Am I to really believe that's safer than a little Mother Nature's buzz? I don't think so. Yes, you heard right: genetically modified. It is highly hypocritical, too, because the word is that-in order to meet the FDA requirements-USA absinthe brands have had to resort to using genetically modified version of Artemisia.
To put it plainly, it's not about food safety at all, it's about bone-idleness and unwillingness to move with the times. So why does wormwood get singled out? Because the FDA is a slow-moving bureaucracy and their outdated regulations go back to the absinthe witchhunts of 1912. Interestingly, sage contains thujone as well, but is not banned by the FDA. Of course, wormwood is the primary ingredient in absinthe: absinthe without wormwood is like turkey stuffing without sage. The problem with making thujone-free "absinthe" is that thujone is the natural essential oil of Artemisia absinthium, a wild plant better known as grande wormwood. Lucid isn't sold in Europe at all (nobody would buy it over there), and the USA version of Kubler is not the same Kubler that's available in Switzerland, to give two examples.Īs a result, many European distillers that have been making the real stuff for generations will not make it to America's bars and stores anytime soon.Īs a result, don't expect to dance with the Green Fairy. The choice: either rape the very soul of the Green Fairy and deliver an absinthe-like abomination, or keep out of the USA.Īs a result, the American consumer is left with watered-down off-brands made solely for the USA. The nonsensical FDA regulations present a serious obstacle for any absinthe distiller wishing to enter the American market. It's the substance that pretty much defines absinthe as a drink, the substance that sets it apart from any other alcoholic beverage ever made. For those of you who don't know, thujone to absinthe is what caffeine is to coffee: it's what gives it its "buzz". But Lucid was the first, and it is a very fitting example of just about everything that's wrong with absinthe in the USA.Īs per outdated TTB/FDA regulations, all USA-approved absinthe must test thujone-free. I don't wish to single out Lucid as there are now other brands of "absinthe" available in America. The difference between USA-style absinthe and the genuine European stuff is like the difference between an instant decaf and a cup of freshly ground Jamaican Blue Mountain: the first is merely a hopeful approximation of the second. What's wrong with USA absinthe?Įssentially, it's not the real deal. In the fall of 2007, the Lucid guys' trademark slogan exclaimed: "Prohibition is finally over!" I shared their excitement wholeheartedly. But last year, things were to get a whole lot better for absinthe-thirsty Americans. Thankfully, those days are gone and nobody bats an eyelid over a bottle (or three) anymore. Though until about ten years ago, it was advisable not to bring any absinthe in its original packaging since confiscation by an overly-diligent dumbass customs official could never be ruled out. Well, to say "been smuggling" is an overstatement since the "offence" did not carry any penalty. I fell for absinthe way back in the nineties, during a couple of wonderful years I spent over in Europe, and have been used to smuggling my supply into the USA ever since. I was very excited when I first heard absinthe was to be legalized in America.
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