La Fée Parisian Absinthe was created from
an authentic 19th century recipe and was developed in a French distillery
under the supervision of Madame
Delahaye. It contains a dozen or more plants, including 'Grande' and
'Petite' Absinthe (artemisia absinthium and artemisia pontica). La Fée is a distilled
absinthe; botanicals are macerated in alcohol and distilled in accordance
with traditional methods.
It is according to Delahaye
"the first traditional absinthe to be commercially produced in
France since the ban of 1915". Finally the real flavour of absinthe
has been rediscovered!
In the last part
of the 19th Century vineyards in France were devastated by a bug known
as Phylloxera, which ate its way through the root stock of the vineyards
from coast to coast. Wine became both scarce and very expensive, which
in turn led, to an explosion in the sales of absinthe as it quickly became
the café culture favourite in wine's absence.
Step OnePour one shot of La Fée Parisian Absinthe into a glass. In its neat form the absinthe is a clear green colour and highly aromatic. At 68% ABV it is best not to drink the absinthe at this stage.
Step TwoPlace the La Fée absinthe spoon on top of the glass. Next, place one or two lumps of sugar on the spoon. Drinking absinthe the French way, we do not set the sugar alight.
Step ThreeThen drip six to eight parts of iced water through the sugar and into the absinthe. The sugar is caramelised and this was traditionally a means to take the bitter edge off the absinthe!
Step FourNow stir the mixture and witness the transformation of colour from green to a cloudy, milky greenish white. This effect is called "louche" and is characteristic for Swiss / French style absinthes.
