The news that absinthe would finally be available in the U.S. was greeted with great enthusiasm by those who had been denied the experience but after the hype dies down will the "green fairy" have legs? The San Francisco Chronicle covers the rise of the spirit and of Lance Winters, the distiller behind St. George Spirits, the first American distillery to legally sell a bottle of absinthe in the United States, after the 1912 ban was lifted. Winters s a hot property right now with everyone wanting him and his pale green liqueur. He sold out of 3,600 bottles in the first six hours the spirit was available at $75 a pop.
The drink, which has a licorice-heavy taste that is similar to ouzo is popular now due to the novelty and the high alcohol content (and the cute little absinthe glasses make it pretty fun too). But after everyone tries it once will there be a large continuing market for the drink? The distilled wisdom from the article seems to be that it is a hot trend now bu one that will fade. Even Winters believes that the interest in absinthe will wane although he believes that his St. George Absinthe Verte will have a niche fan base. Its association with Victorian writers and artists continues to lend it romantic infamy.
There is some danger of the absinthe market getting flooded. There are a couple of brands currently being sold in the U.S. now and many more in the pipeline including Marilyn Manson's Mansinthe. As with any hot trend everyone wants in and then once the market fades in a year or two some of the new labels will disappear too but absinthe will always have its fans and a place on the bar shelf.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-22-2008 @ 4:15PM
Elias said...
"Abinthe Fever" probably won't last as long as "Absinthe Fever" will.
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3-22-2008 @ 5:03PM
Hutch said...
It isn't the real thing anyway...real absinthe has thujone and the stuff they are flooding the US with is all "thujone free" If you know where to look online you can still find absinthe with *100mg thujone*
This is all marketing run by a small group of folks. A biochemist professor in Time Magazine said they are all "pretending"... it's absinthe but with the good stuff taken out.
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3-25-2008 @ 8:14PM
Drunken Master said...
Hutch, you don't have a clue what you are talking about. Arnold's non-scientific "guesstimate" was debunked a decade ago. Modern absinthe -- and yes, the US-legal versions -- contain the same amount of thujone as the originals. This makes sense, since most of them follow the exact same recipes!
If you believe in the "thujone effect" you might want to ask yourself why you don't see flying turkey fairies after you eat Thanksgiving dinner -- sage in stuffing has high amounts of thujone and, not suprisingly, has never been regulated by the FDA as psychoactive.
You've been fooled by online marketing bullshite....wanna smoke a banana peel, sucker?
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3-27-2008 @ 3:04PM
Bitterherbs1 said...
Real properly made absinthe has more to it than thujone.
In effect you are both half right. Proper absinthe contains thujone, anethole, fenchone, and a nervine. However most of the Czech stuff and the stuff for sale in the us are missing some or most of these other ingredients. I don't want to advertise any brands on here but I will tell you Kubler is the best you can get in America at the moment. However there will be better ones in no time.
You will know if you have real absinthe if: You don't get tired after drinking like normal, You are drunk but somehow still able to play chess, and the world looks really "clean" and bright. It is like drinking in a perfect world.
Cheers,
-Bitterherbs1
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4-11-2008 @ 11:12AM
Ted Wright said...
As long as talented artisans such as Ted Breaux are making product then there is now reason why some Absinthe brands can be long term products for the US market. As in the vodka, chardonnay and craft beer markets, "me too" brands without talented craftspeople and relevant points of differentiation will come and go quickly from the shelves.
Ted Wright
Managing Partner - Fizz
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