Home @ 08 Jan 2008 05:00 pm by Christina Waters
Only 3600 bottles of St. George “Absinthe Verte” were made last year by inventive distiller Lance Winters. And I scored one of them last week. Yes, this was the allegedly hallucinogenic tipple that fueled artists, poets and bohemians at the turn-of-the-century.
Think Toulouse Lautrec, Degas, Baudelaire. Banned since 1912, the high proof — 120 proof to be exact — herb-laced elixir has made a one-man come-back, thanks to the tireless tinkering of eau de vie master Winters. The results are, it must be said, unforgettable and dreamy.
What does it taste like? Subtle, bracing, haunting — like a blend of Fernet Branca, grappa and Chartreuse. Only better.
What does it cost? Twice the price of a great bottle of single malt.
Hopefully, the beautiful bottle of will last a long time. It’s filled with the fabulous fragrances of woodworm, hyssop, basil, fennel, nettles, tarragon, and mint, all riding on a high octane cloud of triple distilled brandy.
Happy New Year indeed!
That last sentence has got my taste buds tingling. I’ve tried nearly every absinthe on the planet, but not this one….yet.
There’s a whole raft of “thujone free” absinthes that have landed in the USA recently. Perhpas it isn’t like the “old stuff” of Toulouse Lautrec fame, but it the one that I am really looking forward to trying.
Dazzled by the thought of trying yet another absinthe, I tried to pick up some of this St. George absinthe, but I have no idea of how to get a hold of it. I went to their site and found nothing. I’ve also been trying to get a hold of some Obsello absinthe I’m on a waiting list now at Obsello.com