"The Absinthe Frappé" and "Cure New Orleans Drinks:" Almost 200 years of drinking in NOLA in 2 very different books

A small confession. The first few paragraphs here were provided by ChatGPT. 

"Absinthe and New Orleans cocktail enthusiasts, get ready to add two new books to your reading list! Marielle Songy's "The Absinthe Frappé" and Neal Bodenheimer's "Cure: New Orleans Drinks and how to mix 'em" are two must-read books for anyone interested either in the history and culture of absinthe or New Orleans cocktails more generally.

"The Absinthe Frappé" is a deep dive into the history and culture of absinthe in New Orleans. Songy's book explores the origins of absinthe in the city, how it became popular, and its eventual downfall. The book also includes recipes for traditional New Orleans absinthe cocktails, like the Sazerac and the Absinthe Frappé, as well as lesser-known drinks like the Ramos Gin Fizz (Editor note: The Absinthe Frappé book does not contain a Ramos Gin Fizz recipe but the second book here does!). Songy's book is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of absinthe in New Orleans. The author's passion for the subject is evident on every page, and the recipes are sure to inspire readers to try making their own absinthe cocktails at home.

On the other hand, "Cure: New Orleans Drinks and how to mix 'em" by Neal Bodenheimer is a cocktail recipe book that celebrates the unique culture of New Orleans. While the book is not specifically focused on absinthe, it includes several absinthe-based cocktails (actually only one: the Absinthe Suissesse, alongside five with Herbsaint), as well as other classic New Orleans drinks like the Hurricane and the French 75. 

What sets "Cure" apart from other cocktail books is its focus on the history and culture of New Orleans. The book includes essays and stories about the city's bartenders, drinks, and traditions, giving readers a deeper understanding of the unique cocktail culture of the Big Easy. Overall, both "The Absinthe Frappé" and "Cure: New Orleans Drinks and how to mix 'em" are excellent additions to any absinthe lover's book collection. Whether you're interested in the history of absinthe in New Orleans or just looking for some new cocktail recipes to try, these books are sure to satisfy. So, pour yourself a glass of absinthe and settle in for a good read!"

So much for ChatGPT. 

What do I think of these books? 

"The Absinthe Frappé" is a superb addition to the books I have reviewed previously about absinthe and cocktails. It has an excellent history of absinthe, correctly crediting the Henriods with its creation, and then detailing its boom, bust and subsequent re-birth. The book's focus is unashamedly American, mainly on New Orleans as the birthplace of the absinthe frappé. The story of the absinthe frappé is told in great detail and the book concludes with eleven absinthe cocktails and a list of bars in New Orleans where one can enjoy an absinthe frappé. 

Including, of course, The Old Absinthe House.

Followed by a wonderful three page list of sources. Sadly many of these are digital links, which may require a lot of concentration to type in correctly (do not attempt to type in these links after a few absinthe frappés!). Generally typing in the keywords (e.g. a book title) may get you to the link. Google famous new orleans drinks and how to mix 'em to get to a legal digital version of this classic. 

Don't be deceived by the book's size (4.8 x 0.32 x 6.85 inches). The book is very detailed, with a lot of information not assembled together elsewhere and with absolutely no padding. Its size allowed me to take it and to enjoy it on train journeys and will allow those visiting New Orleans to use it as a great guide book while going on a tour of the best absinthe bars in NOLA. It is not a coffee table book (many of those are books that are bought to be displayed and are never read). This is very definitely a book to be read, to be enjoyed and, hopefully, to inspire its readers to perfect their absinthe frappé making skills!   

"The Absinthe Frappé" was written by Marielle Songy, who was born and raised in New Orleans. We've been Facebook friends for a while and I am grateful to her and her publishers for an advance copy of the book for review. When I got the book, I asked her some questions: these and her answers follow: 

Do you have any plans to write more about absinthe and/or any other absinthe cocktails? 

I don't have any current plans to write about any other absinthe cocktails, but I do want this to be the beginning of adding to the conversation and absinthe education. I hope to do what I can to spread the word about absinthe, dispel the myths, and hopefully make it a bit more popular again (or at least get to the point where at least one absinthe-forward cocktail is offered on fine cocktail menus). 

What was the most surprising thing you discovered about absinthe and/or the Frappé? 

One thing I discovered in my research is just how versatile absinthe is! Before I started the book, I hadn't really tried many absinthe-forward cocktails. The book changed that. Of course there's the Frappe, but all of the cocktails in my cocktail guide are drinks I have tried throughout this process. My favorites are Bitter Party of One and Death in the Afternoon. 

How many absinthe frappés did you have to consume while researching/writing the book? Do you make this great cocktail at home or do you prefer to drink it in the great bars of NOLA? 

I tried many absinthe frappes throughout my research and I was surprised at how different they are, depending on the bar! My favorite is still the classic with the crushed ice and simple syrup, but Mr. B's had an interesting one served in a martini glass with egg white in it. I was also surprised at how many bars serve the frappe "neat" with no ice. I have made the cocktail at home because it's quite easy, but I do prefer to enjoy it at a nice bar. 

Would you be brave enough to specify the best absinthe frappé you had? What was so great about it? And which bar? Or would you prefer not to answer that? For me, it was at Cure and, of course, it contained La Clandestine! 

My favorite is definitely Cure. I just think it's made perfectly with the dome of ice and is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds!

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

Marielle and I agree on a lot. Notably on the role of the Henriods and on the best place in NOLA to enjoy the absinthe frappé. I hope to get to NOLA again soon to enjoy this superb drink at Cure with Marielle. Santé!

When I told Marielle that her book was going to be reviewed at the same time as "Cure: New Orleans Drinks and how to mix 'em,"  she wrote "I am beyond flattered to be included in the same universe as Neal's wonderful book, of which I also have a copy."  Here is Cure NOLA:

I first made it to Cure and met Neal Bodenheimer on July 15th, 2013, which was also my first day ever in New Orleans. I was staying at The Monteleone for Tales of the Cocktail and was just a few yards from The Old Absinthe House, so Cure was not the first NOLA bar I visited. But it made a big impression on me, so I was thrilled to be given Neal's new book as a present a few months ago.

For those of my readers who want to read about absinthe, you may be a little disappointed to note that there are not many absinthe recipes in this book. There is a recipe for Absinthe Suissesse (which has been one of my favourites recently) and, in the food recipe section, 

you'll find Mussels in Absinthe. Gorgeous!

This being New Orleans, there are, of course, several recipes with Herbsaint and, since absinthe and Herbsaint are more interchangeable here than anywhere else, that's understandable.

Neal's book is, indeed, a gorgeous and highly practical cocktail book with an amazing collection of almost every classic New Orleans cocktail. The Sazerac, 

the French 75, Ramos Gin Fizz. the Hurricane etc. Every New Orleans classic apart from the Absinthe Frappé. It's almost as if Neal knew Marielle's book was on the way!

It's a superb cocktail book, detailing Cure's style, spirits selection criteria, and techniques. As examples of the care and love that goes into making a Cure cocktail, there's almost a whole page about how to express citrus and another on whether or not to chill glassware!

From then on, Cure follows a straight-ish historical line through New Orleans cocktails from the Sazerac (and variations), the Old-Fashioned (and variations) etc.

The cocktails are interspersed with sections on the New Orleans Cocktail Bucket list (the best bars in town), the best music venues, classic dive bars, Black bars, Mardi Gras, and a page on the Green Fairy! This is a book to bring back memories of Tales of the Cocktail and NOLA (yes, it's time I returned post-Covid), with mentions of many people I have met there or elsewhere. This is a book with, it seems, hundreds of short stories (some of these are cocktails, some are Neal's anecdotes about NOLA). It's a book you dip into for inspiration or an idea, and half an hour later you're still reading about a cocktail's variations or the technical issues involved. For example, Cure used to use 21 drops of Peychaud's in a Sazerac but now uses 23 drops!

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

I love both these books: Marielle's for the deep dive (thank you, ChatGPT) into the history and culture of absinthe in New Orleans, Neal's for the memories it evokes, for reminding me of the places I still have to visit in NOLA and for the amazing cocktail knowledge. This is clearly a must-have cocktail book, even if you're mainly interested in absinthe.

If you're visiting NOLA, you may find The Absinthe Frappé more portable and convenient to carry from bar to bar; alternatively you may want to splurge out on the Ebook version of Cure to take with you. 

I'd recommend both! Santé, Marielle and Neal!

In search of the Bloody Fairy

Virginia Davis, manager, Pirate’s Alley Café/Absinthe House, New Orleans

The ”Bloody Fairy?” Gimmick or classic? Let’s explore this..

By “Bloody Fairy,” of course, I mean an absinthe equivalent of the “Bloody Mary.” Sounds simple, or so I thought.

But it turns out that there are different directions this could go: it could be a standard spicy Bloody Mary with a few dashes of absinthe as seen here:

Or it could be a completely different (and not spicy) drink using absinthe, cranberry juice and tonic water as seen here:

Or it could be a drink in which absinthe completely replaces vodka as mentioned here:

I believe the last option included here fits far better with the "Bloody" proposition and is clearly more "Fairy" related.

I used this starting point on my 2018 visit to New Orleans and later at home. I now believe I am close to the perfect Bloody Fairy, loved by bars, using tweaks from famous cocktail experts, and indulging my own preferences too. It’s been a tough journey but someone had to do it!

Firstly I see little need to tamper with the "Bloody" element, For bars serving very spicy or alternatively more mellow Bloody Marys, you know what works for your customers, so don’t tamper with that element. That’s what your customers want, whether it be a brunch cocktail, aperitif or even digestif (a good Bloody Mary can indeed be all of these). So I will not detail or define here the spicy tomato element of this cocktail: what works for your customers in your bar or for you at home in a Bloody Mary will work for you in a Bloody Fairy.

Moving onto the absinthe element, it is clear that absinthe can be a polarising taste. While vodka can be somewhat blander. I believe less bitter absinthes work much better in this cocktail, complementing the tomato juice and the spicy elements, rather than fighting with them. For me, and the New Orleans bartenders we tried this with, Butterfly Classic Absinthe worked really well, with respectable strength (65%), little bitterness, and a flavour profile that complements tomato and spices. Butterfly has a traditional recipe base of herbs and spices which complement the spices used in Bloody Mary; it also has hints of citrus and mint that sit well alongside tomato juice.

Butterfly's US heritage makes it a perfect ingredient in this Bloody Mary twist, given that the Bloody Mary may have been born at the New York Bar in Paris in 1921 or in New York itself in the 1930's, and it is certainly a cocktail which is most popular in the USA.

So this was the start of the drink: a traditional tomato/spice mix and Butterfly Absinthe. A prototype Bloody Fairy that I drank in bars in New Orleans in September 2018. Firstly in The Old Absinthe House with Jackie and her team:

(yes, I know the Bloody Fairy glass is empty: a clear indication that this was the most popular of the three cocktails we shared)

at other bars around New Orleans:

and at Tony Seville's Pirate's Alley Café and Absinthe House (see photo with Virginia Davis at the top). We all loved it.

However I recognise that the slight element of bitterness in any good absinthe may not work for everyone, and after consideration I realised that an extra ingredient I had enjoyed in Bloody Marys a few years ago would really be the icing on the cake,

Sherry.

I researched further and I found that some of the world’s most celebrated cocktail experts have used sherry to complete their Bloody Marys. If this idea is good enough for Erik Lorincz (formerly of The Savoy)

and for Simon Ford of Ford's Gin

there must be a reason.

Manzanilla or Fino didn’t seem quite right, so I was interested to consider a cream sherry. I was not alone, judging by this article from a British newspaper:

So there we have it. The perfect Bloody Fairy recipe:-

1. Tomato juice and all the usual spices and garnishes: exactly how you would combine them in your Bloody Mary.

2. Spirit:

Either replace all the vodka with Butterfly Absinthe, an American-style absinthe. Noting that this comes in at 65% alcohol, then you could perhaps reduce the amount of absinthe to around two-thirds of the amount (of vodka) you would use in a Bloody Mary.

Or replace half of the vodka with  Butterfly Absinthe, so a smaller amount of Butterfly and half of the vodka.

3. The icing on the cake: float Cream Sherry on top.

We hope you love this Bloody Fairy as much as we do! It is much much more than a gimmick and deserves to become a new classic cocktail. And, as it's Oscar season, I'd like to thank Bernie for all her help in New Orleans and for sharing a few Bloody Fairies! Cheers!

Coming soon .. ready-to-drink absinthe

Whether you're a bartender or a consumer, we've been listening to what you say.

Bartenders think that the absinthe ritual can be a nuisance when a bar is really busy. They have to get a fountain ready with chilled water, pour a measure of absinthe in a glass, maybe put a spoon with a sugar lump on the glass, position it correctly and drip the water. And then they have to wait to make sure the glass doesn't overflow!

Consumers can be unsure of how much water to add, whether or not to use sugar, and sometimes they just don't want to wait for their drink!

Absinthe lovers in the 19th century had the same problems. After a busy day painting (and, by the way, ingesting all those toxic paint fumes), Van Gogh really didn't want to wait for his drink. Indeed it is possible that waiting drove him mad. Literally.

We've seen ready-to-drink "absinthe" in various countries around the world. Notably in Russia:

Up to now, ready-to-drink "absinthe" has tended to be low quality, and didn't communicate all the fun we think consumers look for in this type of drink. And then we saw the picture at the top of this blog. We posted it in the social media and were amazed at the response:

A high quality ready-to-drink absinthe has to communicate fun and enjoyment. So we decided to call it ...

Absinthe on the Gogh

We hasten to add that this is the not final pack design, and we need to do some more research. Which is why we are posting this so we can ask you, whether you are a bartender or an absinthe lover a few questions. Please answer in the comments below.

What is better in a bar? A can or a bottle?
What is better for home use, or indeed for picnics, etc?
What size? The can above is 250 ml, but maybe that is a bit big. Adding 3 parts of water to one US measure (1.5 fl oz) comes to 176 ml.
If a ready-to-drink is allowed to rest for a while, you will need to shake before serving. Shake the drink, not yourself (although if you shake yourself while holding a closed drink, that might work). A see-through bottle may not look too appetising if the contents have separated, so is an opaque bottle OK?
Do you like the name "Absinthe On the Gogh" which reverses the pun in the picture at the top? Absinthe To Gogh wouldn't work in bars: bartenders don't want their customers to go!
Do you have any other comments or questions? Any other names?

There is one issue we know about with this name. In England, Van Gogh's last name sounds similar to Goth. But given the affinity between Goths and absinthe, maybe that's OK. Some have commented that my distiller looks like a goth ... or should that be a Gogh?!

Remember to comment below, please. Santé!

Americans try Absinthe for the First Time on BuzzFeed ... and other absinthe videos

On August 4th, 2015, many absinthe lovers were quite dismissive of a new video which appeared on BuzzFeed that day: "Americans try Absinthe for the First Time."

Initial comments included: "Just silly, "Makes us Americans look like idiots," "It boggles my mind to believe that people STILL believe that absinthe makes you "TRIP" balls .."

Then the comments changed to "Well, at least they prepared it properly and used actual absinthe," and recognition of how BuzzFeed works: "If it isn't ridiculous then BuzzFeed doesn't want it. Hipsters pretending to trip ballz on just alcohol generates views, education does not."

And this video has certainly generated views: over 2.1 million YouTube views at the time of writing, making it by some way the highest viewed absinthe video ever shown on YouTube (and thus probably globally). It also has more likes (over 65,000 likes) and more comments (over 2,500) than any other absinthe video. The video was also posted on Facebook, where (as of October 8, 2015), it has had over 20 million views, over 180,000 likes, over 280,000 shares, and over 44,000 comments!)

Here are the rest of the Top Five YouTube absinthe videos. They are here for completion only, and I don't recommend wasting too much time watching them (apart from the absinthe glass drawing video).

A video for IOS Jailbreak software. Nothing to do with real absinthe. 1.4 million views.

The absinthe effect. Nothing to do with real absinthe, this video just shows the effect of being very drunk. 1.2 million views.

How I drew an absinthe glass. At last a good video that is partly about absinthe. Also 1.2 million views.

Shoenice slams absinthe. Showing how to drink a whole bottle of Lucid Absinthe at one go. Just under 1.2 million views.

 I wanted to put up those other 4 videos as well to highlight a couple of points:-

a) Sadly there doesn't seem to be any great interest in good educational videos for real absinthe. There are some educational videos further down the top 20 list, but most of them choose products that absinthe connoisseurs would not recognise as real absinthe and one includes the burning option.

b) It is all too easy to associate drinking absinthe with getting drunk or "other" effects. The BuzzFeed video's stars are either claiming to experience those "other" effects, or are actually experiencing placebo effects. Entertaining, perhaps, but not very educational or informative. At least it is not focused on watching people getting drunk!

c) Viewing all five videos, and then reading the comments underneath the BuzzFeed video, there remains an enormous, ongoing need for education about absinthe. What it is, what it does and how to drink it.

Ignoring the video's humorous elements, BuzzFeed clearly shows how to drink it.

• With chilled water (3 - 5 parts).
• The fountain is optional: a decanter or carafe can work just as well.
• Maybe with a sugar cube, although a lot of good absinthes do not need any sugar.
• Not as a shot, and definitely not burnt.

It skips briefly over what it is ...

and doesn't really answer the question of effects here:

There is NO difference between absinthe in the past and "modern absinthe," except for the fact that some "bath-tub absinthe" made in the 19th century may have been poisonous!

BuzzFeed makes one very good point, maybe without realising it. It chose two absinthes in smaller (200 ml) bottles for its video: La Clandestine and St. George.

Smaller bottles are an ideal way to try absinthes for the first time before committing to a full bottle purchase. In fact smaller bottles may also be a good way for some bars to start with absinthes (especially if they want to offer a broader range or if they expect a lot of their absinthe to be used in dashes or rinses).

BuzzFeed shows people socialising and having fun with absinthe, hints at its naughtier side, but also illustrates the issues and opportunities for absinthe. BuzzFeed videos are produced in Los Angeles, and it seems rather surprising that none of the cast have tried absinthe before. If the characters in this video (trendy, well-off Californians) really are trying absinthe for the first time, then absinthe companies have some way to go to create trial and interest.

I find the comments beneath the BuzzFeed video to be of greater concern (current ignorance) and to highlight the opportunities (overcoming ignorance will attract and keep tomorrow's consumers). There continues to be a lot of misunderstanding about absinthe, but BuzzFeed has helped to correct some of that. For those of us in the absinthe sector (making, marketing, selling absinthe), the need for education continues. Bars and retailers serving and selling absinthe correctly will do a lot to address the ongoing ignorance about the category.

I would love it if BuzzFeed had made an even better educational video, but their film is, in overall terms, a positive for the category. I'm pleased that BuzzFeed chose 200 ml bottles for the video (La Clandestine and St. George): they are a great way to try an absinthe for the first time.

Finally, an absinthe video that is a little more educational. I've pulled together a collection of photos (taken by Peter Wilhelm) showing the wonderful 2015 Grande Wormwood harvest featuring a top wormwood grower, Yves Currit and several absinthe makers, including Claude-Alain Bugnon. The wormwood is now being dried (see the last few photos) and the absinthe will be available in 2016 should BuzzFeed be ready for another video about absinthe!

Absinthe Cocktails Competition in UK

For the last year or so, my bartender presentations on absinthe have included much more about the role of absinthe in cocktails. Absinthe was first distilled commercially in 1798 (in Couvet, Switzerland) and  1798 is also the year that the word "cocktail" first appeared in print meaning a drink. Absinthe and cocktails seem to have been "paired at birth."

Around the world, bartenders now seem to realize that a lot of the old stories and ways of drinking absinthe were myths and fabrications to prey on the ignorant. But some bartenders still don't seem to know what to do with absinthe (apart from rinses in Sazeracs and dashes in Corpse Revivers, that is).

So I was delighted when James Fowler contacted me about an opportunity to talk about absinthe in cocktails with the Bournemouth Bartenders League (BBL). James will be well-known to regular readers here as the owner of The Larder House (home of the first UK absinthe dinner) and more recently the UK winner of Diageo's World Class Bartender competition. I don't know whether there is "something in the water" around Bournemouth or whether it is the inspiration of people like James, but it is clear that there is a lot of bartending expertise there. James put me in touch with Salvatore Damiano of the BBL and a few weeks later, I drove to The Larder House and I gave a short presentation about absinthe in cocktails (with the behind-the-bar help of Franco) ...

I have no idea what I was doing with the iPad in that top right shot, but by the time of the bottom right shot, I had finished my talk and was enjoying watching the cream of local bartenders at work. Why? Well, I have spent far too much time in the last year or so analysing history, the ways in which absinthe was used in cocktails back in the days of Harry Craddock at The Savoy (1930), and how modern bartenders are now using absinthe. For example ...

The first column of numbers shows the % of absinthe cocktails which used specific other ingredients in The Savoy in 1930. Not surprisingly absinthe was used in a lot of cocktails with gin and/or vermouth. The second column of numbers is based on the best absinthe cocktails book, A Taste for Absinthe, published in 2010, with cocktails provided by many of the world's best bartenders. Gin and vermouth have slipped down the list, and lemon/lime along with sugar or simple syrup have become the most popular ingredients to be paired with absinthe in cocktails.

Interestingly both La Clandestine and Pernod are working extensively with cocktails made almost entirely with absinthe, limes and sugar. The Clandestino was first made in 2007 and The Green Beast was first made about three years later.

So why was I at the Larder House? Here there was a team of contestants who were not thinking of the 1930 or even of 2010. They were thinking of creating the next great absinthe cocktail. Their brief was to use a full measure of absinthe, either La Clandestine or Butterfly, in creating their own new cocktail, and here is what they created and what I had the pleasure of judging ..

1. David Hall, Urban Reef

The Boston Cocktail

25ml Butterfly Absinthe

25ml Green Apple syrup

75ml Water

4 dashes of Orange bitters

Shaken and pour in a tumbler

I loved the way that David took elements from Butterfly's past: especially the fact that the owner of Dempsey, Boston, was one of the major US players fighting the threat of prohibition.

2. Connor Sanderson, The Captain's Club Hotel

Alice's Fairy Elixir

25ml La Clandestine

15ml Koku Kanu

15ml Mozart white liqueur

1 egg white

A spoon of New Forest Strawberry Jam

Nutmeg

Shaken and pour over crushed ice in a jam jar

Beautifully made with some great ingredients; excellently presented.

3. Harry King, The Library at The Larder House

Parasite

20ml Butterfly absinthe

10ml Creme de Violette

10ml Kamm and Sons aperitif

5ml maraschino

20ml lime juice

Stirred over ice and topped with elderflower tonic water and finished with a lavender foam

The foam was an interesting challenge for a judge; of course one has to taste through it too, in order to understand how the taste of the cocktail will develop. The one small issue I had with this cocktail was the name which didn't quite communicate how wonderful this cocktail was.

4. Thomas Quy, The Captain's Club Hotel

Fancy a Cuppa

40ml Butterfly Absinthe

20ml lemon & ginger tea syrup with mint

15ml lemon juice

20ml Violet Liqueur

2 dashes of grapefruit bitters

Shaken and poured into a tea cup

A very full measure of Butterfly here: 40 ml. Great taste and presentation. This is getting difficult ...  

5. Joel Whitmore, The Larder House

Covert Beets in the Back Streets of Couvet

Per serving –

40ml Apple & Ginger Juice

20ml Beetroot Juice

0.1g malic acid
Pour all ingredients into iced filled absinthe fountain.

Stir. 
Add 25ml La Clandestine Absinthe into Absinthe glass.

Turn taps and add desired amount of apple and beet mix to absinthe. 
Garnish with Swiss mountain flowers.

I had met Joel previously and, honestly, I didn't want him to win if he seemed to have any inside advantage! But I couldn't fault the concept or the final presentation and taste. Absinthe and beetroot do work together well, both visually and in a cocktail. It wasn't the punchiest of names for a cocktail but apart from that, it was faultless.

So I chose two winners: Joel (for the best cocktail with La Clandestine) and Thomas (for the best cocktail with Butterfly).

And I was delighted that Salvatore chose another winner, David, for the Bournemouth Bartenders League prize.

It was a great day for me, in which I learnt a lot about the process of creating cocktails: from naming, through to preparation and execution. Thank you to the Bournemouth Bartenders League, thank you to Matt Pollard for the photographs (hopefully my collages did not spoil them too much!),and above all thanks to Salvatore for organising it all. It is clear that great absinthe cocktails can be made with much more than a few drops or dashes as used by Craddock in 1930. If this happens elsewhere, absinthe distillers will be very busy keeping up with demand in the near future!

Interview with Philippe Chapon at the 2014 Absinthiades

The first weekend in October? It must be time for the Absinthiades, the annual absinthe festival in Pontarlier, France. Sadly I couldn't go (the following week was already hectic enough with the Bar Convent Berlin and the London Cocktail Week). But as we say in England, every cloud (we have a lot here) has a silver lining since my absence provides me an opportunity to have a guest writer, Maxime Ruby. Maxime has his own excellent absinthe blog and who has just started a new French Absinthe Forum. I am delighted to bring you his interview with Philippe Chapon, the president of the organisers of the Absinthiades. It is in French but Google Translate copes with it well.

Merci, Maxime!

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

Cette année c’est sous le soleil de Franche comté que ce sont déroulées les 14èmes absinthiades à Pontarlier ; l’occasion, cette fois encore de se rassembler autour de l’absinthe et de rencontrer des passionnées de tout horizon pendant un week-end. Visites de musée, des distilleries, rencontres avec des collectionneurs, des auteurs, dégustations, les activités ne manques pas pendant la manifestation.

Cette année j’en ai profité pour poser quelques questions à Philippe Chapon, le président de l’association des amis du musée de Pontarlier, organisatrice de l’évènement.

Comment est née l’association des amis du musée de Pontarlier ?

L’association a été créé en 1983, à l’époque il n’y avait pas encore de musée, on était en pleine réorganisation du musée municipale  et l’on était plus autour de la peinture franc-comtoise et l’archéologie.  Nous avions quelques objets sur l’absinthe mais très peu. Et puis avec le temps nous avons eu quelques donateurs et cette association permettait aux gens de donner, car on ne pouvait pas donner directement au musée. Aujourd’hui, si cette association était dissoute, tout ce qu’elle a pu acquérir serait reverser au musé de Pontarlier. Donc c’est vraiment, au départ, une association crée pour recevoir les dons. L’absinthe est ressortie des placards  petit à petit même si elle était dans la mémoire des gens, mais il faut reconnaitre qu’il n’y avait pas la même implication qu’en Suisse. On buvait de l’absinthe mais elle venait plutôt du val-de-Travers. On avait bien quelques personnes à Pontarlier ou aux alentours qui distillaient mais ça n’était pas aussi organisé qu’en Suisse. Depuis 1983, il y a eu trois présidents de cette association, je suis donc le troisième.

Comment a commencé l’aventure des absinthiades?

En 2000 l’idée a été de remettre l’absinthe à l’honneur. Aux premières absinthiades en 2000, il ‘y avait pas d’absinthe, ça n’était pas possible à l’époque. A cette époque, si ma mémoire est bonne, en France nous avons l’Absente et la Versinthe qui sont sur le marché, c’est tout ; donc en 2000 c’est surtout une exposition 

avec des objets des collectionneurs, des auteurs ; et le public est là c’est un succès. Dès la deuxième édition on introduit le premier concours avec une dizaine d’absinthes, surtout des macérés et très peu de distillées, pas d’absinthe suisse jusqu’en 2005. Aujourd’hui nous sommes à la 14^ème édition et donc à la 13eme édition du concours ; les Absinthes Suisse sont là depuis la légalisation en 2005, les deux premiers qui ont accepté de venir sont Kubler et Claude Alain Bugnon qui à l’époque a créé un produit spécialement pour la France du aux règlementations différents sur le taux de frenchonne entre la France et la Suisse ; il avait donc crée la recette « Marianne » adaptée au marché français. C’était également une volonté d’introduire l’absinthe Suisse sur la Marché Français.

Parallèlement à ces Absinthiades le maire de Pontarlier le secrétaire de la région du val de travers nous avaient réuni suisse et français, conservateurs de musée, représentant municipaux, cultivateurs et l’office du tourisme en nous disant de réfléchir à ce que l’on pourrait faire à propos de l’absinthe, et de réfléchir à ce qui nous réunit. Et qu’est-ce qui nous réunit ? C’est une histoire commune. Personne ne nie que le berceau historique est le Val-de-Travers et le berceau économique c’est Pontarlier. L’un sans l’autre n’aurait pas existé. Donc ce que l’on a imaginé c’est 

le Pays de l’absinthe avec cette route de l’absinthe […] aujourd’hui les absinthiades sont une des manifestations importante de cette route de l’absinthe, et j’espère qu’il y en aura d’autres.

Ça fait environ une quinzaine d’années que l’absinthe est réapparue sur le marché Français, pensez-vous que l’absinthe est en phase de se « repopulariser » ?

Je crois qu’il faut rappeler, qu’au début, on partait de zéro, donc certes, aujourd’hui c’est une niche, mais je pense que cette niche peut progresser ; la preuve, c’est qu’en Suisse aujourd’hui, il me semble qu’il y a environ 35 distillateurs. Aujourd’hui au concours, il y a une absinthe qui venait de Bretagne, des allemands, des tchèques. Ce produit, à mon avis, a un avenir devant soi, mais comment il sera consommé, ça c’est le débat. Est-ce qu’on essaie de rester dans le traditionnel ? Certains barman nous disent qu’on peut faire des cocktails avec. Le  produit a plusieurs cadres. Après c’est aussi le travail des distillateurs…

Comment se sont déroulées les absinthiades de cette année de votre point de vue ?

Ça se passe bien, puisque depuis vendredi soir il y a du monde. Il y a du passage sur les différents sites que ce soit à l’exposition, au musée, à la chapelle. Hier nous aurions pu doubler le jury populaire, beaucoup de gens se proposaient en cas de désistement, donc c’est un moment fort, peut-être que pour les 15^ème on doublera le nombre de participants. Moi ce qui me plait toujours c’est qu’il y a qu’il y a des gens qui viennent de partout, des quatre coin de France mais aussi des tchèques, un journaliste  allemand, un japonais, des finlandais. L’idée c’est ça, que les gens viennent, se rencontrent ; distillateurs, amateurs, bloggeurs, absintheurs peu importe comme ils se définissent, que les gens viennent pendant ce week-end et que pendant 2 jours ça vive, et je pense que la-dessus l’objectif est rempli.

L’année prochaine, nous serons en 2015, cela fera un siècle que l’absinthe a été interdite en France. Est-ce que vous prévoyez quelque chose de spécial pour l’occasion?

Oui, on essaiera de booster un peu cette manifestation, de faire quelque choses d’original pour le centenaire. Ensuite les choses restent à définir, mais c’est bien notre idée. Mais il ya aussi une question de moyens financiers, c’est parfois difficile d’inviter des gens, de payer les transports et les hébergements et tout ce qui va avec.

Dernière question, que souhaiteriez-vous faire passer comme message aux personnes qui ne connaissent pas l’absinthe, pour essayer de les inciter à s’y intéresser?

Ah, c’est une bonne question. Déjà aller sur des blogs comme celui-ci, de s’intéresser aux lieux où les gens discutent sur internet, même si parfois on a pu avoir des critiques un peu dures sur les absinthiades ou sur les produits présentés, même si nous tentons d’être le plus rigoureux possible sur les méthodes de choix et de déroulement du concours. A travers ce qui se passe sur internet, quand par exemple les gens parlent d’un bouquin de benoit Noel ou lorsqu’ils découvrent une  nouvelle bouteille, je souhaite puis qu’ils aient envie de voir ou ça se passe, d’où ça vient, qu’ils découvrent le jura, qu’ils passent en suisse ; lorsque les touristes viennent dans le jura, ils le disent : « c’est beau » ; et puis ils peuvent découvrir plein de choses y compris ce produit. Mais lorsqu’on parle de la région,  on peut se dire « des montagnes, il y en a partout, du fromage, il y en a partout, des salaisons, de la neige, c’est  pareil » le Jura est une montagne parmi les autres ;  mais cette Absinthe… il n’y a que nous, le Jura franco-Suisse.

As a footnote, I wanted to add that for many absinthe lovers, the Absinthiades is about "bohomie," and sharing the pleasures of absinthe together. As seen above! And of course the famous competition. In 2014 the top awards went to

 a hitherto unknown blanche (La Harde 68) and a surprising verte (Cherry Rocher). Again the Absinthiades produced a controversial result, which will no doubt be discussed elsewhere!

Next year sees the 15th Absinthiades. If you haven't visited this before, then maybe it's time to go in 2015. Merci, Philippe. Et merci, Maxime.  

Absinthe Days and Mardi Gras

I blogged about Absinthe Days in 2012, noting that March 5 had been designated National Absinthe Day in the USA at Lucid's instigation and that March 1 was being celebrated in Switzerland as their Absinthe Day.

March 5, 2007 was the day when Lucid got their final US approval, and coincidentally March 5, 2013 was the day when Pernod got their final label approval for their new "original recipe."

Neither of these dates were celebrated at the time for a variety of reasons, including the fact that products were not actually available in the US to celebrate with.

How very different from March 1, 2005: the day when absinthe was re-legalised in Switzerland after a 95 year absence. There was extensive press and TV coverage ...

The articles above feature both Claude-Alain Bugnon, the first illegal/"clandestine" distiller to go legal, and Yves Kubler.

Parties were held and many green fairies were observed that day in the Val-de-Travers (there may be some videos of the event on YouTube). All in all, it was a crazy day, and judging by videos of the Mardi Gras, it seems the Swiss and the citizens of New Orleans have a lot in common!

So it seems appropriate that in the space of 5 days this year, we can celebrate the Swiss Absinthe Day, Mardi Gras and then the US National Absinthe Day. With all those opportunities to drink, I probably don't need to suggest any more absinthe cocktails!

In fact on Mardi Gras I will be running a consumer event on absinthe in cocktails at London's famous Milk and Honey, and sadly I will not be able to go to London's Mardi Gras event at the NOLA Bar. NOLA, London is the first bar outside North America to win the coveted Seal of the Sazerac. Obviously a Sazerac - or an Absinthe Frappé - would be great way to celebrate any or all of these dates. In fact I will be drinking at least two different versions of the Death in the Afternoon that evening to see how different absinthes work in different ways in the same cocktail. That will be an interesting experiment - and one that I would urge any absinthe lover or bartender to consider.

My own distiller has progressed somewhat since 2005, and thankfully he now has some slightly larger alembics!

Happy Absinthe Days! Happy Mardi Gras!