[luckyjimm]

What's Wrong With Czech "Style" Absinth?

Written by Hiram

Czech Absinth (generally without the "e" at the end) gets a lot of bad press from absinthe enthusiasts. Primarily, that's because it's not really absinthe in the traditional sense, but can only be considered a very distant cousin. We say "Czech" absinth because this product was first widely marketed from the Czech Republic in the late 1990s and the majority of Czech-style brands are produced there, although we include products from all over Eastern and Central Europe in the genre. The nomenclature has nothing to do with nationalistic sentiment, only the practical facts of provenance.

With very, very few exceptions, this spirit is a misnamed and misrepresented product. Nearly all Czech-style absinths are oil mixes, or compounded spirits, and while there are a number of medium-quality compounded absinthes on the market, the makers of these make an effort to reproduce the authentic, Belle Époque absinthe flavor profile; Czech-style absinth makers do not. Czechs intentionally tend to minimize the anise flavor, which is among the definitive qualities of authentic absinthe. This may possibly be an aversion stemming from the use of anise to disguise the unpleasant flavors of children's medicines.

Some marketers have claimed that this is a traditional Czech style of absinthe, but since there is no historic evidence of a Czech absinth(e) tradition, this is unlikely. Also there is no mention in marketing materials of any Czech absinth traditions, but connections are frequently made with 19th French absinthe traditions and personalities.

History is full of drinks and medicines which contain wormwood, but it is the specific drink of 19th century France that has captured the imagination, and that drink is historically attested to be an anise spirit flavored with wormwood.
It is inappropriate to call any highly-bitter, non-anise spirit "absinthe," regardless of its provenance. Trying to make a non-anise absinthe is like making a non-anise ouzo. Anyone will tell you, it's just not ouzo anymore. Absinthe, like ouzo, is an anise spirit.

The flavor profiles and manufacturing processes of Czech absinth have nothing in common with those of authentic absinthe and are only nominally "absinth" because of the incidental inclusion of wormwood which, for the uninformed, is all that matters. However, it takes more than simply the presence of wormwood to make a spirit be absinthe.

The wormwood-essence spirits made in the Czech Republic and elsewhere should probably be simply called Wormwood Vodka—just like the Cannabis Vodka, Mandrake Vodka and the Bison Grass Vodkas produced by the same distilleries, or perhaps Wormwood Bitters.

Czech absinths are lacking in every quality that one looks for in an authentic absinthe: fresh herbal flavor; traditional ingredients; good, natural color; a good louche and proper manufacture - i.e. distillation of whole, natural botanicals.

Isn't this just a matter of taste or opinion? Not entirely. It's also a matter of historical fact. In spite of marketing claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that absinth(e) of any kind was made in the Czech Republic prior to 1998, except possibly for part of 1947, but even for that there is no evidence.

In a world full of absinthe-related art and antiques from all over France and Switzerland—paintings depicting absinthe drinkers and absinthe itself, glasses, spoons, advertising posters, menus, catalogs, books and distillation manuals, antique absinthe bottles (sometimes with the intact and drinkable product still inside)—there is nothing from the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia and not one hint of the now-popular and equally spurious "Czech Fire Method" of preparing absinthe.

Like fabled Atlantis, every piece of evidence of Czech absinth from before 1998 seemingly sank into the sea.

Why are these absinths considered by many to be so inferior? The earliest Czech products were developed at a time when very few people knew what real absinthe tasted like or how it was made—only a handful, in fact.

It is very possible that the originators of Czech-style absinth, in all good faith, believed that wormwood was all it took to qualify a spirit as absinthe, and accordingly undertook to resurrect the Green Fairy—although she had always been alive and moderately well in Spain and the rural areas of Switzerland.

Most absinths are simply a weird-tasting, often terribly bitter, liquor that has been artificially colored green. Since its flavor is mostly unidentifiable and entirely unlike any other liquor they've ever tasted—and green—those new to absinthe cannot know any better and assume that this must be what absinthe is like. Because of this, many have sworn off of absinthe forever without having tasted the real thing.

Things have changed in the realm of authentic absinthe, however. Hobbyists and collectors have uncovered turn-of-the-century distillation manuals including detailed absinthe recipes and distillation protocols. Several old French distilleries such as Emile Pernot, Armand Guy, and Paul Devoilles, as well as the new Jade Liqueurs, have begun making absinthe again by the old methods and formulas. Also, the products of clandestine distillers in Switzerland (who have been making authentic absinthe all along) have become more widely available with the lifting of the ban on absinthe there. More people now have a basis for comparison with authentic style absinthe. Czech absinths do not compare favorably and are a completely different product.

Why are they still so popular? Ignorance primarily, and clever marketing. The marketing is so flashy and alluring, especially to curious, exploring young people, that it is common to find people who believe that absinthe actually originated in the Czech Republic and that all the best "real" old style absinthes are made there. Others insist that Czechs are the "strongest" absinthes - those that will allegedly make you hallucinate. This is of course completely false, as there are no hallucinogenic properties to any absinthe beyond those of extreme alcoholic intoxication. The thujone levels of these absinths are often exaggerated in order to encourage sales.

In short, the marketers of these products are banking on the romance and history of one spirit while producing something entirely different. As one consumer put it, this is a product "where ignorance is seen as a valued commodity amongst producers."

Is this a political or cultural bias? Definitely not. In fact, many absinthe connoisseurs who despise Czech absinth also happen appreciate Czech beers.

While there's no guarantee that any drink labeled "Absinthe" is reliably a premium, authentic absinthe, for the time being it's a safe bet that anything labeled "Absinth" is best avoided if one is after the authentic Belle Époque experience.