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French Spirits - The Magic of Absinthe
The Magic of ABSINTHE
By Michael Tulipan
may be best known for its Provence sun-soaked beaches, fields of lavender and rose wine. The region is also home to the distillery that produces Absente, the quintessential French absinthe on the American market.
In the world of spirits, none can match the allure, or the unfortunate misconceptions, that come with absinthe. Banned for decades in the United States, absinthe became officially legal in 1999 and ever since has made a strong comeback thanks to its versatility and unique flavor profile. Leading the charge has been Absente from Distilleries et Domaine de Provence, which became the first absinthe on the market in 1999 after an 87-year absence.
Distilleries et Domaine de Provence had produced absinthe dating back to the 19th-century when it opened as the Distillerie de Lure in Forcalquier, France. The current owner, Alain Robert, and a small team took over the distillery in 1974. When Michel Roux, the famed liquor executive who turned thenunknown Absolut into the top vodka in the United States, approached the company about making absinthe, they pored through records to find a recipe that could bring it back to the states. “As an artisanal countryside distillery at that time,” Robert says, “recipes would change from one batch to another depending on the natural availabilities of the herbs, although wormwood and anise would be in every recipe.” Each recipe listed all the ingredients and how many kilos went into the batch. What remained consistent was the use of the word absinthe as small distilleries tended not to brand their products in the past. Roux chose one of the recipes, coined the name Absente and the brand with its signature triple face Vincent Van Gogh graphic came to dominate the category.
Herbaceous, slightly spicy, and floral, Absente today is made with nine botanicals, including wormwood, star anise, green anise, roman wormwood, mint, and mugwort, among others. The ultra-premium, 69% ABV Grande Absente is more bitter, dry, and has notes of menthol. Try it in a cocktail or as part of the absinthe ritual where a special spoon with an ice cube is placed over a glass and water is dripped onto it, then into the absinthe below. This is the way Robert and his team like to enjoy absinthe though they recognize this traditional product is being introduced to a new generation thanks to talented bartenders around the world. “I am always amazed by the unexpected combinations out there,” he says.
Absinthe’s magic is the unique, rich flavor profile that can add layers and complexity to cocktails. “In cocktails, the wormwood does its magic,” says Robert. “It is a very versatile product.” Use Absente as the main ingredient or add a kick to the cocktail with just a few dashes. “Thanks to the digestive properties of wormwood, you can pair absinthe with almost any ingredient, except for creamy liqueurs as far as I am concerned,” he suggests pairing it with lime, red fruit cucumber, or mint.
Any way you enjoy it, keep in mind that absinthe is high proof, so a little goes a long way. You may not get a visit from an actual green fairy, but you never know!
