by Jay Erisman, EQ Wine and Spirits Manager

The reintroduction of absinthe to American markets last year was unprecedented. Probably not since the end of Prohibition had we seen a whole category of banned spirit suddenly become legit once again. Certainly we at The Party Source–which debuted absinthe for the Greater Cincinnati market on Thursday, May 15–had never seen such a rapturous, ravenous reception for a new product. Everyone was crazy for absinthe! Since then , various voices in the liquor industry have predicted the demise of this noble spirit. It’s true that some people have hopped off the absinthe bandwagon, remembered they don’t really like licorice, or did not achieve the presumed trippy experience; and surely the present economy does not help a $60 bottle of booze. However, what’s left is a dedicated and sizeable band of true absinthe lovers. Absinthe is not going anywhere. For these people, we are pleased to announce yet another artisanal absinthe in our collection. Hailing from the City of Brotherly Love, here is Vieux Carré Absinthe Supérieure.

Vieux Carré is crafted by the gents at Philadelphia Distilling. Their excellent Bluecoat Gin (reviewed in this space last week) set Philly on fire for craft spirits. Their absinthe joins St. George and North Shore on our shelf as unique American expressions of La Fée Verte. I’m really pleased with what American craft distillers are doing with absinthe, and Vieux Carré more than compares to its predecessors. Along with the “holy trinity” of absinthe herbs–grand wormwood, sweet fennel, and green anise–distiller Robert Cassel adds star anise, melissa, and, uniquely, a bit of the rare Swiss flower genepi. The green color is derived, as it should be, naturally from a petite wormwood infusion.

The result is a pronounced and quite beautiful aroma, shimmering with herbs. The palate is perhaps the least licorice-dominated of any absinthe we’ve tried, as the other herbs really step up to the plate with fine clarity and expression. Texturally it has a uniquely refreshing, almost crisp quality. Do not be alarmed by the fine layer of green sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Distiller Cassel explains that to retain maximum aroma and flavor, he gives Vieux Carré a fairly coarse filtration that leaves a fine herbal deposit in the bottle. As fanatical proponents of maximum flavor, to say nothing of unchillfiltered spirits (Scotch, mostly), we say “tres bien” to Robert’s decision. Certain of our staff claimed this as their favorite, and I think it surely deserves a place in anyone’s absinthe cabinet.  I like the fair price, too.

Look for more neat-o spirits from Philadelpia Distilling in the future. These guys have some serious chops.

Vieux Carré Absinthe Supérieure $49.99 750 ml

Tags: absinthe, green fairy, liquor, Philadelphia, spirits, wormwood

This entry was posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at 1:22 pm and is filed under spirit. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.