Of all the
absinthe books I have reviewed on this blog, this is probably the most interesting. The cover suggests it might be a thriller but it isn't - or at least it wasn't for me - because I know how the true story ends.
I had read the saga in a Facebook group back in April 2019. Search the posts from April 2 2019 and onwards. Put simply, someone (let's call him or her "Simon") is believed, maybe proven, to have taken empty pre-ban bottles, added old labels (available on line), and concocted something that may have tasted like pre-ban absinthe. Not in the Ted Breaux or Martin Zufanek way but much more deviously (I won't detail that here: read the book!).
For me, this book is not a thriller as the cover and description of the book on Amazon led me to believe. It's much better than that, in that it's a true story of how the absinthe community responded to the fraud. An absinthe community I have met, primarily in Switzerland at the annual Fête de l'Absinthe. I "know" at least 15 of those absintheurs who are named in the book (some of them only online) and it is indeed a community who responded to the fraud and came together as a real "absinthe friends for life" community. For me, the togetherness of the community was and is the main tale here and it's a very positive message to take from the book.
It was especially interesting for me to read the accounts of Evan's meetings with Patrick Roussel and Jan Hartmann, both of whom I had met just once beforehand (at the 2019 Absinthe Festival in Freiburg, Germany). Reading the book five years later reminded me just how much I had enjoyed meeting them, but I also got to know them much better. Their insights into the fraud were amazing, and the parts they played, from very different perspectives, were highly illuminating. Congratulations to Evan for explaining Jan's very technical account and for painting a picture for me of Patrick's amazing museum as well as the bottle markings proof of the fraud.
I have to confess at this stage that I have very little experience of pre-ban absinthe, having tasted maybe 3 or 4 pre-ban samples via friends or at absinthe community gatherings. I have never purchased pre-ban absinthe. Indeed the closest I have come to this is buying on Ebay the empty, apparently pre-ban absinthe bottle on the left below. Before reading further, can you guess which of these two bottles was the most expensive?
Here's a tiny clue. The branding on the bottle states Pernod Fils.
I have been told by one collector that this empty bottle might fetch $100. If that is true, maybe it's because the forger knew it would be a great way to start his product, before filling it with God knows what.
I didn't pay $100 or even $10. I paid less than a pound! Why did it go so cheaply? Probably because the vendor didn't understand the opportunity this bottle presented and called it "Pernod Pils," without even using the word "absinthe." Lesson for Ebay buyers of "absinthe?" If you just search "absinthe," you might just miss a gem like this.
Some of the above account of my near-experience with pre-ban absinthe may not necessarily be of interest to those of my readers who don't buy absinthe and who don't know the absinthe community. Understood.
Evan's book, however, could and should have an appeal and interest far beyond the absinthe community. It should be of interest to any community where people share an interest and passion in collecting. Whether it's collecting art, stamps, rare records, etc.
As an example of collecting "art," I recently visited a collection where prints of L.S. Lowry paintings were for sale. A framed unsigned print might sell for £100 - 200; a framed signed print was on sale for over £15,000. I understand that signed prints are numbered and that someone, somewhere may keep records of where these signed prints go, but the big difference in price here makes me think that someone, somewhere may be able to find a way to play the system to his/her advantage.
I had an interest a few years ago in buying rock'n'roll memorabilia. I used to go to record fairs where some memorabilia was for sale. I never bought rare memorabila there. I did later buy a few signed items, e.g. signed concert programmes with some clear provenance, but I always did so from recognised London auction houses. The cost may have been higher but I felt safer doing so.
As a viewer of art and as a buyer of rock'n'roll memorabilia, I can understand how absinthe lovers feel about this fraud. I can also understand how the community took this, learnt from it, and grew stronger and more united as a result. Yes, some people still feel bitter and wonder if there is a way to get their money back, as at least one person has done so far. Hopefully others will follow. Some may say that the community is less united. Having met many from the community this month, I really sensed that the community is stronger, maybe as a result of having a "common enemy."
Evan's book is the best absinthe book I have read. But Evan's book is just as relevant to other communities with a common passion. It deserves to be read by those who love absinthe, and those who don't! Santé, Evan!
