Alcohols By Volume (ABV)

Nice, Derrick! Note that La Clandestine is better value now at around $71.99. As you mentioned, you probably don't need any sugar with a blanche like La Clandestine.

Glad to know your father enjoys it (despite not seeing the pink elephants!).

Nice, $71.99 makes it a little easier when you factor in shipping costs. I used your site to find a local vendor that was selling it because googling for “la clandestine buy” wasn't getting me any stores.

Also, about the hallucination myth, there where also allot of cheap, and “bad” homemade absinthes around in those days, with ingredients that shouldn't really be in any sort of drink…

Think the modern marvel segment of absinthe covered that bit.

To clear up some information in this episode:

- The reason absinthe hallucinations myths exist is because of cheap imitation absinthe that was made in France during that period. Since absinthe was such a trendy drink, there was very high demand for absinthe manufacturers to produce lower cost absinthes. Since the cost of ingredients in real absinthe couldn't really allow them to make cheaper absinthe, they started making what was basically anise flavored vodka labeled as absinthe. Since there is nothing in that recipe to give it the green color commonly associated with absinthe, and food coloring wasn't readily available at that time, they used copper sulfate. The problem with copper sulfate is that in high doses it gives the drinker metal poisoning which causes hallucinations.

- You will almost never see real green absinthe in clear bottles. The sun causes the ingredients to turn brown. La Fee is most likely a white absinthe died green or one of many fake absinthes – grain alcohol died green and flavored with anise and other spices.

Yeah, like bathtub absinthe Like bathtub vodka, that stuff can and will kill you as people use cheap ingredients (fuels, cleaning agents, etc.) to maintain the “effect” of the spirit.

No doubt there is some crazy green/dye going on in the La Fee, but I cannot say for certain as I'm not there when it is made. So, I'm not going to put words in their mouth. I can say that their product is described as:

“La Fée was created from an authentic 19th century recipe and was developed in a French distillery under the supervision of Madame Delahaye. It contains a dozen or more plants, including 'Grande' and 'Petite' Absinthe (artemisia absinthium and artemisia pontica). La Fée is a distilled absinthe — the botanicals are macerated in alcohol and then distilled in accordance with the most traditional methods.”

I would no doubt believe that the clear bottles wouldn't stop a green absinthe brand. I've seen plenty of products that must be maintained carefully because of the clear glass (i.e. look at Corona, the beer). I believe the clear bottle would work fine if properly cared for but that's a big responsibility to put on the owner of the bottle, one that may destroy the brands reputation of the customer assumes that the tainted alcohol was like there when it was bottled.

Thanks for the great feedback thus far, this goes for everyone that has and will leave comments. I get more comments from absinthe video's than any other video so keep them coming, because I use them to feed information/ideas/opinions to the audience in future shows.

i love absinthe. i enjoy the whole process and all my friends are afraid of it so its the only alcohol i buy that noone steals from me.

Yeah, people are so intimidated, we need to change that (well, not your friends but everyone else)

Withanx is right in saying that most naturally green absinthes don't come in clear bottles. Those that do turn it into a virtue by emphasising how natural the product is (e.g. Leopold and Delaware Phoenix).

Artificial colours may have been permitted in the past and are still legal in absinthe today (except in Switzerland which has the toughest absinthe regulations in the world). But I think that many of today's drinkers who are paying $60 plus for their absinthe expect it to be as natural as possible.