To bring out another level of vivid flavors and a lovely louche (milky cloudiness) that seems to glow from within, a single large ice cube is ideal. ![]() Because of the abundance of essential oils, it’s rich and viscous on the palate-even at 120 proof (60% alcohol). It opens with spicy black licorice and then slowly evolves into citrus and grass profiles with a dose of sarsaparilla. By the time we bottle it and the bottle reaches you, the absinthe will have turned its characteristic feuille morte (dead leaf) hue due to chlorophyll from all the botanicals breaking down with time and exposure to light.Ī heady, herbaceous smack to the senses. The secondary infusion is what gives absinthe color just after the secondary infusion, our absinthe is an intense emerald green. After that, we perform a secondary infusion of mint, tarragon, opal basil, lemon balm, hyssop, and stinging nettles. We then distill this infusion on our 1,500-liter copper pot still. For us, that means infusing brandy with the unholy trinity of wormwood, fennel, and star anise. The real art is in finding just the right ingredients and creating a symphony of flavor. There’s a lot of hype and mystery surrounding absinthe, but the process itself isn’t really all that esoteric. When the American ban was overturned in 2007, we were ready. In fact, it took Lance about 11 years to perfect his absinthe formula. Commercial viability has never been what motivates us, so needless to say, we distilled a lot of absinthe during that period. ban was still in place, it was illegal to sell absinthe, but not to distill it. Why? Because creating a beautiful absinthe means taking a number of loud botanical ingredients and making them sing in harmony. And it has a monkey on the label!ĭistiller Lance Winters considers absinthe the pinnacle of the distiller’s art form. Made from a host of real botanical ingredients, ours is a layered and evocative expression of this beguiling and highly spirituous herbal elixir. George Absinthe Verte remains one of the most acclaimed and respected spirits in this category. The first legal American absinthe released after the U.S. It reminded me of the time I chewed a catnip-filled sock to see what all the tail-chasing fuss was about.Real absinthe. Even after I dissolved two sugar cubes into my glass, the yellow-green liquor tasted acridly of wormwood and mint, with hardly any anise, and lingered drily on my tongue. The Oliva tastes less artificial but decidedly more toxic. Its minty-fresh, sweet, alcoholy flavor is generic and inoffensive. Absinthium 1792 has the shocking aquamarine color of an oral-hygiene product, and it separates into an insalubrious-looking pair of opaque layers when it clouds. If the absinthe of old was really like this, I can see why it had such a maniacal following.Īfter the Verte Suisse, almost anything would be a letdown, but the two Czech examples seemed particularly poor. But the Verte Suisse is on another level entirely, with soft notes of wood and earth, spice and flowers, and an evocative depth of flavor. Lucid's anise taste is prominent but not overwhelming - it harmonizes with the other elements of the flavor, resulting in a sophisticated complexity. ![]() Lucid is considerably drier and more herbal-tasting. As the water mixed with each absinthe, the liquid clouded while its aroma blossomed and filled the room.Ībsente has a pleasant bite, but also an artificial-tasting, one-note Good & Plenty sweetness. I omitted the customary sugar cube except where necessary. As prescribed, I trickled ice water into each one. Kamal Mukherjee of Borisal Liquor in Brooklyn, New York, sold 36 cases in one week.Ĭlearly, there's a market for a true legal absinthe - but how does it taste? I sampled Lucid alongside a few of its competitors: Absente, which is made with southernwood rather than wormwood Breaux's own Verte Suisse 65 and two Czech absinthes named Absinthium 1792 and Oliva. regulatory test for thujone and arrived on American shelves in May at $60 a bottle.Įven though detractors say an absinthe without thujone is worthless, Lucid immediately sold out. Lucid Absinthe, marketed by Viridian Spirits, passed the U.S. ![]() By manipulating factors including the climate, season and regions from which he harvests his herbal ingredients (including wormwood), Breaux developed his concoction. If authentic, handcrafted absinthes contain very little thujone, there's no reason one couldn't be marketed in the United States. "If a maker or seller has to depend upon promoting myths and misinformation about thujone to sell a product, that is a fairly reliable indicator that said product is sorely lacking in quality and authenticity," he says. Breaux has no respect for these colorful wannabes.
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