Absinthe Recommendation

Hello,
I'm just about ready to take the plunge and purchase a bottle of Absinthe. The price for a bottle is a sizable investment for a product I've not sampled, so I turn to you, dear reader, for some guidance. French would be nice, but I'm not married to that notion. Value is always a consideration.
I'll probably louche it on occasion, but more likely use in a cocktail. I'm tempted to use online reviews "out there", but with the presence/prevalence of shills I hoped I might get more honest impressions here in the Speakeasy.

Perry

Last time I bought absinthe it was before it was legalized in the US. I don't remember the good brands but as I understand it, the stuff you can get in the US is not the stuff Van Gogh and others would have wanted. The whole wormwood/thujone thing has its disciples - some say the effect of absinthe is alcohol while others say you have to have the thujone. Hopefully someone else here can make a recommendation.

If I were going to buy another bottle I would try to source a brand which is not available in the US.

I've tried a few varieties of The Green Fairy, and my go to's are La Fee Parisian http://www.lafeeabsinthe.com/content/view/45/104/ and Jade Edouard http://www.bestabsinthe.com/edouard.htm

The Jade is more expensive, but is a really fine product. The La Fee is more reasonably priced and will be a great introduction to Absinthe for you. Both are classic Absinthes, in taste, color, and louche.

Lemercier 72 is a nice French absinthe. Quite strong too, 72% alcohol, so a little dab'l do ya.

Mata Hari. It's a Bohemian style absinthe meaning it is not so overwhelmingly anise flavored. You get to taste more of those herbal qualities absinthe can have. Mixes and plays well with others.

There's only one recommendation I can give for Absinthe.

"Don't. Just don't."

ReAndyMator said:

There's only one recommendation I can give for Absinthe.

"Don't. Just don't."

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Whys that? Absinthe (the real stuff, not that green fluro Czechoslovakian wormwood infused vodka @#!$ you usually find labelled as absinthe in the liquor store) is a very nice drink. Obviously you do not want to go too hard at it, but that is the same as any strong spirit.

Only reason is that I've got a couple of stories I could tell you, if only I could remember any of them.

ReAndyMator said:

Only reason is that I've got a couple of stories I could tell you, if only I could remember any of them.

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Ah, okay. Was wondering if you found the stuff not to your taste or if it was a one bottle trip to an AD. Sorry you had a bad experience w/ it, ReAndyMator. I have a similar tale w/ Aquavit from back in the day.
I'll see if my "guy" at the liquor store can order some La Fee for me if it as available in the U.S. of A.

Thanks guys.

the wormwood society is THE go to place online for absinthe reviews. it's like a B&B for absinthe.

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

caspian said:

the wormwood society is THE go to place online for absinthe reviews. it's like a B&B for absinthe.

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

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Caspian:
Thanx for the link...I just might try some. I like the ceremony and required absinthe paraphernalia too.

Could it be like the 'Cigar of Distilled Spirits'?

"What difference is there between a glass of Absinthe and a Sunset?" Oscar Wilde

Marteau de la Belle Epoque

caspian said:

the wormwood society is THE go to place online for absinthe reviews. it's like a B&B for absinthe.

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

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this is an excellent source of info...I like the St. George ,made near my area,but the society does not think highly of it...My experience with absinthe is very limited,so one day I hope to try one of the 100% 5 star picks..

I would recommend Vieux Carré. It's made in Philadelphia, and easy to find in the Northeast. Not sure about Minnesota. It has pretty good reviews on the Wormwood Society website.

There are some European absithes I liked better, but I've never seen them in the US.

The Wormwood Society looks like a very interesting site! For what it's worth, if you peruse the thread entitled Your Top Ten Commercial Absinthes, the ones most often mentioned (according to a little script I ran) are as listed below. (The list is sorted by number of mentions in the thread, without regard to anyone's personal rankings. Also, it doesn't account for changes in the popularity of any mentioned brand over time -- the thread was started in 2007, and some people updated their lists from time to time. Also, it does not take into account whether a mention was positive, neutral, negative, or other.) I have not investigated (yet) the availability in the U.S. of any of these brands.

• Marteau
• Belle Amie
• Jade Edouard
• Pacifique
• L'Italienne
• Jade PF 1901
• Eichelberger
• Doubs Mystique
• Jade Verte Suisse
• Walton Waters
• Roquette 1797
• Ridge
• Meadow of Love
• La Coquette
• Duplais Balance
• Duplais Verte
• Lucid
• Blanchette
• Verte de Fougerolles
• Helfrich verte
• Jade Nouvelle-Orléans
• Promethee
• Delaware Phoenix
• Leopold #14
• Vieux Pontarlier
• Obsello
• Vieux Carre
• Montmartre
• Helfrich blanche
• Butterfly
• Ridge Verte
• Sauvage
• St. George
• Taboo
• Brevans
• L'Artisanale
• CCC
• La Grenouille
• Mansinthe
• Angelique verte
• Malicia verte

I love Absinthe...Especially in a Sazerac. However the first time I ever had it (Traditional style) I had nightmares that would make the worst horror movies PALE in comparison.

All that said, I like the St. George myself

From your list, I can vouch for the following as being good. Mind you, I am VERY new to absinthe, so I for the most part, I have no idea how to describe what I am tasting, sorry Do know, as you probably already do, if you do nowt like anisette/licorice, absinthe is not for you. I recently joined the forums at WWS too:

Pacifique- Only had one glass so far, but quite good.
Meadow of Love- beautiful absinthe. Delicate and, maybe a bit floral? My favorite so far.
Walton Waters- Very assertive flavor.
Lucid- Least complex of all, and my entry into absinthe, as it is widely available, and very easy for me to buy locally.

JavPinero said:

From your list, I can vouch for the following as being good. Mind you, I am VERY new to absinthe, so I for the most part, I have no idea how to describe what I am tasting, sorry Do know, as you probably already do, if you do nowt like anisette/licorice, absinthe is not for you. I recently joined the forums at WWS too:

Pacifique- Only had one glass so far, but quite good.
Meadow of Love- beautiful absinthe. Delicate and, maybe a bit floral? My favorite so far.
Walton Waters- Very assertive flavor.
Lucid- Least complex of all, and my entry into absinthe, as it is widely available, and very easy for me to buy locally.

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Thanks for these descriptions. Have never tried absinthe, but this thread piqued my interest. I have a bottle of Pacifique on order, based on a recommendation I got on WS and on the description of it at DrinkUpNY.