This video is a bit longer than we'll normally sit through (like, a whole seven minutes) but this one caught our attention because it's about one of our favorite subjects. You'll learn a whole lot about absinthe, from how it's made to how it was demonized by rival spirits, which helped give it the bad rep it's had lately (a hundred years or so). Get there.
In our experience, there are a few things that scare people away from absinthe. One is the reputation - and after being illegal for so long, the rep's a doozy. Other problems people have with the stuff are the venomous green hue, the bitter licorice-like taste, and the thunderously high alcohol content.
We just found Elevation, a drink that's looking to change all that. It's not actually marketed as "absinthe," but it's compared to it, and the marketers make sure you know it contains thujone, the legendary absinthe ingredient that's got a reputation for bringing the wacky. The alcohol content is lower than in most absinthes (50 proof, instead of more like 150), but the price is lower too...around $50 per bottle. When you think about it, it seems like absinthe with training wheels, really.
ELEVATION is the result of thorough research by scientists and masters of taste design. They uncovered the hidden power of Thujon by taking away the bitter sensation. What comes to live is ELEVATION: a flavour full of finesse, for those who know how to appreciate finesse.
We're not sure if we've been under a rock for the last year or so, or just had our heads up our asses, but legendary Swiss absinthe Kubler is now available on American liquor store shelves. We knew about Lucid being widely available, and we remember hearing Kubler was coming, but apparently it happened last May and we missed it. We know it's here, however, because we saw a bottle at a liquor store in Medford, MA.
"Kübler Absinthe is the first Swiss absinthe to become commercially available and our customers are in for a real treat. Such was the reputation of its absinthes that during the 19th century 'Swiss' was adopted as an indication of the highest quality regardless of whether the absinthe was produced in Switzerland, France or elsewhere ... As with all of Liqueurs de France's absinthes, Kübler is made in an alembic still following original techniques, using only natural plants, rather than extracts or oils. Kübler Absinthe is finished at 53% abv., in accordance with local traditions ..."
Absinthe Flying Off the Shelves - Little Green Fairies Blamed
Is it really a surprise? For the majority of us who ordered from Europe just to taste a sample of Absinthe in the 90's, it's nice to see a new century and new trips with our favorite green fairy.
But the biggest booze news of the year may be a green liquor that has a wealth of legend and lore behind it. Absinthe, the powerful and supposedly hallucinogenic, wormwood-laced concoction that helped addle the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso, is back in the United States after a 96-year absinthe absence, and a legal, 124-proof version called Lucid is available -- make that was available -- at Argonaut, Applejack and three dozen other Colorado liquor stores.
"We ran out in one weekend," says Applejack owner Alan Freis, who had ten cases. So did Argonaut, according to an enthusiastic salesman there.
Ben Olguin, vice president of spirits (the coolest title ever) for Southern Wine & Spirits of America in Denver, assures Off Limits that Lucid should be back on the shelves and in nightclubs and "neighborhood shot and beer places" sometime this week. "We ordered it with caution," he says of Southern's first shipment in early January. The absinthe retails for $60 to $80 a bottle, Olguin points out, and he wasn't sure how customers would react to the cost. But it "blew up," he notes, so "this time, we tripled the order." To help stir excitement, representatives of Viridian Spirits, the French company that makes Lucid, were in Denver last week, pumping their product to liquor-store owners and bartenders.
We were originally going to call this post "Absinthe for Dummies," but then we remembered two things. One was that we freaking hate the whole "for Dummies" thing. Two was that absinthe is definitely NOT for dummies - it's a varsity drink, to say the least. (You know - JV drinkers are the ones who only go on benders on St. Patrick's day and their bachelor party. Varsity drinkers are something else entirely. You know who you are.)
Anyway, Rick over at Martini Groove put together some nice links on how to drink absinthe and really enjoy it, including how to pick the right bottle, avoid the nasty shite, and decide which ritual you like to do. We say try 'em all, but our note from watching someone else do it on a fateful night - don't drink it from the bottle.
We've heard it said that the best things in life are free, and we've got to agree that's the case when it comes to absinthe. We just found out about a deal where you can get a free bottle of absinthe plus a t-shirt if you buy two bottles - so happy frickin' holidays if Czech absinthe is your gig.
To celebrate new design of Absinthe Original Bitter Spirit, we are giving you one full size bottle completely FREE of charge. This is the best opportunity to try Absinthe Original's exceptional and unmistakable taste, which comes out most distinctly when the drink is served cooled. Three bottles of Absinthe Original Bitter Spirit for the price of two and cool absinthe t-shirt as a bonus. With Xmas slowly approaching, this is once in a lifetime offer!!!
Update: Have We Been Had?
We just heard from an absinthe expert we trust, and he says we've been had by this absinthe deal. Here's what he says:
You've been had! These products have a cost to the vendor of less than 10 dollars and they sell them normally for 100 dollars each. The fact that they can give 1 away free (buy 2, get 3) for 200 dollars when the cost is still less than 30 dollars to them does not entitle them to any hype at all, least of all from an authoritative source such as Liquor Snob.
So what's the deal - we haven't tried this stuff...have any of our loyal readers had any run-ins with Absinthe Original? Let us know in the comments if you have.
We've done a bit more digging for Halloween Cocktail recipes, and we've found another one that intrigues the hell out of us. It's called Fox Poison, and it contains both absinthe and milk. Just think how green and cloudy it'll get, and how much fun it'll be to poison your brain. Note: if you can't get real absinthe, give Absente or something like that a try.
It appears goth rocker Marilyn Manson is hopping on the absinthe train, with a new label called "Mansinthe" scheduled to hit the European market in August. The distiller, Matter-Luginbuhl, is well-known for their high end absinthes, so we understand we can expect it to be quality stuff.
We're just hoping they're able to capture the flavor of creepy androgyny Manson represents to us. Anyway, two pre-release versions will be available this month for you to try out and possibly even give feedback before the final release next month. Read on for a snippet from the Absinthvertrieb Lion newsletter:
We haven't had a chance to try out Lucid yet, but we're definitely intrigued by the first absinthe being sold legally on US soil in a very long time. We're looking forward to checking it out ourselves, but we thought we'd take some time on this lazy Friday afternoon to check out what other people had to say.
Of course, the first place we looked was over at Fee Verte, which we hold to be the first and last stop for absinthe info - see what we dug up after the jump, or if you can't wait you can buy it at Internet Wines & Spirits.
A little while back we let you know about lucid, a newly-approved absinthe that has been stamped legal for sale in the United States. That's some pretty hot shit right there, but apparently that's not the end of things. According to the Real Absinthe Blog, there are more real absinthes that will be making their way to the states, so we won't have to worry about ordering those plain brown packages from across the pond.
Does this mean absintheurs can rejoice? Read on for what we could find on the regulations.
We found this shirt over at Threadless over the weekend, and placed our order immediately. It reminds us of the first time we reviewed absinthe and got a bit, well, over-exuberant, and makes us happy about our new sense of responsibility with a powerful liquor. Now you too can wear your love of delirium on your sleeve (well, your chest really) for the next time you transact with the fairy.
We're immense Absinthe fans here in the Liquor Snob offices, but one of the problems has long been the inability to get it easily here in the States. For those of you who've been living under a rock for the last century or so, traditional Absinthe is illegal here in the U.S. and has been for quite a long time.
We've just gotten word, however, that Ted Breaux, the maverick behind Nouvelle Orleans, Verte Suisse, and Perique tobacco liqueur, is has gotten approval to release a new Absinthe called lucid here in the U.S.
We're pretty sure he was able to do it by keeping thujone, the reputedly psychoactive element in absinthe, out of the mix, but whatever it took, we applaud him. From what we've read on the lucid site it's very much a traditional French distillation, and with it clocking in at 124 proof (62% ABV) you won't miss the thujone. lucid retails for about $60, and is currently available in New York - which should make it much easier to get your hands on than its European brethren.
Read on for a snippet about lucid from the company website, and we'll keep you posted if we can get our hands on any to try it out; you can get your own bottle at Internet Wines & Spirits if you can't find it locally.
We've just gotten our hands on a bottle of Sebor Absinth, a Czech absinthe we've seen before but never tried (or at least never tried in a non-blacked out in college state). They've sent us a bottle along with all sorts of paraphernalia including an absinthe spoon, pipe, and glass, and they even threw in some sugar cubes. Not too shabby.
Chances are, if you or your friends have tried/heard of absinthe before, this is the stuff - it seems to be the ubiquitous choice, and we're really interested in comparing it to some of the other absinthes we've tried. Another interesting point is these guys advocate the concept of fire as part of the absinthe ritual - sounds pretty badass on paper, but it's something we won't be partaking in since we try to minimize the interaction of flames and overproof alcohols ever since "the incident."
Read up on Sebor at SeborAbsinth.com, and expect a review with some soonness. See below for a Wikipedia information on the role of fire in the absinth ritual.
Sippin' on Absinthe Video
We've done a bit more digging for Halloween Cocktail recipes, and we've found another one that intrigues the hell out of us. It's called Fox Poison, and it contains both absinthe and milk. Just think how green and cloudy it'll get, and how much fun it'll be to poison your brain. Note: if you can't get real absinthe, give Absente or something like that a try.
It appears goth rocker Marilyn Manson is hopping on the 
Continue reading: 
We've just gotten our hands on a bottle of Sebor Absinth, a Czech absinthe we've seen before but never tried (or at least never tried in a non-blacked out in college state). They've sent us a bottle along with all sorts of paraphernalia including an absinthe spoon, pipe, and glass, and they even threw in some sugar cubes. Not too shabby. 
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