We are to focus on the detail of Absinthe’s Renaissance, though first here are some of the main differences within real Absinthe, and key pre-ban dates… So-called because if there should be an earthquake on when you are drinking it, you might not notice… Each distillation of La Fée Parisienne Absinthe Supérieure is personally quality taste tested by Delahaye and Rowley What follows is my journal; a celebration and first-hand account of the first years of absinthe’s return, from the launch of La Fée Absinthe Parisienne, a Grand Wormwood distilled absinthe bottled in Paris which, in 2000, restored traditional absinthe distilling to France for the first time since the 1915 ban continuing to this day. La Fée is the only Brand to have the endorsement and direct involvement of the French Absinthe Museum and Marie-Claude Delahaye. A unique quality control procedure that applies to both our Absinthe Supérieure, Parisienne and Blanche.

Garnish: ‘Venom-soak’ the lime wheel (lime wheel soaked in La Fée), then carefully ignite the lime to neutralize the venom! Christian Camax: Master Distiller of Pastis, based in the periphery of Paris, whose distillery had historic links with Absinthe production. He also brought with him access to old copper stills. Christian recently retired and his works are being ably carried through by Cherry Rocher. All these accounts clearly demonstrate how inextricably absinthe became entwined with the culture of France, her capital, communities and colonies, far off New Orleans, and less obviously with Switzerland. Equally clear is that all these are historical accounts, describing the world of absinthe as it was before various bans were imposed against it more than a hundred years ago. Method: Pour absinthe into ice-filled glass and top with water. Leave the mixture to stand in the glass. Separately, shake liqueur, bourbon and bitters with ice. Finally discard contents of absinthe-coated glass and fine strain contents of shaker into absinthe washed glass. (Note that there is no ice in the finished drink.)

La Fée X•S Suisse, officially released in 2007, is a La Bleue produced in the town of Couvet in the Val-de-Travers region of Switzerland. Each distillation takes place in small copper stills which have the capacity to produce just over 100 bottles. It has a wine alcohol base. All-natural ingredients and colour (macerated herbs), distilled in France. Central ingredient being Grand Absinthe (Artemisia absinthium) and having a classic strength of 68%abv.

Swiss absinthe historically was mainly a local spirit and the ban was enforced following a referendum. Poster depicts absinthe as an alluring woman at the stake, looking across to Switzerland to her sister already residing in the heavens!Already busy importing Czech beer, Rowley wanted to do the same with a drink he came across in Prague called Hill’s Absinth (notice the missing ‘e’). While speaking to the producers he learned they’d been privately supplying musician John Moore – of The Jesus and Mary Chain fame – who had similar designs on the UK market.

French government issue absinthe to soldiers in North Africa, to ward off disease. Returning troops contributed to making the drink popular in the cafes. The Fine Art of Distilling & Blending The nine botanicals of La Fée Parisienne are individually distilled (as opposed to a single distillation of all the ingredients together). These distillates are then carefully blended by the master distiller according to the French Absinthe Museum approved recipe. Then came Suprex, in Paris, where we met Christian Camax, who then agreed to work with Marie-Claude and George on project La Fée.Absente initially without the key ingredient Grand Absinthe; similar to Pastis, lower ABV, partly targeting USA, where Absinthe was still banned until 2007. Green Utopia Ltd. was formed, which later would become La Fée LLP, operating under the directive: To return traditional Absinthe distilling to France, following strict guidelines on Provenance, Authenticity and Quality. October 2009: Swiss Judge in Bern awards IPG to distillers in Val-de-Travers region for geographical protection of Absinthe across Switzerland.

How to make: Squeeze and drop lime wedges into glass half-filled with crushed ice. Add mint and absinthe churn with ice. Fill glass with more crushed ice and Top with lemonade (or lemon-lime soda).John Moore is a musician and writer who’s many talents include coaxing ethereal sounds from the musical saw and writing blogs for newspapers. In his article for The Idler he describes stumbling across absinth whilst on tour with his band in Prague, and finding himself drawn to its romance and hedonistic appeal. I set up my first company, Bohemia Beer House Ltd. (now trading as BBH Spirits Ltd.) with the aim of evaluating and exporting Czech beer. The intention, satisfyingly simple, was to allow me to continue to enjoy living in Prague, home of our first office, under the management of Radomir Horacek, whilst letting me come home to England; my intended market. You may well ask what has this to do with absinthe-drinking today, but bear with me: The learning curve provided by this period of self-education in the industry was the foundation of my role in returning absinthe commercially to Europe. La Fée captures the aroma and taste that great writers and artists such as Rimbaud, Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh enjoyed at the end of the 19th century”. Marie-Claude Delahaye Marie-Claude Delahaye (The French Absinthe Museum, Auvers~Sur~Oise) Absinthe writer & historian: This would give La Fée an assurance that what we distil would be historically accurate . Phylloxera decimates vineyards across Europe and especially France – Absinthe becomes the perfect replacement for wine, accelerating Absinthe’s popularity.