Absinthe: The Exquisite Elixir by Wittels Betina J. & Breaux T.A

Author:Wittels, Betina J. & Breaux, T.A. [Wittels, Betina J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
Published: 2017-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

Branded absinthe spoons were common at the time, and featured a variety of popular absinthes of the day.

Root of the Problem

Absinths of bad quality are often made, some of them manufactured without distillation and with essences to replace the plants and seeds which are used in the genuine process.

- Beverages and Their Adulteration, Harvey W. Wiley (1919)

It was no secret as far back as the mid-nineteenth century that cheap, adulterated versions of the spirit were in commerce, particularly in France, where absinthe was incredibly popular. This problem was described in books on distillation, distillers of quality absinthes, and even noted by journalists who observed unexpected irregularities, such as a metallic taste left in one’s mouth. These absinthes were concocted in urban warehouses, often from industrial alcohol, commercial oils and essences, and even metallic salts — none of which belong in any traditionally distilled absinthe. The production of such imposters was possible because unlike cognac, champagne, cheeses, and every regional French wine, there was no appellation to protect absinthe, no laws, not even a basic legal definition. This allowed virtually anything to be put into a bottle and sold as absinthe, and many profiteers did exactly that. These were the days before basic food and beverage standards existed, which is why brand consciousness for discriminating absinthe consumers was the rule of the day. Caveat emptor.

As absinthes exported to the French colonies, the Americas, and elsewhere were almost always the larger, respectable brands, this relegated the phenomenon of absinthism, the kind of alcoholism that people believed was related specifically to drinking absinthe, as mostly a continental French problem. Additionally, as mentioned in Chapter 2 , a recent scientific study noted that much of what was originally diagnosed as absinthism appears to be complications associated with ordinary alcoholism. Another important observation is that a century after the ban, dusty pre-ban bottles of absinthe that occasionally emerge from the cellars of old European estates are invariably respectable, traditionally distilled examples of the spirit. Those who possessed homes with cellars were generally those of reasonable financial means, and those persons had little incentive to buy and store inexpensive, adulterated versions of the drink. If there is any social group that paid the price for the cheap, inferior brands of absinthe that permeated the lower rungs of the market, it was those of modest means, particularly poor alcoholics who imbibed copious volumes of these unfit spirits with bizarre, albeit predictable consequences. Meanwhile, it cannot be ignored that millions around the world imbibed the potent green elixir on a frequent, if not regular basis, and lived productive lives without experiencing anything unusual.

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