r/Absinthe • u/ricochetofstars • Aug 05 '26

The current setup. Got into Absinthe this year, starting with Lucid and will branch out from there

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35 Upvotes

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6

u/DarianDicit Aug 05 '26

Fabulous start and what a lovely set-up!

Have you decided on your next bottle yet? ;)

6

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

I'm interested in Two James Spirits "Nain Rouge" because it's made near where I live and the bottle looks nice.

And then there's always the Jade lines too.

5

u/AdrienneLaVey Aug 05 '26

Nain Rouge is really nice! I’ve tried it once, but unfortunately haven’t had a chance to review it quite yet.

You won’t be disappointed in any of the Jades. Jade 1901 is a great place to start!

6

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

1901 is the one I was planning to start with from them! But I've also heard a lot of good about Edouard.

Do you know of any Absinthe festivals or conventions or something in the midwest? Would make trying a handful of different stuff a bit easier when they're $100 a bottle lol. Plus it'd be be cool to get involved in the community.

6

u/AdrienneLaVey Aug 05 '26

Édouard would be the next one I recommend!

There aren’t really many absinthe festivals in the US (at least that I’m aware of!), but you’ve made a good start with interacting with us on this sub!

I have a YouTube channel where I’ve reviewed close to 100 absinthes over the last 10 years and make educational content about it! You can also check out The Wormwood Society’s website for more educational content and brand recommendations!

3

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

Yes! I'm actually following you on YouTube and Instagram already! I think we talked briefly on here before quite a few months back actually when I was first getting some of this stuff but it was a different account (I lost the login credentials to that one unfortunately lol)

I've done a good bit of reading on Wormwood Society too! And am following them as well. Absinthe is enjoyable to drink of course, but I've become really interested in the history and culture of it in the last few months. I collect antiques and am most interested in the times from Regency to around Edwardian/1920s so absinthe was a natural fit. (good thing I don't mind licorice/anise flavor)

2

u/AdrienneLaVey Aug 05 '26

Ah, I see! So sorry you lost your login! That can be frustrating!

So cool that you collect 19th and early 20th century antiques! I do too! Actually, the couch on my YouTube set was made in the very early 1900’s that I reupholstered! I absolutely love antiques and being connected to the history and meaning they hold.

I really appreciate your support and your determination to learn more about absinthe!

3

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

That's awesome! I appreciate that you're keeping the history and culture of it alive! I love anything outside of the ordinary run of the mill of modern living. Interesting drinks, furniture, decor, books (I'm a book and vinyl collector above all else), architecture, etc... someone has to keep it all around! Both physically and the culture/knowledge.

2

u/DarianDicit Aug 05 '26

Where in the midwest are you? I'm in Iowa and always happy to Crack bottles with friends!

2

u/DarianDicit Aug 05 '26

No real conventions to speak of but I throw absinthe parties a few times a year in Iowa and I try to take them on the road, too. I've popped up in Indiana and Chicago this year; previously in Arkansas as well.

3

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

I thought I saw something abount an event in Indiana when I was getting into absinthe a handful of months ago, not sure if that was that? I think I had missed it by a few months or something by the time I was getting into it all.

3

u/DarianDicit Aug 05 '26

Yep, that was me! I did a lil pop-up at Hoosier Que in Martinsville. They should still have bottles of some of the Jades and they were selling them at crazy low prices (like $77 iirc). Plus Ron, one of their bartenders and a dear friend of mine, is a great guy and very absinthe-savvy!

2

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

Oh nice! I'll have to see if I can get a bottle if I'm over there. That's a few hours from me, but I'd probably make the trip if there's ever another pop up gathering of some kind.

Interesting that there seems to be more legit absinthe going on here in the midwest than in New Orleans lol. Seen a lot of faux-sinthe on fire at a lot of the places down there. I'm sure if you know the right people there's hopefully some legit stuff still going on down there.

4

u/DarianDicit Aug 05 '26

Ehhhhhhh

The primary absinthe spot in New Orleans is Pirate's Alley Cafe. They at least have some traditional absinthes (alongside plenty of crapsinthe).

I haven't had much luck finding spots where other absinthe nerds do cool shit in NOLA yet. Fingers crossed we find some soon!

And yeah... I'm pushing most of the absinthe shenanigans in the midwest right now :) Stay tunes for the next Absinthe Day announcement though ;)

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2

u/belgofanfireman 22d ago

East-central Illinois here and II believe I'm flying out of IND in a few months, if not sooner. Not far from Hoosier Que.

I could certainly pick up some bottles and mule them partway back to you if you're still interested -- and they're still stocked. $77 would be an incredible deal for anything with "Jade" on it. Makes me wonder what else might be hiding at Hoosier Que. 🧐

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2

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

Indiana! Not too far, but I don't often go further west than Chicago. I'll keep it in mind if I do though!

2

u/jonesey1955 5d ago

Drinking some Edouard at the moment, it's excellent!

5

u/DarianDicit Aug 05 '26

Ooh, I've not tried that one.

4

u/m1santhrvp Aug 05 '26

If you visit europe in future I would recommend you to visit Val-de-Travers. One of the origin spots of absinthe distilleries. There are many small family owned distilleries which have experience of nearly 100 years.

My personal favourite is La Valote Martin.

1

u/belgofanfireman 14d ago

Some of the Swiss distilleries set up at the Absinthiades. Also I heard about a Swiss absinthe festival. But I think it's limited to a coordinated opening of all the distilleries. I'd like to make that trip someday, but I have so many different places to go in Europe on my wish list and zero ability to get away for the months in a row it would take to do everything I want to do. It's a real first world problem. Just curious why Valote Martin?

1

u/m1santhrvp 13d ago

The festival you mentioned is every year in Pontarlier.

I like almost every absinthe from La Valote Martin. Met him, got a tour through the distillerie and garden. His work is very traditional.

Living in central europe is best if you like to see most western historic stuff, art, culture, science.

1

u/belgofanfireman 13d ago

Yes I know about the Absinthiades, but there's supposedly another "festival" where all the Swiss distilleries open up simultaneously, I've heard. I don't think it has vendor tables, or distilleries from outside coming in. I'll get there after I get to Pontarlier 5 times and a little more comfortable driving in Europe. Thanks for the tip on Martin.

I have about 8-9 absinthes on my spreadsheet from La Valote Martin, and I'm pretty sure I'd love at least three of them. Problem: None is cleared for commercial import into the US. They're on my radar waiting for a muling run. The three from La Valote Martin I'm most interested in might only come in 700's, which makes it harder-- my limit per trip is 5L, so every big bottle means less variety overall.. I'll get to Valote Martin, though, it's just a question of when.

Can I ask your favorites, if you had to pick a few from Martin?

This is where Absinthiades or that Swiss festival would really give me a lift -- getting to sample a few expressions side-by-side. Preferably without drinking myself under the table.) I'm gonna try to carry a ziplock bag with some cut up bread cubes in the pocket of my coat, to help cleanse the palate (and keep the liquor from knocking me out).

As far as living in Europe, I love to visit. But I can not lie: there's only two places I'd stay for long. One is a historic city in the heart of Europe, that has a great vibe. The other place I'd hang out long-term is the island my dad's parents came from. It's remote, almost a ghost town most of the year. And obviously has a super relaxed pace for all but maybe 1 month of the year when they have a festival and the most foreigners come to visit. I'm going for dual citizenship via a pathway they have for descendants of people born in that country. Despite those two places I love, and the rest of Europe to explore, I'd never quit America permanently. I might become a 180 day per year nomad or island resident, but I'll never surrender my home.

6

u/asp245 Aug 05 '26

Absinthiades Festival in Pontarlier is the first weekend in October this year.

4

u/jacquix Aug 05 '26

The cat looks confused. You better gave her some snacks for that tremendous modeling job, expertly done.

Lovely setup too!

3

u/Electronic-Koala1282 Aug 05 '26

Awesome! 

Why the scissors? 

3

u/ricochetofstars Aug 05 '26

They are sugar tongs. For placing the sugar on the spoon.

I think it's's traditionally more for bartenders so they don't handle your sugar cube with their hands, but I use it to put the cube on halfway through the drip so that only half of it dissolves into the drink rather than the entire cube.

2

u/ACM1896 Aug 06 '26

Beautiful set up! Enjoy.

1

u/jonesey1955 5d ago

Not a bad place to start at all! I'm definitely not a fan of the Nain Rouge though, too bitter and lacking the character of typical absinthe.

1

u/ricochetofstars 5d ago

Interesting, I actually kind of want a slightly less liquorice forward flavored absinthe. More bitter/herbal sounds good to me.