Ben McFarland takes a look at the history of absinthe, a drink that has a notorious reputation, and its growing popularity in the on-trade
No drink has ever had such a wicked reputation as absinthe. One of the strongest alcoholic drinks ever made, with an average ABV of 70 per cent, absinthe boasts a past more infamous and notorious than any other tipple on the market.
Rumour has it that drinking absinthe can induce hallucinogenic sensations. Its heady mix of aniseed, a not inconsiderable measure of alcohol and (apparently crucial for further drug-like sensations) wormwood, is purported to have inspired and stimulated the minds of intellectuals in decadent 18th century France and London in the 1890s.
Absinthe has famously inspired the rise and, more often than not, the fall of many a creative type. It was often said that artists were unable to realise their brainy potential unless under the influence of five or six glasses of absinthe, while references to absinthe appear in the work of many leading lights including Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent Van Gogh and, later, Ernest Hemingway.
Lautrec died of drink and syphilis upon leaving an asylum, Van Gogh cut off his own ear and Hemingway shot himself. The extent of absinthe's role is debatable, but it certainly adds to its notoriety.
You didn't need an A level (or whatever the 19th century equivalent was) to drink absinthe, however. In the early 1900s, absinthe was cheaper than wine, making it appealing to the average man and woman on the street. Before long it was laying waste to the morals of France and the government was beginning to get a little concerned.
This concern grew with the threat of the impending First World War and three days after Germany declared its intention on August 13, 1914, the French government prohibited the sale of absinthe fearing their decadent soldiers wouldn't put up much of a fight.
Within a year the ban was extended to the manufacture of absinthe. It was also prohibited in America, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Bulgaria.
Contrary to popular belief, absinthe was never banned in Britain - principally because it was not drunk widely enough to cause havoc among the masses.
This means that nearly a century later, the UK is spearheading an extraordinary absinthe revival. Having blazed a trail through the trendy style bar sector in the late 1990s, the absinthe craze has been threatening to break into the mainstream pub market for some time.
On hearing of its reputation, Tony Blair was reported in the Daily Telegraph to be "keeping a close eye on the matter and if it becomes popular, he will ban it".
While France is the country most readily associated with absinthe, it was the Czech Republic that provided the source for the recent absinthe revival.
Absinthe from the Czech Republic differs greatly from its "pre-ban" French counterpart. It does not have as much aniseed, it doesn't go cloudy with the addition of water and it is served differently.
However, it is the Czech "Bohemian" style (often called "post-ban") of absinthe that is most well-known in the UK and often, mistakenly, connected to the decadent stories of 19th century France.
Following the fall of the Iron Curtain and Czechoslovakia's 1987 Velvet Revolution, westerners began visiting Prague and experiencing its wide range of beers and spirits.
While on a tour in Eastern Europe, John Moore - one time guitarist with the Jesus and Mary Chain - came across a 70 per cent ABV Czech "Bohemian" variety of absinthe called Hill's and started sending bottles back to the UK for his own consumption.
After writing an article on absinthe in The Idler, a trendy London-based magazine, John joined forces with editor Tom Hodgkinson and art director Gavin Pretor-Pitney to import Hill's into the UK. At the same time, George Rowley, the managing director of BBH spirits - specialist distributors of Czech beers and spirits - was contemplating doing the same thing so the two parties got together and formed a single company, Green Bohemia.
"Before launching it into the UK, we worked very closely with the Trading Standards Authorities as we knew that as the first importers of true absinthe we were bound to be heavily scrutinised," said George.
Once given the all-clear, Hill's Absinth was launched into the upmarket style-bar sector accompanied by a Prince-inspired strapline of "We're going to party like it's 1899".
Barmen were warned not to serve more than two glasses to any one customer and the distribution was strictly controlled - a move that helped both appease critics and increase the mystery that surrounds the drink.
"We wanted to ensure that the people we were supplying could handle the product properly and serve it correctly. If your products ends up in the wrong hands then it can be abused and damage your reputation," said George.
Two years later in conjunction with Marie-Claude Delahaye, a world-renowned absinthe expert and author based in France, Green Bohemia launched La Fée, an authentic turn-of-the century French absinthe, into the UK.
"La Fée is the most authentic pre-ban absinthe on the market and is the only brand to be endorsed by the world's most published author on absinthe," claimed George
Sebor Absinth, a French-style absinthe produced in the Czech Republic, is the most serious competitor to Hill's. Although there were some other brands that emerged in the late 1990s, that were predominantly of the bandwagon-jumping variety eager to cash-in on consumer demand.
Despite a lower alcohol content of 55 per cent ABV, compared with Hill's 70 per cent, Sebor contains more wormwood (the maximum UK limit of 10mg per 1000g) than its rivals and, as such, promises a stronger hallucinogenic effect.
"When we arrived it was at a time when absinthe was selling for £6 a shot. We offered a far more sensible price point," said Jeremy Hill, marketing manager at Sebor.
Since its launch three years ago, Sebor has eased absinthe's transition from style bars to the high street by primarily promoting itself as a shot concept which has led to listings with Scottish & Newcastle, Matthew Clark and Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries.
JD Wetherspoon even launched a Bullrush cocktail containing Smirnoff Vodka, Sebor Absinth and Red Bull for the bargain price of £3.49. "It's really quite nice," said Jeremy.
"Rather than taking the customer back to the 19th century we are bringing it forward and introducing new rituals for the 21st century."
Its arrival into mainstream acceptance was finally confirmed when Sebor took the unprecedented step of launching an absinthe-based premium packaged spirit (PPS) into the market just before Christmas. Wilde Mule, named after the absinthe-quaffing urbane guerrilla Oscar Wilde, is a heady mix of absinthe, ginger ale and lime and with a funky aluminium bottle is priced higher than standard PPS brands.
Last month, the team at Green Bohemia announced the launch of an absinthe designed for the wider marketplace. La Fée Verte, which translates as "The Green Fairy," boasts an ABV of 45 per cent and is also being launched in France, where its stronger sister brand is still prohibited.
"We were looking for a brand that would sit comfortably outside of the style bar sector and be sold around the world," said George. "With a considerably larger revenue margin and a softer ABV it's clearly designed for the wider UK market."
The recent arrival of a major player in the shape of Pernod Ricard has cast aside any remaining doubts about the future of absinthe. Aimed firmly at the style bar sector, Pernod Ricard has relaunched Pernod "aux extraits de plante d'absinthe" which it claims is "the original and most celebrated absinthe drink in 19th century France".
"We have been monitoring the absinthe market and it has showed sustained growth. We thought that it was a good time to launch as there is a d