Go buy yourself some absinthe.

I’m not sure how I missed this, but in perusing info on Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans from July 18th through 22nd, I found out about Lucid, the American version of absinthe that’s for sale– legally– in the U.S.  It doesn’t sound as bunk as you might think when you hear “American” and “absinthe” in the same sentence.  Here’s the story from the business section of the New York Times, regarding Viridian Spirits’ Jared Gurfein’s quest to make a US version:

A New Orleans native, Mr. Breaux now produces absinthes in Saumur, France, using the same recipes and ingredients — including the plant Artemisia absinthium, or grand wormwood — employed by his 19th-century predecessors.

Mr. Gurfein asked Mr. Breaux whether he could produce an absinthe that would pass regulatory muster with American authorities — meaning that it would not contain thujone. Mr. Breaux said that would be fairly easy, given his belief that, contrary to popular opinion, 19th century absinthes contained relatively little thujone to begin with — less than 5 parts per million, according to his tests, rather than much higher estimates that have been bandied about.

Still, Mr. Breaux knew that removing thujone entirely might harm the taste. “I had to get a handle on the whole thujone issue without compromising the character and the flavor of the drink,” he said. To accomplish this, Mr. Breaux blended the grand wormwood with green anise and sweet fennel from Europe, instead of using more-affordable imports from East Asia. Using herbs from Europe, absinthe’s native continent, he said, gives the drink an earthier essence.

Mr. Breaux also had to keep the American palate in mind while developing Lucid. “In the U.S., anise is a sort of a strange flavor,” he said. “We don’t get a lot of exposure to it.” So Mr. Breaux made sure that Lucid had a slightly cleaner, crisper taste than its European peers.

Is it available yet in D.C.?  I called Schneiders and Calvert Woodley, who suggested that a) it’s not in D.C. yet and b) to go ahead and call up New York stores to get some, many of which will ship out of state.

Some options?  Beekman Liquors, LeNell’s , and Morrell Wine. If you find yourself up there, you can try it in a drink at Employees Only and Death & Co. 

When it arrives in town, please let us know where in the comments.

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