Thursday 30 October 2014

Absinthe Cocktails Competition in UK


For the last year or so, my bartender presentations on absinthe have included much more about the role of absinthe in cocktails. Absinthe was first distilled commercially in 1798 (in Couvet, Switzerland) and  1798 is also the year that the word "cocktail" first appeared in print meaning a drink. Absinthe and cocktails seem to have been "paired at birth."

Around the world, bartenders now seem to realize that a lot of the old stories and ways of drinking absinthe were myths and fabrications to prey on the ignorant. But some bartenders still don't seem to know what to do with absinthe (apart from rinses in Sazeracs and dashes in Corpse Revivers, that is).

So I was delighted when James Fowler contacted me about an opportunity to talk about absinthe in cocktails with the Bournemouth Bartenders League (BBL). James will be well-known to regular readers here as the owner of The Larder House (home of the first UK absinthe dinner) and more recently the UK winner of Diageo's World Class Bartender competition. I don't know whether there is "something in the water" around Bournemouth or whether it is the inspiration of people like James, but it is clear that there is a lot of bartending expertise there. James put me in touch with Salvatore Damiano of the BBL and a few weeks later, I drove to The Larder House and I gave a short presentation about absinthe in cocktails (with the behind-the-bar help of Franco) ...



I have no idea what I was doing with the iPad in that top right shot, but by the time of the bottom right shot, I had finished my talk and was enjoying watching the cream of local bartenders at work. Why? Well, I have spent far too much time in the last year or so analysing history, the ways in which absinthe was used in cocktails back in the days of Harry Craddock at The Savoy (1930), and how modern bartenders are now using absinthe. For example ...


The first column of numbers shows the % of absinthe cocktails which used specific other ingredients in The Savoy in 1930. Not surprisingly absinthe was used in a lot of cocktails with gin and/or vermouth. The second column of numbers is based on the best absinthe cocktails book, A Taste for Absinthe, published in 2010, with cocktails provided by many of the world's best bartenders. Gin and vermouth have slipped down the list, and lemon/lime along with sugar or simple syrup have become the most popular ingredients to be paired with absinthe in cocktails.

Interestingly both La Clandestine and Pernod are working extensively with cocktails made almost entirely with absinthe, limes and sugar. The Clandestino was first made in 2007 and The Green Beast was first made about three years later.

So why was I at the Larder House? Here there was a team of contestants who were not thinking of the 1930 or even of 2010. They were thinking of creating the next great absinthe cocktail. Their brief was to use a full measure of absinthe, either La Clandestine or Butterfly, in creating their own new cocktail, and here is what they created and what I had the pleasure of judging ..

1. David Hall, Urban Reef
The Boston Cocktail

25ml Butterfly Absinthe
25ml Green Apple syrup
75ml Water
4 dashes of Orange bitters
Shaken and pour in a tumbler



I loved the way that David took elements from Butterfly's past: especially the fact that the owner of Dempsey, Boston, was one of the major US players fighting the threat of prohibition.


2. Connor Sanderson, The Captain's Club Hotel
Alice's Fairy Elixir

25ml La Clandestine
15ml Koku Kanu
15ml Mozart white liqueur
1 egg white
A spoon of New Forest Strawberry Jam
Nutmeg
Shaken and pour over crushed ice in a jam jar



Beautifully made with some great ingredients; excellently presented.

3. Harry King, The Library at The Larder House
Parasite

20ml Butterfly absinthe
10ml Creme de Violette
10ml Kamm and Sons aperitif
5ml maraschino
20ml lime juice
Stirred over ice and topped with elderflower tonic water and finished with a lavender foam


The foam was an interesting challenge for a judge; of course one has to taste through it too, in order to understand how the taste of the cocktail will develop. The one small issue I had with this cocktail was the name which didn't quite communicate how wonderful this cocktail was.

4. Thomas Quy, The Captain's Club Hotel
Fancy a Cuppa

40ml Butterfly Absinthe
20ml lemon & ginger tea syrup with mint
15ml lemon juice
20ml Violet Liqueur
2 dashes of grapefruit bitters
Shaken and poured into a tea cup


A very full measure of Butterfly here: 40 ml. Great taste and presentation. This is getting difficult ...  

5. Joel Whitmore, The Larder House
Covert Beets in the Back Streets of Couvet

Per serving –
40ml Apple & Ginger Juice
20ml Beetroot Juice
0.1g malic acid
Pour all ingredients into iced filled absinthe fountain.
Stir. 
Add 25ml La Clandestine Absinthe into Absinthe glass.
Turn taps and add desired amount of apple and beet mix to absinthe. 
Garnish with Swiss mountain flowers.


I had met Joel previously and, honestly, I didn't want him to win if he seemed to have any inside advantage! But I couldn't fault the concept or the final presentation and taste. Absinthe and beetroot do work together well, both visually and in a cocktail. It wasn't the punchiest of names for a cocktail but apart from that, it was faultless.

So I chose two winners: Joel (for the best cocktail with La Clandestine) and Thomas (for the best cocktail with Butterfly).


And I was delighted that Salvatore chose another winner, David, for the Bournemouth Bartenders League prize.


It was a great day for me, in which I learnt a lot about the process of creating cocktails: from naming, through to preparation and execution. Thank you to the Bournemouth Bartenders League, thank you to Matt Pollard for the photographs (hopefully my collages did not spoil them too much!),and above all thanks to Salvatore for organising it all. It is clear that great absinthe cocktails can be made with much more than a few drops or dashes as used by Craddock in 1930. If this happens elsewhere, absinthe distillers will be very busy keeping up with demand in the near future!

Friday 10 October 2014

Interview with Philippe Chapon at the 2014 Absinthiades


The first weekend in October? It must be time for the Absinthiades, the annual absinthe festival in Pontarlier, France. Sadly I couldn't go (the following week was already hectic enough with the Bar Convent Berlin and the London Cocktail Week). But as we say in England, every cloud (we have a lot here) has a silver lining since my absence provides me an opportunity to have a guest writer, Maxime Ruby. Maxime has his own excellent absinthe blog and who has just started a new French Absinthe Forum. I am delighted to bring you his interview with Philippe Chapon, the president of the organisers of the Absinthiades. It is in French but Google Translate copes with it well.

Merci, Maxime!

................................................................

Cette année c’est sous le soleil de Franche comté que ce sont déroulées les 14èmes absinthiades à Pontarlier ; l’occasion, cette fois encore de se rassembler autour de l’absinthe et de rencontrer des passionnées de tout horizon pendant un week-end. Visites de musée, des distilleries, rencontres avec des collectionneurs, des auteurs, dégustations, les activités ne manques pas pendant la manifestation.
Cette année j’en ai profité pour poser quelques questions à Philippe Chapon, le président de l’association des amis du musée de Pontarlier, organisatrice de l’évènement.

Comment est née l’association des amis du musée de Pontarlier ?

L’association a été créé en 1983, à l’époque il n’y avait pas encore de musée, on était en pleine réorganisation du musée municipale  et l’on était plus autour de la peinture franc-comtoise et l’archéologie.  Nous avions quelques objets sur l’absinthe mais très peu. Et puis avec le temps nous avons eu quelques donateurs et cette association permettait aux gens de donner, car on ne pouvait pas donner directement au musée. Aujourd’hui, si cette association était dissoute, tout ce qu’elle a pu acquérir serait reverser au musé de Pontarlier. Donc c’est vraiment, au départ, une association crée pour recevoir les dons. L’absinthe est ressortie des placards  petit à petit même si elle était dans la mémoire des gens, mais il faut reconnaitre qu’il n’y avait pas la même implication qu’en Suisse. On buvait de l’absinthe mais elle venait plutôt du val-de-Travers. On avait bien quelques personnes à Pontarlier ou aux alentours qui distillaient mais ça n’était pas aussi organisé qu’en Suisse. Depuis 1983, il y a eu trois présidents de cette association, je suis donc le troisième.

Comment a commencé l’aventure des absinthiades?

En 2000 l’idée a été de remettre l’absinthe à l’honneur. Aux premières absinthiades en 2000, il ‘y avait pas d’absinthe, ça n’était pas possible à l’époque. A cette époque, si ma mémoire est bonne, en France nous avons l’Absente et la Versinthe qui sont sur le marché, c’est tout ; donc en 2000 c’est surtout une exposition 



avec des objets des collectionneurs, des auteurs ; et le public est là c’est un succès. Dès la deuxième édition on introduit le premier concours avec une dizaine d’absinthes, surtout des macérés et très peu de distillées, pas d’absinthe suisse jusqu’en 2005. Aujourd’hui nous sommes à la 14ème édition et donc à la 13eme édition du concours ; les Absinthes Suisse sont là depuis la légalisation en 2005, les deux premiers qui ont accepté de venir sont Kubler et Claude Alain Bugnon qui à l’époque a créé un produit spécialement pour la France du aux règlementations différents sur le taux de frenchonne entre la France et la Suisse ; il avait donc crée la recette « Marianne » adaptée au marché français. C’était également une volonté d’introduire l’absinthe Suisse sur la Marché Français.

Parallèlement à ces Absinthiades le maire de Pontarlier le secrétaire de la région du val de travers nous avaient réuni suisse et français, conservateurs de musée, représentant municipaux, cultivateurs et l’office du tourisme en nous disant de réfléchir à ce que l’on pourrait faire à propos de l’absinthe, et de réfléchir à ce qui nous réunit. Et qu’est-ce qui nous réunit ? C’est une histoire commune. Personne ne nie que le berceau historique est le Val-de-Travers et le berceau économique c’est Pontarlier. L’un sans l’autre n’aurait pas existé. Donc ce que l’on a imaginé c’est 


le Pays de l’absinthe avec cette route de l’absinthe […] aujourd’hui les absinthiades sont une des manifestations importante de cette route de l’absinthe, et j’espère qu’il y en aura d’autres.

Ça fait environ une quinzaine d’années que l’absinthe est réapparue sur le marché Français, pensez-vous que l’absinthe est en phase de se « repopulariser » ?

Je crois qu’il faut rappeler, qu’au début, on partait de zéro, donc certes, aujourd’hui c’est une niche, mais je pense que cette niche peut progresser ; la preuve, c’est qu’en Suisse aujourd’hui, il me semble qu’il y a environ 35 distillateurs. Aujourd’hui au concours, il y a une absinthe qui venait de Bretagne, des allemands, des tchèques. Ce produit, à mon avis, a un avenir devant soi, mais comment il sera consommé, ça c’est le débat. Est-ce qu’on essaie de rester dans le traditionnel ? Certains barman nous disent qu’on peut faire des cocktails avec. Le  produit a plusieurs cadres. Après c’est aussi le travail des distillateurs…



Comment se sont déroulées les absinthiades de cette année de votre point de vue ?

Ça se passe bien, puisque depuis vendredi soir il y a du monde. Il y a du passage sur les différents sites que ce soit à l’exposition, au musée, à la chapelle. Hier nous aurions pu doubler le jury populaire, beaucoup de gens se proposaient en cas de désistement, donc c’est un moment fort, peut-être que pour les 15ème on doublera le nombre de participants. Moi ce qui me plait toujours c’est qu’il y a qu’il y a des gens qui viennent de partout, des quatre coin de France mais aussi des tchèques, un journaliste  allemand, un japonais, des finlandais. L’idée c’est ça, que les gens viennent, se rencontrent ; distillateurs, amateurs, bloggeurs, absintheurs peu importe comme ils se définissent, que les gens viennent pendant ce week-end et que pendant 2 jours ça vive, et je pense que la-dessus l’objectif est rempli.

L’année prochaine, nous serons en 2015, cela fera un siècle que l’absinthe a été interdite en France. Est-ce que vous prévoyez quelque chose de spécial pour l’occasion?

Oui, on essaiera de booster un peu cette manifestation, de faire quelque choses d’original pour le centenaire. Ensuite les choses restent à définir, mais c’est bien notre idée. Mais il ya aussi une question de moyens financiers, c’est parfois difficile d’inviter des gens, de payer les transports et les hébergements et tout ce qui va avec.

Dernière question, que souhaiteriez-vous faire passer comme message aux personnes qui ne connaissent pas l’absinthe, pour essayer de les inciter à s’y intéresser?

Ah, c’est une bonne question. Déjà aller sur des blogs comme celui-ci, de s’intéresser aux lieux où les gens discutent sur internet, même si parfois on a pu avoir des critiques un peu dures sur les absinthiades ou sur les produits présentés, même si nous tentons d’être le plus rigoureux possible sur les méthodes de choix et de déroulement du concours. A travers ce qui se passe sur internet, quand par exemple les gens parlent d’un bouquin de benoit Noel ou lorsqu’ils découvrent une  nouvelle bouteille, je souhaite puis qu’ils aient envie de voir ou ça se passe, d’où ça vient, qu’ils découvrent le jura, qu’ils passent en suisse ; lorsque les touristes viennent dans le jura, ils le disent : « c’est beau » ; et puis ils peuvent découvrir plein de choses y compris ce produit. Mais lorsqu’on parle de la région,  on peut se dire « des montagnes, il y en a partout, du fromage, il y en a partout, des salaisons, de la neige, c’est  pareil » le Jura est une montagne parmi les autres ;  mais cette Absinthe… il n’y a que nous, le Jura franco-Suisse.


As a footnote, I wanted to add that for many absinthe lovers, the Absinthiades is about "bohomie," and sharing the pleasures of absinthe together. As seen above! And of course the famous competition. In 2014 the top awards went to


 a hitherto unknown blanche (La Harde 68) and a surprising verte (Cherry Rocher). Again the Absinthiades produced a controversial result, which will no doubt be discussed elsewhere!

Next year sees the 15th Absinthiades. If you haven't visited this before, then maybe it's time to go in 2015. Merci, Philippe. Et merci, Maxime.  



Sunday 1 June 2014

"A cocktail is much improved by the addition of two or three drops of Absinthe."



James Fowler, World Class UK Bartender of the Year 2014

C.F. Lawlor's "The Mixicologist" provides one of the first versions of the Absinthe Suissesse (an adapted version of which I enjoyed last year at New York's Dead Rabbit):


The Mixicologist also contains the famous quote about absinthe in the title of this post: "A cocktail is much improved by the addition of two or three drops of Absinthe." Of course Lawlor's Suissesse contains far more than two or three drops, so don't feel limited by the quote!

Fast forward 119 years, and Gaz Regan writes in the Regan Report 2014 (quoted here) that absinthe is a "very important ingredient” in the bartender’s tool chest. “Apart from the fact that it pairs so well to both Scotch and to mescal — both known for their smoky characters — absinthe, when used judiciously, can bring fabulous nuances to cocktails that can be gotten from no other source.”

From time to time, I come across bartenders who are not fully convinced about absinthe. In some cases, that seems to be down to bad experiences bartenders have had with absinthe in the past, and that seems to be especially true in markets where the Czech-style of "absinth" appeared before the real absinthe that is now more globally dominant. Or they see that absinthe is burnt and/or shot in other bars, and they don't want to encourage practices like that in their own bar. 

So how can I convince bartenders and those making cocktails at home that absinthe can add so much to a cocktail? By quoting Lawlor and Regan? Well, that's one way, but "theory" is not as effective as "practice." And over the last month I have seen two great examples of world class practice (literally "World Class"), using absinthe in cocktails that have helped their creators win two of the top prizes in the cocktail world globally. 

I have written previously about the Maid in Cuba cocktail created by Tom Walker at The Savoy for the Bacardi Legacy competition. As Tom said, the inclusion of absinthe makes this a more mature and more interesting alternative to the mojito and the daiquiri, the main drinks which helped inspire the Maid in Cuba, and the audience certainly enjoyed the cocktail at our "Savoy's Green Fairy Secrets" seminar at Tales of the Cocktail 2013. 

Nine months later, I was one of many following the global final of the Bacardi Legacy competition on Facebook and was thrilled to read of Tom's victory (here's an interview with Tom about the competition and the cocktail). As I read the news unfold on Facebook, I remember thinking that the Maid in Cuba was not just an exceptionally good Bacardi cocktail, but that it was also probably the finest new cocktail with absinthe to come from the Savoy since Harry Craddock's Corpse Reviver #2. Of course there are other new cocktails with absinthe available at the Savoy including Erik Lorincz's Monet's Moment, but I suspect the Maid in Cuba is already much more famous. So I was delighted to see that the Maid in Cuba will appear in new editions of the Savoy Hotel Cocktail Book. And here's the proof (in more ways than one!):


Tom is a highly motivated, detail-obsessed bartender and maybe his time at the Savoy has given him a special understanding of absinthe. However Tom is definitely not unique in appreciating what absinthe can do for cocktails.

Today after a week of competition in London and in Hong Kong, the UK winner of the Diageo World Class competition was announced. James Fowler of The Larder House, Southbourne (near Bournemouth) has been a long-term fan of good absinthes, and hosted our first Absinthe Dinner at The Larder House on Valentine's Day, 2012. Later that year, he and Joel Solomon came to Boveresse for the world's largest Absinthe Festival. James told me that he uses as much absinthe as vodka in his restaurant and bar, a fascinating statistic, especially given that it is not positioned as an absinthe outlet.

James progressed through the early stages of Diageo's World Class with his speciality cocktail, Copper Colours. Here's the recipe:-

Mixing Glass filled to the top with fresh cubed ice
Add the following to the mixing glass in the order below:-
1.25 ml Butterfly Absinthe
20 ml Pacharan
20 ml Lepanto Olorosso Spanish brandy
40 ml Ketel One
Stir with bar spoon to chill & dilute. 50 revolutions.
Strain into chilled glass
Serve with Iberico Jamon, borage and burnt tangerine segment salad



(photo of James and his prize-winning cocktail from the Bournemouth Echo)

Over the course of a whole week in London and Hong Kong, James and the other finalists had to do far more than just preparing one cocktail (e.g. food pairing), but this speciality cocktail was a key element in James progressing to the later stages. James shows a keen appreciation of what absinthe can bring to cocktails (as well as to food), even if only in dashes. Congratulations, James!

Two great examples of prize-winning bartenders in the UK making good use of absinthe in amazing cocktails. But there are many more prize-winning bars around the world which feature absinthe as an important part of their mix. Here are just a few of the finalists from this year's Spirited Awards at the Tales of the Cocktail that make very good use of absinthe:

The Nightjar (London)
Big Easy, Covent Garden (London)
Dead Rabbit (New York)
The Anvil (Houston)
Cure and Hotel Bellocq (New Orleans)
Canon (Seattle)
Spare Room (Los Angeles)
Clive's Classic (Victoria)
Black Angel's (Prague)
Widder Bar and Old Crow (Zurich)

If you're a bartender and don't currently use good absinthe, maybe you could consider why do all these top bars (and many more) make such good use of absinthe. If you make cocktails at home and don't have absinthe, well, it's almost like being a cook without having salt and pepper.

Congratulations to Tom and James! Good luck to all the nominees at Tales of the Cocktail! And to all future potential prize-winners and those of you striving to make great cocktails at home!
Nin

Friday 28 February 2014

Absinthe Days and Mardi Gras


I blogged about Absinthe Days in 2012, noting that March 5 had been designated National Absinthe Day in the USA at Lucid's instigation and that March 1 was being celebrated in Switzerland as their Absinthe Day.

March 5, 2007 was the day when Lucid got their final US approval, and coincidentally March 5, 2013 was the day when Pernod got their final label approval for their new "original recipe."

Neither of these dates were celebrated at the time for a variety of reasons, including the fact that products were not actually available in the US to celebrate with.

How very different from March 1, 2005: the day when absinthe was re-legalised in Switzerland after a 95 year absence. There was extensive press and TV coverage ...


The articles above feature both Claude-Alain Bugnon, the first illegal/"clandestine" distiller to go legal, and Yves Kubler.

Parties were held and many green fairies were observed that day in the Val-de-Travers (there may be some videos of the event on YouTube). All in all, it was a crazy day, and judging by videos of the Mardi Gras, it seems the Swiss and the citizens of New Orleans have a lot in common!

So it seems appropriate that in the space of 5 days this year, we can celebrate the Swiss Absinthe Day, Mardi Gras and then the US National Absinthe Day. With all those opportunities to drink, I probably don't need to suggest any more absinthe cocktails!

In fact on Mardi Gras I will be running a consumer event on absinthe in cocktails at London's famous Milk and Honey, and sadly I will not be able to go to London's Mardi Gras event at the NOLA Bar. NOLA, London is the first bar outside North America to win the coveted Seal of the Sazerac. Obviously a Sazerac - or an Absinthe Frappé - would be great way to celebrate any or all of these dates. In fact I will be drinking at least two different versions of the Death in the Afternoon that evening to see how different absinthes work in different ways in the same cocktail. That will be an interesting experiment - and one that I would urge any absinthe lover or bartender to consider.

My own distiller has progressed somewhat since 2005, and thankfully he now has some slightly larger alembics!


Happy Absinthe Days! Happy Mardi Gras!

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder .. or at least makes the cocktail taste better!


Valentine's Day is approaching. Restaurants and bars throughout the world are finalising menus and special drinks list, while consumers are planning (hopefully) a romantic evening with their current or prospective partner.

Enjoying a drink (or two) is usually part of a good Valentine's Day soirée, and absinthe has been an increasingly popular choice for the evening. According to Google, absinthe seems to be more part of Valentine's Day than champagne (Googling  "valentine's day" drink champagne gets 4.2 million results, Googling "valentine's day" drink absinthe gets 13.4 million results). So two questions and then the answers:-

1. What is it about absinthe that makes it so good for Valentine's?
2. How can absinthe be served on Valentine's Day, either in a restaurant/bar or at home?

Let's explore the first question: What is it about absinthe that makes it so good for Valentine's?

Several sites proclaim absinthe's effectiveness as an aphrodisiac.

Some alcoholic beverages are believed to be especially potent. For example, absinthe was a widely used aphrodisiac by Europeans, especially French artists and intellectuals at the end of the 19th century.


Absinthe has often been considered to contain aphrodisiac properties, which heighten sexual desire. In Alfie, the aphrodisiac qualities of absinthe get the title character laid – by none other than Susan Sarandon.

As an absinthe sales/marketing man, I subscribe to the policies of the various regulatory bodies such as Discus USA whose Code of Practice states:-

Beverage alcohol advertising and marketing materials should not rely upon sexual prowess or sexual success as a selling point for the brand. 

So I would never claim that absinthe has any aphrodisiac qualities (sadly there is at least one absinthe brand on sale in the USA which hints that it does). Absinthe's effects, such as they are, come more from its high alcohol content and perhaps there's a placebo effect too ("I've read that it's an aphrodisiac, so it must be.").

Absinthe's best effects are how well it marries, beds down, gets it together with other ingredients in an amazing range of cocktails. Absinthe may not be an aphrodisiac but it is highly promiscuous! Or as C.F. Lawlor wrote in 1895 in The Mixicologist:  

"A cocktail is much improved by the addition of two or three drops of Absinthe."

One could say that absinthe gets to the heart of a cocktail, and makes the cocktail better (well, maybe not fonder). This is what makes absinthe such a good drink for Valentine's (or any other day, indeed).

So what absinthe cocktails will work best for Valentine's?

The classic choice could be absinthe with champagne or sparkling wine, but its name, Death in the Afternoon, isn't very romantic.

I like the idea of absinthe and fizz for Valentine's, and so I suggest a couple of long established fizzes. First, the Morning Glory Fizz which I first enjoyed at the Brompton Bar and Grill in London where this video was made:



The Juice of 1/2 Lemon or 1 Lime.
1/2 Tablespoonful Powdered Sugar.
The White of 1 Egg.
2 Dashes Absinthe
1 Glass Scotch Whisky
Shake well, strain into long tumbler and fill with syphon soda water.


This is in the Savoy but first appeared some 14 years earlier in 1916 in "Recipes for Mixed Drinks" written by Hugo R. Ensslin. Absinthe and smoky whisky work very well together, a point recently made by Gaz Regan in his Regan Report 2014

I first tasted the Sea Fizz cocktail at Death and Co., New York in 2010.

1 1/2 oz Absinthe
Juice 1/2 lemon
1 egg white
1 tsp caster sugar

Shake ingredients for 10 seconds in a cocktail shaker without ice. Add large ice and shake well. Strain into glass and top up with soda water.
According to Erik Ellestad's Savoy Stomp, this first appeared around 1935, created by Frank Meier, at the time of the Gambon Bar, and later of the Ritz in Paris. I cannot find verification of this, although there is a SeaPea Fizz in Meier's book "The Artistry of Mixed Drinks," which omits the egg white (and, given that absinthe was not generally available, specifies "Anis").
I opted for the version in the Savoy Stomp since I recalled how much I had enjoyed it at Death and Co. And I was not disappointed. The egg white helps produce a wonderful foam and it becomes a drink where texture and taste work together really well. I used a blanche (La Clandestine) and  think that works better both in taste and appearance. My wife who doesn't like absinthe generally seemed to enjoy it too.


Since I work in the absinthe sector (business is too grandiose a word for it), I shall not have the luxury of drinking with my wife on Valentine's. Two years ago we enjoyed a great absinthe dinner at The Larderhouse near Bournemouth (mentioned here). This year I will be on duty at a Valentine's event in London. If you're nearby, please come along ... with a partner of course.

It being Valentine's, I shall sign off this time ... Love and xxx ...





Thursday 23 January 2014

Absinthe Robette re-visited


Absinthe Robette, painted by Belgium-born Henri Privat-Livemont, is one of the most iconic absinthe posters and the pin-up style of the original has attracted collectors, artists and absinthe lovers since 1896. The GIF above, created in 2014 by Challenger 23, is the latest, and it is interesting to see the bubbles in what was originally a classic absinthe serve with chilled water. Maybe Challenger 23 sees the Death in the Afternoon cocktail (absinthe and champagne) as a more suitable drink for the lady in the poster, and that works for me.

A practitioner of deviant art has cleverly re-worked the poster as "Absinthe Robotte."


It has also been re-worked in other materials such as sets of bathroom tiles and this metallic plaque:


Even the Sherlock Holmes of Benedict Cumberbatch has been re-cast in the same posture, but I don't find this nearly as attractive!


What of the absinthe itself? Well, according to Belgian blogger, Stijn Teijssen, Absinthe Robette was the trademark of the Distillerie Petitjean & Cie, founded in Mons, Belgium. This factory also produced fine kirsch, amer and mirabelle. It was the second establishment of Petitjean from Saint-Loup  in the French department of Haute-Saône in the Franche-Comté region. This successful French distillery, led by Mr. Petitjean himself and in succession by his widow Mrs. Robette (hence the name of the Absinthe), counted 52 employees and an astounding 340 representatives in France, Belgium and possibly other countries as well.

Sadly no-one alive today seems to have tasted this absinthe. However, the poster continues to attract artists in all fields and one of the best is the video below. I suggest slipping into something more comfortable, pouring a Death in the Afternoon or two, and enjoying the art and the drink together. Santé!