I love antique absinthe glasses. To me, each glass from the Belle Époque is a unique piece of art, with which you can feel and see the skills of the glassblower. The bubbles, inclusions, irregularities, colours, thicknesses, cuts and overall designs testify that absinthe glasses from the 19th and early 20th century are not really reproducible. Don’t get me wrong, I too have modern absinthe glasses at home for my tastings evenings, my favorites are the Pontarlier glass and the Bubble glass, they are great value for money, nicely handblown from original period glasses and they do the job perfectly, even though they’re just missing a soul from the past but I’m being a bit nitpicker here…

I’m not writing here to cry over past times anyway, but to make a bit of clarification on absinthe glasses: What is an absinthe glass? Who really used them? Why there were so many different designs?

I thought you would enjoy reading about what kind of utensil was used by absinthe drinkers before the appearance of perforated spoons that we all know, and also when and why those absinthe-dedicated spoons appeared in the 19th bistro scene.

Absinthe was already drunk since decades when perforated absinthe spoons appeared in 1875-1880. What was commonly used by absintheurs back in 1840 or 1850 then?
The answer is shown in this sketch from Marie-Claude Delahaye’s book “L’Absinthe – Ses dessinateurs de presse”:

An absinthe is never produced in one go, it is a long and complex process over 3 steps: the maceration, the distillation and the coloration. It’s impossible to obtain a fine Fée Verte in one day; all 3 steps are achieved over 3 days, not counting the wormwood stripping, the bottling and labelling of course.

Day 1 – The maceration

A distillation naturally starts with the herbs themselves. Each dried herb has to be carefully weighed following a precise recipe, a recipe dating to 1804 in the case of Absinthe Sauvage.
No big secret here, small quantities of herbs are weighed on a precision scales using a bowl, whereas big quantities – such as green anise, wormwood and fennel – are weighed with a professional electronic scales.

Herbs storage room. Dominique Rousselet (Emile Pernot's master distiller) is using a bowl and a measure to collect small quantities of herbs.

We are very pleased to be the ONLY absinthe vendor mentioned in the December 2011 issue of MAXIM (South-American edition).
On the 5th page, you can notice that MAXIM features some excellent absinthes: Absinthe Angélique Verte Suisse, Absinthe Roquette 1797 and Absinthe Sauvage 1804.
Don’t ask us for additional scans of this issue, the absinthe pages should satisfy you enough

We have a very curious new absinthe now available, and one of the most interesting absinthes in recent months.

Zubrsinthe is an absinthe that is distilled, as you might expect, with anise and wormwood, but also a something unique. Read on!

Zubrsinthe with a European Bison Woodcut Print

This is where it gets interesting… Rather than colour and flavour Zubrsinthe with the traditional combination of hyssop and roman wormwood, Zubrsinthe is infused with an aromatic variety of grass, known as Sweetgrass, or Bison Grass. This imparts a unique flavour (imposible to pin down, nonetheless wonderful) and an impressive shade of green. Bison grass gets its name from the European bison, or wisent, which seeks this particular grass out over others, and I can understand why!
The most famous use of bison grass is in the vodka Zubrówka – where a blade of the grass is left in the bottle. Bizarrely, the original version of this vodka is not available in the US! We can of course get Zubrsinthe absinthe to you almost anywhere you are in the world.

…and if you wondered where the name came from: Å»ubr is the Polish word for the European bison, and the ‘sinthe’ comes from, well… from our favourite spirit.

For more information, visit the Zubrsinthe page at Absinthes.com

Bonne santé! Na zdrowie! Your health!

Andrew.

Expert absinthe reviewer Markus Hartsmar has just relaunched his website. One of the first quality sites out there on absinthe without a whiff of misinformation, since 2003 Absinthe.se has been stunningly redesigned.

Markus – our verdict: beautiful.

It’s a great way to see our new reproduction absinthe water carafe and bubble glass in action.

We’re proud to present a short film, for all those wondering how to prepare an absinthe the right way.

Note how you can get a fine stream of water from the carafe or tiny drops, perfect for dripping onto and dissolving a sugar cube!

The absinthe is Absinthe Roquette 1797.

Treat your loved ones to Absinthe this festive season. We have something to suit all tastes and pockets! Check out our Christmas selection, with some of the finest arrivals from 2011.

Not sure what to get someone? – we have an answer for that: our very own gift vouchers, valid for anything on Absinthes.com, so if you know someone really into absinthe and think it’s better to let them choose, here’s the solution.

All year we’ve been working hard to perfect two new absinthe accessories. Having been through rounds of prototypes, we’re in love with the final results. We’re very proud to present the following nifty bits of kit, exclusively available from us…

Tell Drinkify what artist you’re listening to, and in return it’ll tell you what to drink.

Either there’s not enough absinthe going there, or I’m listening to the wrong music! So here’s Drinkify, Absinthes.com style:

David Bowie – Let’s Dance: Dance away your troubles with a stylish friend and a delicious glass of Absinthe La Grenouille

J.S. Bach: The master of counterpoint’s finest compositions are the perfect accompaniment to the complex notes of  Jade VS 1898

Example – Skies Don’t Lie:  Get shaken up with an Absinthe Frappé*, made with Nouvelle Orléans from Jade Liqueurs.

Barry Manilow – Copacabana: Tequila Sunrise with a dash of Absinthe DuVallon. Ok, maybe that is listening to the wrong music!

A curious cocktail recipe quite unlike anything else. This exceptional drink combines the cucumber- scented Hendrick’s, the elderflowery goodness of St. Germain, roses, and the essence of the tropics in falernum:

• 4 oz Hendrick’s gin
• 1 oz St-Germain
  
• 1 oz falernum syrup
  
• 14 drops rose water
• 2 teaspoons absinthe – we’d recommend Absinthe  St. Antoine
  
• 2 lemon twists

Combine ingredients in an ice-filled shaker and stir gently. Strain into 2 short-stemmed glasses and garnish with the twists.