Absinthe: The American Remix

[Brooks]

It's like an Edward Hopper piece.

That is the greatest comment I've heard in years.

[Mayzandas]

Doesn't mean I can't still wince at cookie-crumb-coated "martinis", tho'.

 

 

- Johanna

 

Thank you for putting "martini" in quotes!

 

Getting way off-topic here, but my wife and I went to a "martini" party over the holidays. I stepped up to the bar and the host asked me what sort of martini I'd like - he offered cosmos, chocolate, vanilla, etc., etc., "martinis." I told him I actually prefered just the basic martini.

 

His face dropped. "You mean with gin?"

 

Yes, please, I told him.

 

He didn't have any gin. At his "martini" party.

 

Things like this make me want to cut off my ear!

[Brian Robinson]

Wow. That bartender (or the organizer of the event) needs to be thrashed.

[Martin Lake]

I'm not even a martini fanatic and I think he needs to be thrashed. If you have a martini party, gin and vermouth should be basic prerequisites.

[britgeekgrrl]

Thank you for putting "martini" in quotes!

 

I learned my lesson over on the assorted T&T threads.

 

- Johanna

[ShaiHulud]

It's like an Edward Hopper piece.

That is the greatest comment I've head in years.

I am not commenting on this, just preserving it before Brooks finds the edit button.

[Boggy]

I'm not even a martini fanatic and I think he needs to be thrashed. If you have a martini party, gin and vermouth should be basic prerequisites.

 

Gin and vermouth (Martini presumably) are the pillars so that such a party will not collapse. Such people, on the other hand, should be sorted out.

[Gwydion Stone]

my wife and I went to a "martini" party over the holidays. I stepped up to the bar and the host asked me what sort of martini I'd like - he offered cosmos, chocolate, vanilla, etc., etc., "martinis." I told him I actually prefered just the basic martini.

 

His face dropped. "You mean with gin?"

 

Yes, please, I told him.

 

He didn't have any gin. At his "martini" party.

A stellar example of just exactly why people need to be straightened out on the whole martini = cocktail issue. It's not about simple ignorance anymore, it's cultural illiteracy.

[Ari (Eric Litton)]

Some day soon,

Customer, "How do you make your virgin martinis here?"

Waiter, "Orange juice and 7-Up with a cherry garnish, served in a martini glass."

Customer, "Thank you, that would be nice. I ordered a virgin martini across the street and they gave me an olive in a glass and a funny look. Ignorant fools."

[Brooks]

It's like an Edward Hopper piece.

That is the greatest comment I've head in years.

I am not commenting on this, just preserving it before Brooks finds the edit button.

No editing! A day later, I'm still laughing about it!

[Brooks]

Gourmet Magazine's Drinks Editor chimes in on Lucid.

 

"....even with Lucid's goofy bottle and lack of thujone, isn't it better to have the door to Absinthe open again?"

 

Well, yes......even with its lack of thujone.

[DJM]

Lucid has caught the attention of a "plogger" over at Amazon.com:

 

You Can Quit Smuggling Absinthe

 

It's a start.

[LeRoy]

Hopefully, a beginning!

[dakini_painter]

From the comments (all two of them)

 

"my daughter goes to parties in Hollywood where they drink the stuff" (absinthe)

 

"it'll probably cost $100 a bottle ... but I could be low-balling it"

 

 

It never ceases to amaze me how often people just don't think.

[ejellest]

Gourmet Magazine's Drinks Editor chimes in on Lucid.

 

"....even with Lucid's goofy bottle and lack of thujone, isn't it better to have the door to Absinthe open again?"

 

Well, yes......even with its lack of thujone.

...And he is the drinks editor at Gourmet? No wonder cocktails and spirits are not well covered in that magazine.

 

The thing that caught my eye was this, "I compared Lucid ... to an Absinthe from France called Jade PF 1901. I preferred the latter, which was much herbier and less sweet, but others preferred the Lucid."

 

Is he talking about perceived sweetness? Or is Lucid actually sweetened?

[peridot]

Probably perceived sweetness.

[JM_frankensnyder]

The reviews are coming in - anyone know where to actually buy it? The Lucid website is silent.

[dakini_painter]

Don't know anything about where to buy it. But the folks at the "upscale" bar+restaurant are well aware of Lucid. They're very excited about the availability of legal absinthe. Whether their distributor will carry it is another matter.

 

(btw, this is upscale relative to the beer dives - where Budweiser is considered high-end - that qualify as bars around here.)

[TR. WILLY]

I have a number of places from SoHo to the upper east side that will call or e-mail me when they have it.

 

I'm looking forward to tasting it.

[shinsain]

...Teams of scouts, pulling recon. missions for WS operatives...

 

 

 

I want a bottle of that stuff.

[TR. WILLY]

Great,isn't it. When will Lucid appear.

[Ari (Eric Litton)]

...Teams of scouts, pulling recon. missions for WS operatives...

Brownie or Cub?

[TR. WILLY]

Either way Ari the hunt is on.

 

The prize,a bottle of Lucid

[printmkr]

I wonder if one did acquire a bottle(s) of Lucid, if eBay would allow you to put it up for auction. I mean it is legal...

[ejellest]

I wonder if one did acquire a bottle(s) of Lucid, if eBay would allow you to put it up for auction. I mean it is legal...

Sure.

 

As long as you are selling a "collectible glass bottle", and not the contents.

 

There're a few illegal "Absinthes" on eBay now being sold in this manner.

 

I find it amusing that some of them advertise the "high thujone content" of their collectible glass bottles.

Edited May 23, 2007 by ejellest

[dakini_painter]

...Teams of scouts, pulling recon. missions for WS operatives...

Brownie or Cub?

 

Probably, Girl.

[TR. WILLY]

Hi All

This post is to explain my position on Lucids marketing strategy

 

In the 1950s Tanqueray changed its marketing strategy. To appeal the high class sophisticated crowd, with the thinking that the rest of the cocktail drinkers will follow. They did and Tanqueray skyrocketed in its' popularity. They're popularity and a marketing strategy, has survived the test of time. Just ask Tony Sinclair. In the 5os it was Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack.

 

Absinthe with its rich and colorful history in the world of art and literature, Oscar Wilde, Toulouse Lautrec, Edouard Manet and Ernest Hemingway just to mention a few. These are the kind of people and credentials that define sophistication, intelligence and class. These are the kind of accolades that would draw people to Absinthe and make them proud to present it at a dinner party as the good stuff. As for cocktails, Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, Toulouse Lautrec earthquake or others from the Belle Époque era would maintain the connection to the history. So in a way Absinthe would advertise it's self. Every time you hear the name Ernest Hemingway, Toulouse Lautrec and so on you will think Absinthe, as most of us here and at la Fee Verte do already.

 

Lucid seems to want to ignore all of this and go for the frat boy party crowd with a goofy bottle and cookies crumbs on martini glasses. Is Lucid owned by Americans? Because this strikes me as a Madison Avenue gimmick campaign looking for the fast return for they're money. Also the college party crowd is more likely to get liquored up and do something real crazy that could ruin the Absinthe movement.

 

In my opinion Tanqueray has the right approach.

 

to all

TR.

[Brian Robinson]

Is Jade owned by Americans?

Keep in mind, this isn't a Jade product. It's a Veridian Spirits product made by Ted.

 

You also can't really fault a company for trying to appeal to the audience that will create the most potential for immediate sale. Those immediate sales will then hopefully boost further sales (and possibly further absinthe education) through word of mouth and recurring business. That's just good capitalistic strategy.

 

I don't like the bottle design too much either, but I can't fault them for trying to appeal to a larger audience.

 

As for the drink recipes, we need to face the facts, frufru drinks and crazy cocktails are the thing of the moment. It seems as though the bars with the widest variety of "martinis" gets the most hype. (Notice I put the word in quotation marks. Call off the dogs! )

[A. Raitano]

The cold, hard fact of it is that absinthe has the appeal of, "drink this and you'll get high". I'm no absinthe expert but that seems to be an erroneous claim. It is merely a refreshing drink on a hot summer's day. However, America, and the rest of the world apparently, believes otherwise. Thujone this, hallucination that. The problem is that we in the grand ol' U S of A can't get the stuff without paying out our ears for shipping costs because Van Gogh cut his off. Thanks, Vinnie.

Not to belabor a point but Lucid, silly cat eyes and all, can open the door for full-on, Jade PF in your local liquor store. I don't think it matters if it's palatable or not (although palatable would be preferable), it's not being marketed to those that know that Absinthe won't make you tryp ballz. Any move to make absinthe (or anything for that matter) available from a corner store rather than half way around the world is a big ol' thumbs up in my book.

[OMG_Bill]

I'll take two.