Pernod Absinthe Returns After 93 Years

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Oct 20th 2008 at 2:02PM

Back in March my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the absinthe craze ushered in by the end of a longstanding ban against the supposedly dangerous spirit. The hype has died down somewhat, and while faddists move on to other obsessions leaving true enthusiasts to enjoy themselves, the original absinthe maker, Pernod, has finally re-introduced their famous original.

Pernod Absinthe (right) is a revival of Pernod Fils, arguably the most authentic absinthe ever produced with a recipe that's over 200 years old. The company stopped making it in 1915 when the French government banned absinthe, later coming out with a wormwood-free version. The original is a high-proof sprit distilled from Grand Wormwood, fennel and anise - exactly the same as consumed by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and now, us.

Tags: Absinthe, France, Monet, Pernod, Picasso

Filed under: Spirits

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Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)

Dylan Oct 27th 2008 3:33AM

The company stopped making it in 1915 when the French government banned absinthe, later coming out with a wormwood-free version. The original is a high-proof sprit distilled from Grand Wormwood, fennel and anise - exactly the same as consumed by the likes of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and now, us.

Looks to me like since they say "exactly the same as consumed by Picasso, Monet [Byron and Shelley, also], and now by us, the Grand Wormwood is in there.

chris Oct 27th 2008 3:40AM

YUKK!! Pernod is the worst tasting stuff in the world. I can't imagine why anyone would drink it, it tastes like poisonous medicine.

yumturtles Oct 27th 2008 4:01AM

Alas absinthe was made legal in the usa in December of 2007. Very recenly. So understandable that last time betty traveled was before than because I too thought it was illegal and was about to post that belief until I researched the topic and descovered that the last reported hallucination from the drink was in the 19th century when they added cheap chemicals to the drink to make it look alluring resulting in an unbalance. Though it is legal in the states Absinthe purchased here is not the same formula as the absinthe purchased in other countries due to FDA and DEA regulations. Hope this cleared up some stuff.

Wheezil Oct 27th 2008 4:20AM

Some good comments, especially Mike's description/definition. Many bogus, however that is to be expected.
Don't drink anise-flavored liquors such as Ouzo, Herbsaint, Absinthe, Galliano etc. as straight shots. It may seem macho but the drinks weren't meant to be consumed that way. At least combine with cold water, to see the way it turns milky in the glass and to bring the flavors out. Truly, these liquors were meant to be savored and enjoyed over a period of hours, perhaps in a sidewalk cafe, over an afternoon, not to be hammered back for a quick buzz. If you want to get drunk fast, just drink alcohol and water, commonly known as vodka. If you don't like licorice, don't bother with it. Licorice is much more popular in Europe and the rest of the world than in the U.S. Most people here don't have a clue as to what anise flavored alcoholic beverages exist or how they are used. No big deal, just cultural experience, history and availability. They just don't sell here or won't without "catching on". Remember, folks in europe were drinking espresso and lattes long, long before Starbucks invented coffee.....
Wormwood has always been used as an ingredient in many aperitifs and liqueurs. Vermouth has wormwood in it and probably Chartreuse, although the monks that produce it are keeping it a secret. It's easy to find seed for it, but once planted, you will play heck getting rid of it. I did once, and even after pulling it out, still get plants coming up years later. Bugs don't like it and if you do a palm rub test and smell it, you'll see why. As far as it being a poison, or shall we say, toxin? Alcohol is poison, why do you think they call it being "intoxicated" when you drink too much. Have you ever heard of "alcohol poisoning"? It doesn't have to mean methanol or "wood alcohol". Ethanol does a very good job of killing people too, just by ridiculous overconsumption. Even drinking too much water will kill you. Or too many fig newtons.
The point is, many things will kill you if not diluted or if they are simply indulged in in too pure a form or to a particular excess, including wormwood. Case in point is coumidin, (warfarin) a blood thinner which in dilute form is a life saver for many heart patients, but which makes a dandy rat-killer in more concentrate form. All chemotherapy agents are a poison of some type or other, delivered in critically measured units so as to hopefull kill the cancer and not the host.
Should absinthe be sold again in it's more traditional form in the U.S.? Why not? Intelligent people will use it the way it was meant to be used, with cold water and sugar dilution. Unintelligent people will abuse it the same way they abuse anything; alcohol, drug, tobacco, food, automobiles, boats, ladders, etc., etc., ad infinitum. It may be Natural selection at work, or survival of the fittess if you will, but if you're determined to kill yourself there are ways to do so much more seductive than consorting with the Green Faerie. It would be too much work and expense to do so for most self-destructives. It is definitely not the new crystal meth that overzealous prohibitionists thought it was so many years ago when societal oversight was a new concept.

Trevor Oct 27th 2008 4:28AM

Somehow there seems to be a widespread misunderstanding of a common expression. The first poster who used it here probably meant it as a play on words but the rest misusing it seem to be genuinely misguided.
The expression by the poet Thomas Haynes Bayly is: "ABSENCE makes the heart grow fonder." NOT Absinthe. And for those of you capable of deduction that should make more sense,

William Oct 27th 2008 4:27AM

You can buy Wormwood at http://www.marijuanaalternatives.com/smokingherbs.htm it costs $15.00 an ounce. Just put it in a pint of vodka soak it in a very warm place (120-130) for a couple weeks. Pour it thru a coffee filter put the liquid back in the bottle and it does the job nicely without the nasty taste of the original

Robert Oct 28th 2008 8:18AM

William, not meaning any disrespect but that is not absinthe. Absinthe must be distilled into the finished product or then extracted as an essence which, if you get it from the right source as I mentioned in my first posting, and is NOT an imitation or alternative. It also sidesteps the concentration restrictions for the US imports.

Simply soaking wormwood creates a horrid tasting, smelling brown sludge called Macerated absinthe. It is NOT absinthe and is dangerous. Anyone who believes that this is the real thing is playing with fire. You cannot filter it. What it contains are colloids, which are bitter and dangerous particles that are much to small to be removed by any filtered or even centrifuging yet too large to be ignored. Only distillation will remove these. Honest, don’t mess with something that can seriously injure you. I know because I tried way long ago before I started researching more heavily.

Just look at absintheamerica.com and read.

Kurt Oct 27th 2008 4:29AM

Just got done drinking down my Pernod Asinthe Mojito. In Washington State the Pernod is now a stocked item in the WSL stores as well as 2 other brands. The Pernod runs about $49 and the Absente about $39. Here is a website that gives you a whole bunch of info on Absinthe. I have tried St. George Absinthe, Lucid, Pernod, and Absente. For the price the Absente is a good buy. For a good straight taste take 1 shot of Asinthe to 1 shot of water. Drizzle the water over 2 sugar cubes and enjoy. Use whatever size shot glass you want. I always do one for one. The other way I like to drink Absinthe is as a Mojito. You can use the Roses Mojito premade mix or do your own. Add however much Absinthe you like for taste or folllow the instructions on the bottle. The one thing I can say about Asinthe is it carries quite a punch so DRINKER BEWARE this stuff is sneeky little green fairy. Enjoy this new find to those of you who find it as tasty as me.

http://www.feeverte.net/

Trevor Oct 27th 2008 4:44AM

Art historians (rather than those who get their information solely from misunderstanding television shows they sort of remember seeing one time) will tell you that Van Gogh spent time in a mental facility until rescued by his brother Theo. Over 30 different diagnoses have been proffered in retrospect but he was believed to have at least suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy and it was during a seizure in which he cut off his ear to award as a present to a woman he was attempting to court. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and syphilis are also possibe as additional factors. Lead poisoning from his paints is another consideration along with his use of Absinthe. This was considered to have possibly aggravated his condition not to have caused it.
The epilepsy was believed to be the reason he saw color (such as yellows) the way he did and saw motion where others did not. (For example the sky in Starry Starry Night)

mike Oct 27th 2008 4:55AM

I see double just looking at the bottle must be some power juice

paul Oct 28th 2008 2:47AM

modicar

please list the brands u carry
which is your recommendation?
do u drink this regularly?
really curious about this beverage

thankyou

Robert Oct 28th 2008 8:17AM

I drink it regularly. I was drinking Sebor Strong in the round bottle from the Czech Republic at $180/bottle. They are at 35mg.liter. Too expensive. Then I stumbled and tried http://www.AbsintheAmerica.com at 2-3 times the kick and you don't have to keep the alcohol so high. This way can feel the absinthe effects rather than just the alcohol effects. Much better experience.

Vipp Oct 28th 2008 1:29PM

Betty, the law has been changed in the US. It is now legal for "absinthe" to contain 9 parts per million thujone (the active chem. in wormwood). This is of course a very small amount and is nothing to get excited about, one would be poisoned by the alcohol content before feeling the effects of the thujone. By all means buy it and try it, Pernod is good as is the Le Tourment Vert. Both availible here in New York.

Kevin Erskine Nov 13th 2008 8:32AM

Betty is Absolutely wrong.
A. The recipes are identical to original recipes.
B. It is legal to import into OR MAKE in the US and has been since May 2007

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