Ah, absinthe, the “green fairy”, I had no idea how little I knew…
The Washington State Bartenders Guild put on a great event showcasing absinthe here in the Emerald City, including tastings of some of the best absinthes on the market and two great guest speakers. The event took place at Zane Harris and Anu Apte’s Sodo district loft with sprawling white walls seeming to stretch up over 20 feet high. It was reminiscent of a museum or gallery and with a fully stocked bar it was the perfect place to host the show.
Gwydion Stone started it all off as we sipped on our first drink, Death in the Afternoon, which is simple enough combining just absinthe and champagne with a lemon twist. As Gwydion talked about the history behind absinthe I realized everything I thought I knew about it was fiction and rumor. I won’t get into the complete history of absinthe here, but you should check out the wormwood society website if you are interested. As the presentation continued we were all served Marteau and water, Marteau being the absinthe Gwidion produces and is of course excellent. Paul Clarke then took the reins with a very informative and funny presentation as he helped end the first part of the event on a high note.
The second half was a variety tasting including Taboo, St. George, Pernod and Pacifique (which has an amazing gin as well, Voyager.)
This event showed how great it can be when people of a common interest get organized together and I for one am looking forward to the future of the Washington State Bartenders Guild… stay tuned for the Vermouth Tasting on February 22nd by checking wsbg.org and the newly designed forum.
To enjoy absinthe historically DO:
Buy a good quality absinthe, the new laws allow the use of the WORD absinthe pretty much regardless of what is in the bottle, so educate yourself and give your hard earned money to quality distilleries.
Use ice water in your Absinthe Frappe’s, drip it in slowly in a 1:3-5 ratio.
Sugar cubes are a matter of taste, remember, the best drink is the one you enjoy… period! If you do use sugar cubes look for the longer European style as per tradition, but even more important most are not refined like American style (they can impart a chemical taste).
Please, for the sake of humanity, DO NOT:
Light your god damnit sugar cube on fire. That is modern day marketing magic at work and will ruin the subtle flavor profiles of the absinthe.
Take a shot of absinthe, most are in the 106 to 148 proof ranges (to preserve the color). Absinthe is to be truly enjoyed and sipped by those who enjoy the flavor profile.
Article by: Mark Sexauer
Filed under: Articles
