It means everything to me - O’ Vienna (Absinthe at the Schnapsmuseum)

And apologies to Ultravox.

I very easily fell in love with Vienna. What captured my heart was not the architecture – and while very beautiful, perhaps lacked some of the visual variety of Prague, from whence I had just arrived. It wasn’t the endless variety of coffee (which Prague unfortunately lacked), which seemed to have its own particular name for every conceivable ratio of milk to coffee. Nor was it the fluidity with which society seemed to operate - although for a now recently ex-Sydney resident such as myself where the rail system is on near collapse, the teutonic efficiency of trains and trams running frequently, on time and using one low cost ticket interchangeably was close to nirvana of another kind. What I fell in love with is the feeling of being in a city content with its own identity, and willing to offer up to the traveller some surprises in reward for any proactive effort to learn a little more.

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One can easily make the mistake of thinking that Vienna is obsessed with its past glory. And true, the history of the city cannot be ignored, like the tourist touts dressed in frock coats and wigs herding another busload of Japanese travellers to a classical music concert. Ironically the real Vienna does not flaunt itself like the frenzy of baroque ornamentation often overpowering the eye in almost every palace and cathedral. EvenasIattendedtheVolksopera to see Mozart’s Die Zauberflute , I noted the production itself was fresh, as visually exciting as any Broadway production, while keeping the dignity of the original musical landscape. Shakespeare is often credited with the ability of writing works with relevance that transcend the centuries. If Mozart, Freud and the other philosophical, literary and artistic intelligentsia who found a home in Vienna can achieve something of the same transcendence, it reveals that Vienna is a city sitting in a comfortable balance of where it has been and where it is still yet to go.

What has this to do with absinthe?

In the popular mythology around absinthe, we think of France, we think of the Czech Republic, we may even think of Switzerland – but Austria may not immediately come to mind. As I said, scratch the surface a little deeper and you will be rewarded.

Behind the seemingly inconspicuous façade of the Alt Weiner Schnapsmuseum in the southern suburbs of Vienna, is an ongoing family tradition of artisan liquor production going back over 100 years. Like the many aspects of Viennese history to which I alluded, it is not fixed in the past but part of a living tradition, and of particular relevance to modern absinthe connoisseurs. This is the home of MataHari Absinthe, Absinthe Montmartre and a most enjoyable absinthe chocolate.

I had literally walked in off the street, but President of Fischer Schnaps, Gerald Fischer, generously gave me his time to show me around the historical premises, antique bottles of flavouring oils, the old distillery equipment and even opening the antique safe in which is kept the original handwritten recipes for absinthe amongst dozens of other specialty liqueurs . Maybe this was one of the most significant aspects for me, as I admittedly have become something of an absinthe snob, reserving my palate for the distilled product ratherthanthemaceratedabsinthes. But after talking to Gerald, I think my mind has changed.

Gerald and his family produce a number of absinthe products but porbably most notably – Mata Hari, which is a macerated absinthe, luminescent green but developed from from an old recipe; and Absinthe Montmarte, his premium absinthe, distilled and naturally coloured to a delicate light green with chlorophyll.

Gerald was kind enough to grant a brief interview on the history and development of his family business.

When did your family first start producing absinthe?

In 1881.

Were many distilleries in Austria historically involved in producing absinthe?

Yes, in the old books and encyclopedias from the 1900´s you can find Suisse, French, Turin and Viennese Absinthe recipes.

What was the importance of the product to the family business historically and now compared to other spirit products?

Historically it was just one of many (about 100 different products), today it is one of 20.

Austria is probably better known for white wines and beer- historically was there much an Absinthe ‘culture’ in Vienna, and is there any indication of political or commercial pressure from other alcoholic beverage industries such as occurred in France?

Absinthe was never a highlighted product in Austria. It was more consumed in the cities by poor people. Austria has a long tradition (since Maria Theresia ) of distilling fruits. Therefore Absinthe in Austria was never a political issue. It was banned after the first world war, but never seriously controlled. We have old price lists from the mid 30´s where my Grand Father was still selling ABSYNTH (old german spelling).

What were the circumstances surrounding the re-emergence of Absinthe in Austria and in particular for your company?

I started to use our historical roots and the original interior of our distillery, as living museum and it was in the early 90´s that Australian visitors kept askingaboutourolddisplayedAbsynth Bottles. I kept asking my father to produce it, but he was afraid . When I found out about the legalisation in 1996, I started, with the recipes from my Great Grand Father, my first experiments. In 1998 we launched Absinthe Mata Hari.

Absinthe Mata Hari is produced only with natural herbs and is the only Absinthe without Anise taste having a louche effect ! We used food colouring, as the old chlorophyll was loosing the green colour in the lights of the modern supermarkets and people returned the bottles .

Did you encounter any political or social opposition in Austria to recommencement of production?

The press was not amused and blamed a suicide of 2 youngsters on their Absinthe consumption. Some articles in newspapers in that time warned about Absinthe and even said that you could loose your hair drinking it. The government just controlled the Thujon limit.

Polar attitudes seems to have developed around macerated versus distilled products – as a company that happily produces both, what is your opinion of the debate?

Absinthe was the drink of the Bohemians !!!! Never in the range of a Cognac XO ! In my opinion we should try to ban Absinthe made from artificial flavours, not using fresh herbs and especially not using wormwood

I personally think that both methods are good (if done with fresh herbs) and I would like to compare it to drinking Cognac XO or Brandy, Sparkling Vine (Freixenet) or French Champagne. The price will tell you how often you will drink the one or the other. The distilled product cost the double! (Is a Porsche better than Golf GTI ? I personally would like to have both in my garage!)

Given the explosion in the varieties of absinthe, is there still capacity for quality innovation in the absinthe market?

Yes - Mata Hari in particular is distilled with no anise taste.

Thank you Gerald for some fascinating insights into the history of absinthe in Austria.

In Australia, we are big wine drinkers. But we have wines we lay down for that special occasion, and we have drinking wines that we consumer with little concern for the age and vintage. Just as we do not drink a Grange Hermitage with every meal, should every occasion for consuming absinthe be a ‘top shelf’ occasion? Absinthe is as much for enjoyment as an aperitif or digestive, with functional purpose. Certainly the absence of aniseed and the fine louche produced by the Mata hari was a surprise for me, and I certainly identified it as a good gateway absinthe for those wishing to experience absinthe without the aniseed kickback that puts off many.

Having recently joined the wine industry, I am reminded of a catch phrase by a leading wine educator, Bill Wilson on developing an appreciation for wine

Drink what you like, try new things, the rest is just commentary

- maybe sage advice for many an absintheur at risk of developing unreasonable attitudes that can only prevent valuable new experiences.