Absinthe: The American Remix

[Brooks]

If someone else has already posted this, my apologies.

 

Lucid

[Gwydion Stone]

Damn! Beat me by mere minutes. I was just coming in to post this.

[speedle]

I'm praying for samples in July!

[peridot]

I'd like to give it a try.

[Bluescat]

Interesting!

[ooooooooo]

I guess $60 isn't bad if it's good. I'm not crazy about the bottle.

[Joe Legate]

Well. How 'bout that!

Color me curious...green.

[peridot]

I'm not crazy about the bottle.

I agree. I think the bottle's ridiculous. But maybe it has something good inside. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened.

[Martin Lake]

I'd be curious to give it a try. It's an interesting way to approach legalization. It seems like kind of a "better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission" approach.

[Gwydion Stone]

The bottle was predictable. Maybe not to our traditionalist sensibilities, but with absinthe in the market in the US, we might as well get used to it.

 

One question I have is about the coloring: properly made absinthe doesn't have a lot of thujone in it anyway, and with t-free Grand Wormwood available one can produce a t-free absinthe. But A. pontica, the Petite Wormwood used in post-distillation coloration, has thujone in it as well.

[Dr. Verte]

The most likey scenario is that pontica for coloring would be left out of the USA version.

[speedle]

I wonder what that does for the flavor? It does say on their web site that they were going for a less anise-y taste, also for american sensibilities. I wonder what that'll be like, or how far they took that concept. FWIW I like the edginess of the bottle, and the cat's eyes. Not traditional, I admit, but I like it nonetheless.

[Brooks]

I'm not crazy about the bottle.

How can you say that? Nothing says "Taboo!" like cat eyes in the dark:

 

 

And nothing says "But it's all in good fun!" like a Hallmark-card Green Fairy:

 

...Subtle....classy....that's the American Way!

.

[Guillaume Lanfray]

If it displaces Absente, more power to Viridian!

[Gwydion Stone]

More importantly, it opens the door for quality, authentic absinthe.

 

We've become used to saying that "absinthe is illegal" but it wasn't really true. Thujone is illegal. The improbability that the TTB would approve a drink labeled as absinthe was another matter entirely.

[speedle]

I guess $60 isn't bad if it's good.

 

Um, yes.

[Derrick]

Yes, I am eager to try a bottle. As stated above by some, I too find the design of the bottle displeasing. It reminds me of those Czechsinth bottles that want you to buy into the 'hype'.

[peridot]

Is it considered importing if the company is making it in France and then bringing it here to sell? Because customs doesn't allow importing any liquor with artemisia absinthium.

[speedle]

Buzz kill...

 

I suppose you have a point though. Let's hope nobody notices.

[peridot]

*shrug*

 

FDA allows it to be produced here if it is without thujone. I just wonder how this works distilling it at Combier.

[Nymphadora]

Ted will probably have a sample of it at Tales of the Cocktail. I plan on sampling Perique there as well, before I open my meager wallet.

[Pan Buh]

I hope some samples show in Boveresse.

[speedle]

Boy howdy I hope so!

[Brian Robinson]

Definitely looking forward to trying it.

[Sonny Mann]

The labeling looks like it will fit beautifully on the Alandia website.

Hey, how does someone know what the American pallet likes? There must be LOTS of them.

 

But I agree about the foot in the door thing. It's a step."Baby steps, baby steps".

 

All this typing is dry work.

[Wild Bill Turkey]

I hope some samples show in Boveresse.

Does that mean I'll meet you there? That would be great! Who else is going?

[Gwydion Stone]

Well, in general, folks here don't like "black licorice". I think their palates just need to be re-educated. Too much star anise oil is used in candy, and it builds an association, so when someone encounters a similar flavor, it triggers the response. Once they get past the initial anethol reaction and taste how complex absinthe can be, not to mention that green anise tastes better, a lot of licorice haters wind up liking absinthe.

Is it considered importing if the company is making it in France and then bringing it here to sell? Because customs doesn't allow importing any liquor with artemisia absinthium.

Yep. That's the definition of importing, but customs doesn't make the laws, it only enforces those set by other agencies. Those customs guidelines were written with the (as it turns out, mistaken) assumption that anything with Aa in it would violate the FDA's no-thujone rule, as would anything with the word "Absinthe" on the label. The FDA specifically permits Artemisia species as long as there's no thujone detected by the method they prescribe; there is no statute specifically prohibiting Aa that I have found. But feel free to look for yourself: USC CFR FDA TTB. Remember, we're looking for an actual statute, not a few paragraphs in a guideline.

[Nymphadora]

I hope some samples show in Boveresse.

Does that mean I'll meet you there? That would be great! Who else is going?

 

 

All you people that can AFFORD Boveresse tick me off. Fie! A pox on you!

[speedle]

We'll just have to have a really, really good time in NOLA to show 'em how its done, huh?

[TR. WILLY]

Certainly sounds interesting and $60 with out shipping not bad. As for as the label goes. Will the eyes on the bottle follow you like the eyes on the website?

O.k. to all