Review of “New Music To Fall Asleep To…(Lullabies by Justin Ashworth)”

When new members join the merry band of Absinthe.com.au subscribers, occasionally one observes that the email with which they have subscribed deserves further investigation. It is with no small amount of pleasure that I have discovered that we have a broad church of libertarians under our humble canopy, from visual artists, poets, magicians, distillers, dancers, authors, actors, courtesans, journalists, the odd dominatrix or two, and importantly, musicians.

One such Australian musician, and dedicated absintheur, that I would like to bring to your attention is Melbourne based Justin Ashworth.  I have for many years been a devotee of the dark ambient and experimental soundscape genre, and certainly Australia has had no shortage of exponents of this particular craft over the decades.  The opportunity then to explore new work by a local artist over a glass of absinthe or two is a welcome one indeed.

Being armed with droning loops, acoustic neo-folk attitudes and unpredictable acts of psychadelia, he is actually a hard artist to buttonhole through comparison. A good thing I say. You can hear a track or two from the following reviewed album on Justin’s MySpace page - maybe pour yourself a glass before you click through.

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One begins to develop specific criteria around when you want to have an absinthe, and how you would like an absinthe to be prepared. I for one seem to prefer to partake in absinthe when the weather is warmer, as the chilled water is more refreshing, and yet the ambient temperature allows for the heady aromas to burst forth from the bottle and the glass to add to the olfactory enjoyment.

It is therefore with some trepidation that I review this absinthe, Duplais Verte, as it is below 15 Celsius, wet and miserable outside. I will however press on with this review, but perhaps reserve the right to revisit my thoughts when spring has sprung and conditions are more to my liking.

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(photo: Daniel Hatadi)

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If you are looking for the true, inimitable absinthe experience, we can take you there. Contact us at NewLibertines [Email address: NewLibertines #AT# absinthe.com.au - replace #AT# with @ ] and join the la Révolution Verte …

This has been a bit of a nostalgic journey for me.

About 9 months ago I left Sydney and moved to Adelaide, yet now here I am, tracing paths in the back streets of Newtown on a Sunday afternoon, much like I used to do on a regular basis. Strong emotion stirs from the familiarity of footsteps on these same roads, the same stray cats, the same eccentric individuals perched in coffee shops or begging in a doorway, passing by the old 19th century houses that I have often thought ‘I’d like to live in that’, thinking about a parallel life that maybe is happening in another time and space.

The popular inner Sydney suburbs of Newtown, Camperdown, Erskineville and surrounds are an appropriate place to reflect on history, particularly the era when absinthe was in its heyday.  In these gracefully decaying streets are the lingering ghosts of previous centuries… the ’Murdering Makins of MacDonaldtown’ who mercilessly did away with at least 13 babies while running a faux-child care operation out of labyrinthine lane ways; the blackened dusty workmen who laboured at the Eveleigh railyards or St Peters Brickworks; the juvenile delinquents of the  ’Glebe Push’ and ‘Forty Thieves’ street gangs, notorious for their trail of theft and assault…

I spy with my little eye….

It is fitting, then, that we invoke these phantoms, that we grasp at the sounds and sights of another time, for on this afternoon both Robert and I journey to the house of our good friend Daniel to partake in something almost 100 years old, our own little time-travel experience….

- a sample of pre-ban Pernod Fils Absinthe, circa 1910.

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 Daniel Hatadi - Still life with Pernod Fils 1910 and Sydney Morning Herald 2008 

After a time of quietude and reverential repose, we are back… and do we have news for you.

Reviews a-plenty are in the works, so make sure you check back for our thoughts on Duplais Verte and St George, amongst quite a few others. The St George review is well worth looking out for, as it is the first Australian tasting of this marque which caused a stir in its native US, as much for its significance (the first absinthe distilled in the US post-ban) as for its formulation (which includes Tarragon and Stinging Nettles, amongst other things). We will also be conducting  some reviews of Ordinaire brands like La Fee Parisienne, Doubs, and Pernod.

If either Carfax or I can stand it, we will also be forcing ourselves to do some tastings of some of the typical ‘absinth’ brands you’re likely to encounter, and what, if anything they are even remotely appropriate for (apart from getting a fire started when you’re wood is a bit damp. No shit, it actually works). So, in the name of scientific endeavour, connoisseurship and the edification of the great unwashed, we will voluntarily imbibe foul smelling liquids and comment upon them. With as little obscenity as possible.

Most importantly, we were recently lucky enough to sample a bottle of preban absinthe, Pernod Fils circa 1910, which was simply sublime. Expect an imminent review with many, many pictures, such as the one by the dedicated, debauched and most generous of Libertines Daniel Hatadi featured above.

On top of all this loveliness, we have interviews, history updates and a series of photographic works in the offing, so stay tuned.

Verte de Fougerolles 72°
Devoille Distillery, Fougerolles, France
Reviewed 13 April 2008
Sans sucre

Paul Devoille is widely regarded as one of the world’s top contemporary absinthe producers, along with Markus Lion, Ted Breaux et. al; and with good reason. Paul’s absinthes are intricate arrangements of familiar flavour notes, presented in interesting combinations, with the occasional surprising ingredient slipped in with great effect. However, the Fougerolles varieties (see our Blanche review here) are by no means absinthes for the casual drinker or the neophyte absintheur - the Verte in particular can present certain flavour combinations which may not be immediately embraced by all drinkers, but more on that later. It is our opinion here at www.absinthe.com.au that both the Verte de Fougerolles and Blanche de Fougerolles belong in the upper echelon of Superieure, distilled absinthes, and makes for a very, very interesting absinthe experience.

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The San Francisco World Spirit Awards were recently held (in San Francisco, as it happens), and it seems Matter-Luginbuhl AG/Absinthe.decame out winners, scoring medals for two different absinthes.

The SF World Spirit Awards are, in their own words, “the first comprehensive, international spirits judging ever held in the United States on an annual basis…Founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue, the Executive Director of the San Francisco International Wine Competition and Carol Seibert, the Managing Director of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the Spirits Competition continues to grow each year in entrants as well as in stature within the industry”. Judges for the competiton have been drawn from the upper eschelons of the US bars and clubs industry, distillers, journalists and editors and, oh dear… two ‘mixologists’. That term is rubbish. You’re a bartender, deal with it.

Anyway, my point is that the brains-trust behind the SF awards seems pretty secure, which cannot necessarily be said for those recently employed by Epicurious to ignorantly trash… pardon, review, the same absinthe which has just won an award.

A legitimate one, at that.

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Absinthe isn’t all green fairies.

We often obsess over whether it is artifical or naturally coloured, whether the natural colour is a commercial chlorophyll or whether a proper natural colouration step is used. So when the colour is removed, we are freed to focus a lot more on the other important characteristics of an absinthe - particularly the aromas and flavours.

Blanche de Fougerolles is, as implied by the name, a blanche - meaning it is a clear absinthe that has not undergone any colouration. It is our invisible fairy. Sometimes called a La Bleue in Switzerland, this style is more popularly associated in context to the illicit Swiss stills that produced bootleg absinthe. This product however is produced by French Distiller Paul Devoille at his family owned distillery exclusively for Liqueurs de France.

The label text of this 74% alc/vol absinthe reads as follows:

This unsweetened apertif is made by individually distilling in high quality grap-based spirit both grand and petit wormwood, green anise, coriander, hyssop, génépi , camomile, fennel, veronica and angelica. The distillates are then carefully blended in accordance to historical methods once again used by Hughes de Miscault at his distillery in North Eastern France. The protocols for this uncolored absinthe come from the recipe listed as “Absinthe suisse blanche” in several well regarded French distillers manuals of the 19th century, including P. Duplais, J.Fritsch and J.de Brevans. It has been finished at 74% alcohol in accordance with these works.”

Enough reading. I unwrap the silver composite foil capsule, pull the T-cork and inhale deeply……..wow.

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Today is the last day of the Fringe, so if you haven’t been out to see something yet, for god’s sake log on and check out what is left with the remainder of the day - there is entertainment aplenty going until the wee hours of the night.

To round off my 2008 Fringe Experience I went to the one of the showcase Fringe Club nights this week at the Higher Ground Theatre. Built amongst the remains of what was once the Night Train Theatre Restaurant (although I remember its hey day as a laser tag venue 20 odd years ago), the Higher Ground Theatre is an incubator for new and established artists to present their work in the realms of theatre, circus, dance, music, cabaret or experimental acts of exploration.

Needless to say, post-Fringe, this is a venue to keep an eye on - permanent creative artspaces are becoming something of a rare bird in many cities.

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We have been overwhelmed by the popularity of our wee website, as evinced by our ever-increasing member list and the enthusiastic response we have received from our readers across ther country and the world - and we cannot thank you enough for your support and encouragement. We can, however, urge you to spread the word! Libertines, unite! We can only get bigger and better.

Look out for a few special goodies in the coming weeks, such as reviews (including our very first review of a vintage, pre-ban absinthe), interviews with leading world experts on absinthe, an expansion of our history section to include absinthe in 19th century Australia, our first regular guest column (in which we track the descent into absinthe-soaked bohemia of a hapless Sydney crime writer), music reviews and… a forum! Yes, you too will be able to prattle on about la fee verte in the comfort of your own country. It’s terribly exciting.

We would also like to take this opportunity to welcome out newest advertiser and friend of Absinthe.com.au, Gallery Serpentine. Gallery Serpentine is Australia’s most highly regarded and successsful cosetry/period/gothic boutique, and produce some of the most beautiful pieces of clothing you are likely ever to encounter. I myself own half a dozen pieces, and I am a boy for God’s sake. So visit Serpentine, say hello to the gorgeous Stephanie and punish your credit card.

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