Hiram

I understand your point, and I wish it were that simple. A decade ago whenever someone said "wormwood" it was clear that one was referring to absinthium. However the details of absinthe introduce a second, more obscure wormwood: pontica. Also, as mentioned above, those with a vested interest in redefining "absinthe" have muddied the waters on the topic by introducing still other "wormwoods." Being a producer now, I'm more hesitant to cite brand examples than I might have been a year or more ago, but there are some particularly egregious examples of willful deception in this segment. There are also completely unintentional errors resulting from insufficient research. Max, you are literally the only person I've ever seen address this issue or to think that being specific is somehow "grand" language. I believe you may be reading an intent into the use of this language that isn't there, speaking for myself at any rate. It's not about using fifty-cent words, it's about accurate and relevant information. Had not the subject been confused by unethical and uninformed marketing, I'm sure it would be practically unnecessary. The simple fact is that if I want to communicate the truth I have often have to be specific, in the casual as well as biological sense of that word. The adoption of this language isn't arbitrary grandiosity. For me it comes from literally hundreds of conversations on the topic, online and off, and I have personal experience of people's confusion; the constant need for clarification on the topic of Artemisias has pretty well cemented specificity into my vocabulary. Traditional absinthe always used two different wormwoods. It's not puffery to specify which ones.

Leopold is doing it right. The "green anise" (aniseed) vs. "badiane" (star anise) dichotomy comes from the fact that star anise is the super-rich source of anethole, the anise flavoring used in confectionery, i.e. the "black licorice" flavor. Prior to star anise, sweet fennel was the industry source of anethole. The mass-market absinthe brands use this oil to provide the anise component of the flavor, hence people noting how much absinthe tastes like licorice. Only inferior brands taste like "Good and Plenty" because of this shortcut. Green anise, what most people refer to as aniseed, has a much smoother, soft, and delicate complexity owing to the fact that it's more than just extracted pure anethole. While star anise is common to many old absinthe recipes, it was—and is—used judiciously in small amounts to augment the green anise. Out of dozens, I've never seen a pre-ban recipe that didn't call for aniseed as the major botanical. Speaking of "green anise" and "badiane." While these terms are not in common use generally, most absinthe makers have adopted these usages because they are common language in the old treatises. To address a point made earlier, this is also part of why we specify Grand Wormwood instead of just plain wormwood. The other reasons are that, 1) there are two wormwoods most common to absinthe, and the common names for them in French are Grande Absinthe and Petite Absinthe, i.e. greater and lesser wormwood. Only the greater wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, is the definitive ingredient in absinthe, so it's helpful to specify that one is using Grand Wormwood in one's absinthe to assure that the consumer is getting the real deal. 2) There are many, many Artemisia species and over fifty of these share the common name of "wormwood." Less than scrupulous producers have taken advantage of this confusion by simply saying they they use "wormwood" or "genuine Artemisia" when in fact they are using something unrelated to absinthe. In one example which has caused no small amount of confusion, the original Absente™ absinthe substitute product was said to contain "Southern Wormwood" (aka Southernwood, Artemisia abrotanum) and actually misidentified it as "petite wormwood" (Artemisia pontica), which is the wormwood responsible for the green color of absinthe. Wormwood is merely a common name, like "grass". How many grasses are there?

Thanks Brooks. This is an unfounded accusation by an anonymous critic who many suspect of being intimately involved with the failing Czech absinthe market and attempting to undermine the "competition's" credibility. The primary absinthe information sites, the Wormwood Society (WS) and the Virtual Absinthe Museum/Fée Verte Forum (VAM/FV) are operated by myself, Gwydion Stone, and David Nathan-Maister aka Oxygenée, respectively. I have run WS out of my own pocket with very little remuneration for four years. Until a year ago when I finally decided to start producing my own brand, Marteau, I had no connection to the commercial absinthe market whatsoever and in fact quite vocally criticized a few "Franco-Suisse" absinthe producers/distributors, including Nathan-Maister and Ted Breaux. My stance on the various contested issues, primarily the authenticity of certain products and the sensationally inflated relevance of thujone, have remained unchanged by my new "bias". As previously promised, when I went commercial I appointed an advisory board at the Wormwood Society to help assure administrative neutrality. The evolution of the Wormwood Society is a matter of public record for anyone with the patience to look for it. It started as a small local group having absinthe parties. I created a site with basic absinthe information for newbies. Then I opened a discussion forum, and continued to expand the site. After a while, access was granted to an international audience and the site and forum grew even more. It was inevitable that my own passion for the topic of absinthe should develop into a desire to make it (I'm the guy that decided to start making Celtic harps based on a love of Celtic music). It's a perfectly natural evolution based on a sincere interest and devoid of subterfuge or purely mercenary motives. I'm simply a craftsman who wants to make my livelihood doing what I love to do. David Nathan-Maister is very likely the foremost authority on absinthe in the English-speaking world, and while his commercial involvement predates my own by a few years, his stance on these same issues remains unchanged. Further, "spins and selective information" are precisely the methods of this anonymous critic. Wormwood Society and the Oxygenée sites contain the most relevant peer-reviewed science papers as well as historical documentation supporting our views. WS also contains papers espousing contradictory and outdated views and information. In spite of multiple requests to do so, this critic has never supported his claims and innuendos with documentation, instead preferring to use faulty logic and puerile debate team ruses and ad hominem attacks. He, and apparently others, seem to think that a connection to absinthe businesses is, ipso facto, grounds for suspicion. Priority has been a common thread in your absinthe posts—usually, as now—appearing to call into question anything new, as if priority confers authority, which is quite often not the case. Very important new information has entered the field in just the last couple of years and it is included among the older literature on both WS and VAM/FV as well as David's thujone.info site. Would you say what you consider these impartial sources to be, and in what way do they contrast with the information found on the "new" sources? Would you also be specific as to what you consider "spin" on these new sites? If you're not referring to WS and VAM/FV, to which sites are you referring specifically?

It trivially illustrated my larger point about info that's in older mainstream publications, but not in recent online introductions.A great deal of that information is now omitted because it's been found to be erroneous or irrelevant. As you say, the info did not apply to liquor manufacture. I was simply trying to get at what the process was, where you read, it and how it applied to absinthe, as no such process has ever been used on a large scale to my knowledge. The newer enthusiasts I was referring to are the distillers, both commercial and hobbyist, who are reviving the knowledge laid down by their predecessors, the 19th absinthe makers.The online absinthe world is made up of quite a few different communities. I'm just trying to figure out which one(s) you're talking about. Could you give specific examples of the tutorials, retained myths, the conventional wisdoms, etc. to which you're referring?

Hi Folks, I'm short on time, so please forgive any terseness. Brooks was kind enough to direct me over here. I'm the founder of the Wormwood Society, and I wrote the article mentioned above in Mixologist 2. MaxH, I'd be very interested in the details of the infusion trick you mention. Most of the serious "newer enthusiasts" take their instructions from the 19th century protocols established by the actual makers at the time, most notably Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools, by Pierre Duplais. "The man who brewed the SA recipe followed it to the milligram" "... if the maker used Grand Wormwood instead of Petit Wormwood for coloring, it might be bitter." Bingo! This is the most common mistake amateurs make, aside from omitting distillation. The two wormwoods are as different from one another as spinach and poison ivy. Grand is the second most bitter herb known, behind rue. Petite is basically fragrant and herbally-tasting and hardly bitter at all. From the WS web site: As for recipes, it's true that each maker had/has his own particular herb bill, but like other liquors, a certain flavor profile is required in order to properly call a liquor "absinthe." Absinthe should have anise as the principle flavor. Czech products fall sadly short of this profile and in most cases make no attempt to resemble the real deal. They have rather adopted the stance that this is Czech "style" absinthe. This, to my thinking and that of most serious absintheurs, would be like claiming that a liquor that tasted like oranges, but used no corn, was actually Florida "style" Bourbon. While new flavors are always interesting, you can't throw just any herbs in there and call it absinthe, just because it contains wormwood. I hope this helps some. Cheers to all!

Here is their web site. You may be less than pleased by it. Unfortunately, despite their claims of being "the only true descendent" and being a "world leader and number 1 in many European markets" it's a fairly obscure brand. The wormwood twigs in the bottle don't bode well, either. He certainly can't be blamed. Ninety percent or more of everything on the market is fake and substandard; unless you really do your homework, it's unlikely that you'll come up with something decent. After all, it's quite attractively packaged.

Technically, absinthe is an aperitif and would be best before meals, perhaps with some sort of light canapé. I can attest to its effectiveness there. It really perks up the appetite and stimulates the palate - in moderation and properly diluted. Otherwise the anise overpowers your palate and numbs your tongue. Light cheeses and maybe fruit, depending on the absinthe. I found that good ripe strawberries go very well with absinthes such as Kübler or François Guy, but less so with a clandestine with greater herbal complexity and bitterness. It's not too good with meals in my opinion, unless perhaps in the case of heavy mediterranean or middle eastern dishes. Anything is possible, but considering that flaming absinthe wasn't done until the 1990's, and that it started in rock clubs in Prague, it's pretty doubtful. It is most likely an extension of the frat-boy flaming shot type ritual.What did he get you?

I'll look forward to hearing from you. I'm going to be fairly busy for the remainder of the weekend, so it may be a few days before I can respond. Cheers, - Hiram

My objection to this form of marketing is that it relies upon and reinforces the false notions that most people have about absinthe. Those nearly universal false notions may be what sells to the majority of young drinkers, but they are also what is keeping real absinthe off the shelves in the US.I take this so personally because I spend a lot of time and energy trying to educate people and dispel those myths. I am of the opinion that an authentic quality product can be successfully marketed based on its own merits without resorting to hints of increased sexual prowess and/or success. I think that if absinthe's reputation can be cleaned up, everyone will be the happier for it - including you. I do not fault you for trying to bring what may very well be a good product to the American market, but I believe you may be shooting yourself in the foot by reinforcing the misperceptions our government has about absinthe. I am always interested in products to recommend to those who prefer not to risk importing real absinthe and currently Absente is the only decent option, besides Arak. I'd welcome a private correspondence if you're so inclined: hiram@wormwoodsociety.org.

I still don't understand why you are calling this product absinthe if there's no absinthe in it.

What would be the point? Wormwood tastes very nasty, that's why they distill it. That's why they use petite wormwood for the coloring step instead of grand wormwood. Read this, please. Absinthe is not a drug, it's liquor. The thujone thing is bullshit. Forget about the thujone. It was used in the past to destroy absinthe's reputation and is used now to seperate fools from their money. Thujone in high enough dosages to get a pronounced effect is poisonous, and not in a fun way, but in a kidney failure and death way. The pronounced effect is nothing you would want recreationally: nausea, vomiting, convulsions, foaming at the mouth and so on. As I said above: "It is popular to say that the old, pre-ban absinthes were stronger and higher in thujone that the modern ones, but the indredients in the best made absinthes today are precisely the same in strength and recipe as the pre-ban absinthes. Modern tests show that neither these nor samples of pre-ban absinthe contain any more than trace amounts of thujone. All of the traditional ingredients of absinthe contribute to the "effect" not just the wormwood."

The pre-ban Edouard Pernod that I tasted last night was remarkably similar to the Jade Edouard repro of it. The Jade needs more coriander though.

Things have indeed changed quite a bit in the last couple years. We know so much more now than we used to. Having access to early distiller's manuals and detailed recipes and protocols of the time has certainly helped a lot. Kallisti founded the Fée Verte Absinthe House forum in 1997, but it was part of her other site. As it gained in popularity, she registered it separately and it went through a couple different incarnations. It is now owned by Oxygenée, who also runs the Virtual Absinthe Museum at oxygenee.com. I consider his site to be the most complete and comprehensive source of absinthe information on the web. Re: the bitterness issue, I'm not sure which comment you're referring to, but if you point it out, maybe I can clarify it a bit. I'm very familiar with Ted's work and he participates in the discussions at Fée Verte. A search on his posts (tabreaux), or the terms "bitter" and "vintage" together, will yield a lot of useful information. Absinthe made strictly according to period recipes and protocols, using period equipment, is not very bitter at all. There is a refreshing astringency, but not the bitterness associated with undistilled wormwood macerate. Thanks for pointing out the Brûlot reference in Larousse; cocktail names and histories can be a bit tangled. Cheers!

I would rephrase it to read "whatever arguments apply to wormwood apply to sage", but even that's inaccurate since they're not equivalent. In general principle however, we seem to be in agreement.

Yes, I'm familiar with Baggot. Most versions are way out of date, although a few have been updated a little. His FAQ is pretty much considered very old news in the absinthe community. If you read the information on the link I posted, you will see that the uneven and often illogical way in which these laws are enforced has been addressed. Considering that the FDA is required to demonstrate that an item is hazardous in order to enforce a ban, there is hope for litigation, should anyone have both the funds and drive to pursue it. The issue wouldn't be to prove that thujone is harmless, which it's not, only that there are insufficient amounts of it in authentic absinthe to warrant concern. Amount of thujone is an issue; no one ever said thujone wasn't poisonous in large quantities, only that there's not much of it in distilled absinthe. That's why we try to keep people from drinking homemade steeped concoctions: they're poisonous.