WHAT IS ABSINTHE?

Absinthe is a high-proof spirit built on three botanicals: wormwood, fennel and anise. All three are required — a spirit missing any of them isn't absinthe. It originated in Switzerland in the 1700s as a folk medicine for digestive complaints. The name comes from the French for wormwood and shares a root with the plant's Latin name, Artemisia absinthium.

Letherbee produces absinthe, fernet and bësk — three traditions built on bitterness, from Switzerland, Italy and Sweden. Absinthe is the Swiss one.

IT WAS ILLEGAL FOR ALMOST A CENTURY

Switzerland banned absinthe in 1910. Most of western Europe and the United States followed by 1915. It was not legal again in the United States until 2007.

The case against it was thin. Absinthe was blamed for a distinct form of madness that no contemporary scientist recognizes, and the campaign was driven substantially by French winemakers who had lost their vineyards to blight and wanted their market share back. At its peak absinthe never accounted for more than three percent of the alcohol consumed in France.

What the ban did accomplish was a century-long gap in knowledge. Most people who try absinthe today are trying it for the first time — there was no one left to teach them.

WHY IT CLOUDS

Absinthe is bottled at high proof and is traditionally served with cold water — roughly one part absinthe to three to five parts water, the colder the better.

As the water goes in, the oils in the anise fall out of solution and the drink turns opaque. That's the louche — French for the clouding, and also French slang for a person of questionable character.

A sugar cube on a flat slotted spoon, dissolved by the water on its way down, is the traditional way to take the edge off. Optional, not required.

WHY WE AGE OURS IN OAK

Absinthe is a European spirit with a European history. We wanted to make an American one.

American oak is high in vanillin, and vanilla and anise belong together — that pairing is the whole reason for the barrel. We start with a wormwood-forward, sugarless white absinthe and age it nine months in full-sized American oak. The oak pulls it amber, softens the anise, and brings toasted vanilla and caramel up underneath.

That's the Américaine part: a European tradition with an American twist.

LETHERBEE ABSINTHE AMÉRICAINE

126 proof. 375 mL. Available year-round.

Made since 2012.

Sweet anise, toasted vanilla, matcha, fennel, caramel. The oak softens the anise and lets the spice and the barrel come forward.

Order Letherbee Absinthe Américaine →

HOW TO DRINK IT

Neat, if you want it straight.

The traditional serve is water — one part absinthe to three to five parts cold water, poured slowly, until it clouds.

Ours we like over ice. A tall glass, more ice than seems reasonable, and a lemon twist. As the ice melts the drink keeps changing — it opens up over ten or fifteen minutes and never tastes quite the same twice. It's a lovely ride.

And a piña colada. The esteemed Maison Premiere in Brooklyn showed us that one and we've never gotten over it. Our bësk does the same trick.