The Little Green Book of Absinthe
Avialable February 2
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The Little Green Book of Absinthe
Avialable February 2
| Party | Menu | Tickets | History | Entertainment | FAQ | Mailing List | Contact |
Yes.
On May 5th 2007, a lone Washington, D.C., lawyer took on the Alcohol and Tobacco 
Tax and Trade Bureau in an attempt to lift the ban. It was the Kübler distillery that hired attorney Robert Lehrman to end the prohibition after some legal wrangling, the agency agreed.
I've been emailing with Robert Lehrman, he told me that this link does a great job of explaining what happened regarding the legalization process.
Click here for a link that goes into a detail about he legalization process.
Below is a more light hearted link with some anecdotes about the legalization process.
Click here for a link from Kübler about the legalization process.
Below is a link to Robert's website.
Click here for the website of Robert Lehrman, the attourney who made it all happen.
Absinthe contains Wormwood and Wormwood has a chemical in it called Thujone. Thujone is a psychoactive in the same chemical class as THC though the effects are radically different. Thujone is a Beta inhibitor Blocker which means it effects the nuerotransmitters in the brain.
Here is a great site that explains what it is and how it works.
Traditionally absinthe was made by soaking Wormwood, anise and other plants in alcohol and then distilling it. This process is difficult but gives a full and complex flavour. The final step is to take some of the color from the macerated plants and use it to color the final product (see Verte Blanche). Some absinthes are made by adding flavoured oils and artificial colouring to alcohol which allows for cheap, bulk production at the expense of complexity and authenticity.
Yes you can absolutely order absinth on line. I have heard good things about a number of companies but the one I like is absinth24.net. The owner's name is Andy. Tell him I sent you. He will take great care of you. His prices are better than most other places, he ships out fast, and he will give you a free spoon. Click the button bellow to go there now.
Curently there are only a handful of brands available in the US. Kübler is great. You can pick that up at Bevmo right now. I dont particularly care for Lucid. St. George is great. Le Tourment Vert is fantastic. It has almost no Anise so if you don't like "the licorice flavor" this one is for you. Tourment also makes a great base for cocktails. Check out absintheology for recipes.
La Blue and Clandestine mean illegal. They refer to underground Swiss distillers. Think of it as Swiss for Moonshine, or Bootleg. Now they are just brand names that marketers use to capitilize on the fame of the Swiss "La Blue" and "Clandestine" drinks which have been made for the past hundred years.
Un Emile, Francois Guy, and a few others are made in Pontarlier, the birthplace of French absinthe. In 1905 there were more than 40 producers operating in the Pontarlier region, 22 of which were located within Pontarlier itself, producing 70,000 hectolitres a year from 151 stills. Pontarlier is to absinthe what Speyside is to Scotch whisky.
Absinthe was originally produced as a herbal tonic, the high alcohol is the best method to hold and transmit the intense aromas and flavours and also preserves the chlorophyll which gives the greenish colour. When it is correctly diluted with water absinthe is no stronger than a glass of table wine.
Verte, or green, absinthe gets it's color by soaking plant material in the distillate after the distillation. The plants used in this step vary and each will add flavour as well as color. Colouration is a very skilled process, if the distillate stays in contact with the botanicals for too long the flavour balance of the absinthe will be spoilt. Absinthe blanche, 'white' or colourless absinthe, is produced without a colouring step. It will not be the same as an uncoloured absinthe verte though, there are usually more plants used in the distillation.
Whilst fine absinthes are completely unsweetened they are in no way bitter. The distillation process separates the bitter components from wormwood and leaves them in the still, only the aromatic compounds find their way into the final product. The anise contributes to the body of the absinthe which some people perceive as sweetness.
Some absinthe is very bitter, some people have a sweet tooth, and some brands are meant to be poured over sugar and burned! In 19th century France it was common to add sugar to absinthe and other high-alcohol spirits and the 'sugar ritual' became a part of the enjoyment of the drink. Excess sugar can also help hide defects in poorly made absinthes, which is why many absinthes have sugar added in the bottle. Many brands are formulated with this in mind. Most notably the Czech brands which are made specifically for the ritual including the sugar and the burn. In fact the addition of sugar changes the character of the drink considerably and we recommend tasting diferent brands with and without sugar to appreciate the difference. You will be surprised! Keep in mind that adding more water will also change the flavor dramatically. Be careful, too much sugar will mask the nuance of the drink so all you will taste is the sugar.
Not exactly! The French certainly did occasionally set fire to the sugar cube in the 19th century. Much the same as some bartenders will light a cognac on fire today. The ritual really took hold about fifty years ago in what is now The Czech Republic. It's become so popular that now a number of absinthes are formulated to be "ritulized". For instance, Tabu absinthes are made to be burned. I have met with them and they assure me that they formulate the absinth so that it will taste better with just a hint of caramelized sugar added. They sure do it right. Tabu Strong is one of our favorites. It has just a hint of chocolate and a deep, thick louche like nothing else on the market.
The thujone content has nothing to do with the quality of absinthe. Recent studies have proved that the best vintage absinthes were actually much lower in thujone than previously believed. Beware of marketing gimmicks that promote high thujone levels! If an absinthe is correctly distilled, using the same ingredients and methods of the best distilleries of the past, the end product will actually be quite low in thujone. The thujone contents (though slightly varied) of all our absinthes are within the norms of the US and European Union limits, (less than 10mg/liter). That said, the quality and authenticity of absinthes varies drastically. This is a tasting party. We serve only distilled absinth approved for sale in the US, so we are assured of a baseline of quality but there is definately a range in both quality and flavor.
It was traditionally served as an aperitif. During the Belle Époque the time between 5.00 and 7.00 pm became known as 'l¹Heure verte', or the Green Hour, because everyone would stop for an absinthe on their way home from work, or in preparation for the evening meal. We will be enjoying absinth from 10pm until late our "Green Hour" is from 10.00 to 11.00 when we will be playing music from the belle epoch.
We believe that the best way to enjoy the affects of Absinthe are sharing them with someone special (or not so special, but drunk enough to make out with you). To that end we used to have several very comfy rooms in which to ensconce yourself in the embrace of someone special (or not so special if you are drunk enough). Unfortunately now that we are holding Louche at Whisper we don't have those little rooms any more. We invite you to pull up a couch or sneak into a corner for a quiet kiss and cuddle. If that's not enough for you then come back to Paul's place for a green fairy fueled orgy after the party.