St. George Spirits Absinthe Verte
Not exactly wine news, I know, but it was fun to be a part of something big and just down the road from the winery where I work. Last night, I tasted Absinthe for the first time–in Alameda, the night before St. George Spirits started selling to the masses today for $75 a bottle. Forbidden Island, where we Rosenblum employees like to drink, had gotten a preview bottle with specific instructions from Lance, the master distiller responsible for the beverage. When I ordered my shot at $18 a pop, it was given to me as about an ounce or so of what looked to be dark green, translucent (in the dim tiki bar lights anyway) liquid in a small wine glass. I also received a short ice water with the instuctions to add and mix it, a strawful at a time. Once it was about 2 parts water, it became a milky, almost electric, chartreuse. Drinking it was like eating black jelly beans, warming the throat and belly more than whiskey. It’s made from brandy, star anise, mint, wormwood, lemon balm, hyssop, meadowsweet, basil, fennel, tarragon and stinging nettles. Very herbal with the anise and fennel coming on strong, especially at first, until the the other flavors blend into more of the tarragon and mint.
Today at the winery, we had a lot of people come over because there were so many people in line that they had already been there an hour, and in some cases, two–and still hadn’t gotten to taste or purchase. Some people came over because they had no idea there would be such a hoopla, like customers who had planned on a normal Hangar One vodka tasting or my friend Gail who just wanted some Scotch for her husband. And as tired as I am now from our busy day, I truly feel for the St. George employees after their ordeal.
Tags: Absinthe_Verte, St.George_SpiritsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: East Bay wine happenings, holiday spirit, out-there wine stuff
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