always under-achieved in the World Cup before 2010 and whose absinthes have generally disappointed until recently with a preponderance of artifically coloured and sometimes gimmicky products. On the other side: the Netherlands, previously losing finallists and home to a small hand-crafted absinthe business.

The semi-final between Spain and Germany had been the first match I have seen which reminded me not of a cliched chess match, but of a real Spanish bullfight. Beautiful passing and then the clinical finish. The 2010 final started in a similar style but the Dutch forced Spain off the ball and out of their stride (somewhat too forcefully perhaps!). Difficult at times to see who was the matador and who was the bull.

So to the second half. A half of "what ifs." "What if" one of Robben's breakthrough runs had not been saved? "What if" the Ramos header had been a little lower? And more yellow cards, especially for the Dutch.

And then the drama of extra time. A Dutch sending-off .. and it could have been two. And then, deep into the second period of extra time, the matador's stab from Spain's Iniesta! Olé!

I have talked about the Spain-Germany semi-final and the final reminding me of bull-fights. Hemingway wrote about bull-fights in his classic book, Death in the Afternoon. Because of Hemingway's love of both absinthe and champagne, this has become the name of this classic cocktail. What better way then to celebrate Spain's victory?

Absinthe Dinner in Malaysia

Many potential buyers and many potential consumers have a fixed idea about what absinthe is. They think it may be dangerous, that it may attract the wrong sort of customers, that people abuse it. Well, think again. Last night I celebrated a Malaysian Decadent Affair with seven different absinthe drinks before, during and after dinner at the Vanity Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. This was exciting for me since I lived in Malaysia from 1999 to 2002, and had experienced wine, champagne and cognac dinners there previously.

But absinthe? Did it work? A resounding yes!

Here's a quick look at some of my pictures and some of Angela's (thank you!). The team at work setting up beforehand:

The menu:

The pre-dinner apéritif, La Clandestine Absinthe and Monin Peach:

The Perroquet: Angélique Absinthe, Monin Green Mint and chilled water:

This accompanied an oyster dish (photo to follow). The Clandestine Caipirinha:

accompanying Ricotta cheese stuffed ravioli fresh & dried tomato & lemon olive oil.

Death in the Afternoon:

which went very well with Warm hickory smoke salmon with chat potato dill creme fraiche & salad:

Classic fountain-served Angélique absinthe complemented the Casserole de Poulet with pan fried spatzle, glazed shallot & carrot:

A triple bill of shooters (White Chocolate, La Clandestine, Baileys and Caramel, and Dark Chocolate) was astonishing:

And the evening concluded with the Asian premiere of a barrel-aged La Clandestine. After 40 months, it is taking on some wonderful exotic notes, but this is not yet being sold anywhere in the world.

I was delighted to meet old friends and new, including Malaysia's own Thirsty Blogger:

I was delighted when one of the diners told me afterwards that this event totally changed perceptions of absinthe. Mission accomplished!

Do any of my readers have experiences of absinthe and food they would like to share?

For Cinco de Mayo: Tequila .. and Absinthe!

May 5th was not always connected with Tequila. It was originally a voluntary holiday that commemorated the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

148 years later, it has become a big Tequila day, especially in the USA. I'm fortunate enough to have done some work on Tequilas earlier in my career, and have worked a little on Don Julio (UK and South Asia), Jose Cuervo and 1800 (S.E. Asia and Korea), and Cabo Wabo (UK, Russia, and Australia). Interesting brands indeed. Like absinthe, Tequila has had a "bad boy" image, so it's fascinating to see how the development of ultra-premium tequilas has helped it to become a much more sophisticated drink over the last 10 years.

I am especially delighted, therefore, that while working on absinthe, mixologists have proposed cocktails combining tequila and absinthe. Here are two of them:

The Green Devil (created by Ben Foote, The Bitter Bar)


1.5 oz. Chamucos Reposado Tequila
0.75 oz. Luxardo Limoncello Liqueur
0.25 oz. La Clandestine Absinthe
3-4 leaves of Fresh Thai Basil

*Muddle basil in a mixing glass first, then add all other ingredients with ice... shake for 5-10 seconds, double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. 
**Garnish with a lemon wheel and a sprig of thai basil.

This was created at the Bitter Bar, Boulder which was then under the supervision of James Lee, named then one of the top 10 mixologists in the country by Playboy Magazine. (Update 2014: James has recently returned as owner of the Bitter Bar).

James and I had corresponded on Twitter, and a few weeks later he sent me details of this cocktail and some additional comments. Over to you, James: 

"The Green Devil was our number one selling cocktail when the Bitter Bar opened last year around this time... We tried many different Limoncellos, but decided the Luxardo came through with better balance and not over the top with citrus flavor profile in the cocktail. Also, and more importantly, we ended up switching to La Clandestine from a verte absinthe due to its softer and smoother profile in the cocktail (especially on the nose and start of the drink..). We just did a "rinse" of verte absinthe in the original version of this cocktail due to strong/heavy profile of absinthe/anise flavor, but now we have La Clandestine/blanche in the cocktail, we use 0.25 oz. in the recipe to enhance and made everyone happy with our cocktail!"

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

Clandestine Luna (created by George Delgado of Promixology)

1 oz. La Clandestine Absinthe
1 oz. 100% Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila
1 oz. Combier
Splash of orange juice
Splash of simple syrup
Garnish = Orange Wheel

Glassware = Martini Glass
Finished with a dash of Blue Curacao into finished drink

In an ice-filled mixing glass or shaker, add La Clandestine Absinthe, the Tequila, and the Combier with the splash of orange juice and the splash of simple syrup. Shake vigorously until shaker gets ice cold. Strain into the Martini glass. NOW add the drop or two of Blue Curacao - it will sink to the bottom to form a “layer”. Put an orange wheel on the rim, or a very thinly sliced orange wheel floating in the drink.

If anyone has any other cocktails that combine tequila and absinthe, I'd love to see them. In the meantime, enjoy the Cinco de Mayo, but not too much. Salud!

The Clandestino (a.k.a. the Clandestine Caipirinha)

Originally created for the London Bar Show in 2007 by Darroch of Black Tie Bartending, the Clandestino (formerly known as the Clandestine Caipirinha) has long been one of my favourite absinthe cocktails. Other absinthe bloggers have enjoyed it too, with one calling it "my all-time favorite cocktail" and "my favorite source of vitamine C!"

We've looked at various recipes of this over the years since it was first made as a caipirinha with La Clandestine instead of cachaca. Many bartenders have their own way of making a caipirinha, and it's impossible to summarise all their different ways here. When making this cocktail for a larger group of people, we have recently started using this easy recipe:

1 measure of La Clandestine absinthe
1 measure of simple syrup
1 measure of fresh lime juice

Shaken with crushed ice, and strained into a rocks glass with crushed ice already in it.

How simple is that!

In fact the genesis of the Clandestino goes back to 2010 and then to 2007. In 2010 I was delighted when Marcelo, a Brazilian friend from the absinthe forums, decided to make his own more Brazilian version. Here is his recipe:

"For one cocktail glass:

- 3 key limes (key limes are "the right limes" for any caipirinha)
- 3 - 4 teaspoons of regular sugar (sugar cane)
- crushed ice, enough to fill at least 50% of the glass
- 1.5 oz of La Clandestine Absinthe (maybe around two-thirds the amount of cachaca used in a caipirinha)

Cut the limes in four parts each. Remove the seeds with the tip of your knife (crushed seeds are bitter). Using a muddler, crush down the limes with the sugar making a homogenous juice.

Mix the limes with sugar in a shaker and add ice and absinthe.... shake ... pour into a glass.

Drink slowly. Let the ice melt a little bit and the absinthe will be even better. In Brazil, a glass of caipirinha is not for individual use .... Share your glass .... take a sip and pass to your friend and wait for it to go around and come back to you."

Of course a Caipirinha is normally made with cachaça, so I thought we should change the original name since it might upset drinks purists (who wouldn't recognise the existence of a "vodka martini"). Apparently in Brazil you can drink a "Caipirinha de Vodka" (called a Caipiroska in São Paolo), so maybe this could have been a "Caipisinthe" or a "Caipistine." But I prefer the Clandestino.

Marcelo and I agree that this works very well with La Clandestine. I think a Caipirinha needs to be "clean" and "pure," so I suspect that this works especially well as it uses a blanche absinthe. A verte may not work as well. What do you think?

I have a few friends who are involved with cachaça. I wonder what they will think.

Now, enough writing. I must get myself organised for the Brazil World Cup and Olympics in 2014 and 2016. I suspect a Clandestino will taste even better in Rio and São Paolo!

Cheers! Saúde, Marcelo!

Update: September 2011

The Clandestino seems to be so popular that Pernod Absinthe featured it on their Facebook page. Click to make the image bigger.


Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it would have been nice if Pernod (whose first absinthe distillery was in Couvet, Switzerland, in the late 1790's) had been able to credit the creator of the Clandestino!

STOP PRESS: Summer 2012

Summer is aparently here, or around the corner, and here's an interesting take on the Clandestino for the summer:



The Clandestino popsicle. Or ice lolly. Or glace à l'eau. Depends where you come from.

1 measure of La Clandestine.
1 measure of simple syrup.
1 measure of lime juice.
3 measures of water.

Freeze and enjoy!

Absinthe, Ladies and Earthquakes

"Immodestly-clad ladies are reportedly responsible for earthquakes." According to Iranian cleric, Ayatollah Kazem Sedighi.

This story has been rumbling around Facebook and Twitter over the last few days, and now Jen McCreight, a student and feminist from Indiana, has responded by setting up the scientific experiment, Boobquake. Today, April 26 2010, women around the world are being urged to dress a little more immodestly than they might usually do to test the cleric's statement.

In case my readers think Boobquake seems an inappropriate way to respond, I want to quote Jen here: "I just want to apologize if this comes off as demeaning toward women ... I don't think the event is completely contrary to feminist ideals. I'm asking women to wear their most "immodest" outfit that they already would wear, but to coordinate it all on the same day for the sake of the experiment ... I also hate the ideal of "big boobs are always better!" The cleavage joke was just a result of me personally having cleavage, and that being my choice of immodesty. And I thought "boobquake" just sounded funny. Really, it's not supposed to be serious activism that is going to revolutionize women's rights, but just a bit of fun juvenile humor. I'm a firm believer that when someone says something so stupid and hateful, serious discourse isn't going to accomplish anything - sometimes light-hearted mockery is worthwhile."

As a male blogger and absinthe lover, I can't actively participate in the event today (did someone say Moobquake?), but I wanted to support Jen by a quick study of the role of immodestly-clad ladies in absinthe advertising and promotion and to assess whether there is any link between these and earthquakes. Have there been many earthquakes in Paris

or in Prague


since immodestly-clad ladies have been used in absinthe advertising or art? How about in London?

Apparently not.

Of course I may be on shakier ground (!) if I analyse the link between immodestly-clad ladies used to promote absinthe in Los Angeles and any seismic activity there ...

although there do not appear to have been any earthquakes as a result of this Swiss absinthe label.

Using the above examples, it seems safe to assume that there is no link between these ladies, however they are dressed, and earthquakes. But the Boobquake experiment seems to be more rigorous, so I await the results with interest. Yes, there was a small earthquake this morning in Taiwan, but that doesn't seem too unusual.

Of course, there IS a connection between absinthe and earthquakes, and that is Toulouse-Lautrec. He is credited with the invention of the Tremblement de Terre or Earthquake cocktail. Wikipedia states that this is half cognac, half absinthe (ice is optional), while the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book states that it uses equal portions of gin, whisky and absinthe (it is called an Earthquake "because if there should happen to be an earthquake on when you are drinking it, it won't matter"). Maybe I'll have one of each and try to report back later. Assuming the earth doesn't swallow us all up today ...

Complete an absinthe survey: get 20% off absinthe accessories!

UPDATE: Survey now closed.
In 2009, at least two online surveys were conducted into absinthe drinking in the USA: these included brand preferences, methods and location of drinking, etc. The results were very interesting (but I won't say too much here, so as not to influence prospective voters!).

Absinthe Devil, America's Absintheur Shop with probably the largest range of absinthe accessories in the USA, has just announced their 2010 survey on their blog (the survey has also been announced on the Wormwood Society). I had the opportunity to meet Brian Fernald, the owner of Absinthe Devil, on my recent visit to the USA, and he's passionate about helping Americans choose good absinthe. So much so that he's offering Americans who complete the survey 20% off all the accessories in his shop. Upon submitting your results, you will be presented with a 20% off coupon good for their entire inventory (the coupon only applies to in-stock items and cannot be used for back ordered or out-of-stock items, or against delivery charges).

If you love absinthe (and especially if you like good absinthe), then please help Brian to help others. Do the 2010 survey now, and get 20% off your choice of absinthe accessories! Results will be published on Absinthe Devil (and hopefully here) in the next few weeks.

The return of Pernod Fils Absinthe!

Amazing news from France, discovered on Twitter this morning, announced on a French absinthe forum, and revealed in full on a new French absinthe website. The long-awaited re-launch of Pernod Fils absinthe!

For those who don't know all about absinthe: a short history. Many real absinthe lovers have expressed their disappointment with Pernod's 21st century absinthe. They were sad that Pernod-Ricard, a company that had its roots in real absinthe, initially in Couvet, the birthplace of absinthe, and then in Pontarlier with Pernod Fils Absinthe, chose to launch Pernod Aux Plantes d'Absinthe Supérieure

an absinthe with artificial colours and clearly nothing like the original Pernod Fils absinthe. An absinthe that was world-famous in the late 19th century, an absinthe whose pre-1915 ban bottles are sought by absinthe collectors globally even now.

To cut a long story short (and not wishing to translate the whole of the French webzine), an entrepreneur contacted Pernod-Ricard with a business plan to re-introduce Pernod Fils Absinthe. After many months' work, using the code name Colvert and in collaboration with Pernod-Ricard's master distiller, Eric Brochet, they are nearly ready to launch. And because of the massive economies of scale that Pernod-Ricard can make, they plan to launch at an amazing €30 for a liter bottle.

There are no pack shots available yet (these pictures are of an empty Pernod Fils bottle purchased this week on Ebay UK for £0.99), and no tasting notes are yet available.

Full story available in French here.

For a blogger like myself, this is a story as big as the Swiss re-legalisation of absinthe or the lifting of the ban in the USA. If not bigger. What do my readers think of this amazing story?

UPDATE: April 2, 2010

As far as I know, the original French story is a very elaborate April Fools' Day Joke. Sorry to disappoint everyone. Or maybe it isn't. Only time will tell, and for those who've waited 95 years to try newly-made Pernod Fils absinthe, what's a few more years?

Good to see that Pernod themselves have retained a sense of humour about this. Later on April 1, 2010, this tweet appeared:

Santé, PernodAbsinthe!

Update on US approvals: March 2010

One of the most frequently viewed pages on my blog (and the one that is the most frequently updated) is the list of absinthes approved for US launch.

The list keeps growing and now lists 68 approved, and 77 either approved or in process! Shown above, the latest approved brand (number 68 on the linked list) is another from Crillon Importers (following Absente, Grande Absente and Ordinaire) and the latest to be added to those in process is Tenneyson, bottled apparently by Emile Pernot (at no. 72).

Although 68 are approved, only about 40 can be found in the USA (and only about 20 are in more than a few States). Many others have still to be launched, including Canada's Taboo and the Czech Republic's St. Antoine. It's unfortunate that the glut of absinthes in the US market currently is keeping some good absinthes out.

That's not to say that the latest approvals are not good: here are two other recent approvals from Colorado and from Switzerland.




Americans can continue to enjoy one of the world's biggest selection of absinthes, but some good brands are currently locked out as a result. What do my readers think? Is the fact that the US market for absinthe has moved from famine to feast in 3 years completely positive?