Absinthe Esmerlada is a superb tipple!
The absinthe “Esmeralda” from La Valote Martin is produced in Bovernesse, Val-de-Travers in Switzerland. The “Esmeralda” is a green absinthe made from 100% natural herbs and is 72% alcohol by volume.
How to drink it
Traditionally, absinthe is served with both ice water and sugar. But there’s no reason not to serve absinthe neat or on the rocks. It’s a fresh take on a Sazerac or whiskey cocktails.
Pour about one ounce of absinthe into a glass. There are many choices but if you’re preparing to impress friends, then choose a classic design. French absinthe glasses, such as reservoir pontarlier glasses, are best for the French absinthe treatment.
Lay a flat, perforated absinthe spoon across the rim of the glass, and place a large sugar cube on the perforated area of the spoon. This is customary but is not necessary. The sugar is traditionally used to balance the bitter taste of the wormwood.
Drip very pure ice cold water into the absinthe from a small pitcher. This very slow and gradual addition of the water forms the heart of the absinthe ritual, and is done with or without the sugar. When using sugar, the cold water is dripped over the sugar and into the drink, causing the sugar to slowly dissolve into the absinthe. Very high quality absinthe can be expertly experienced simply with the ice cold water.
History
Distilled in Boveresse (Switzerland), “Esmeralda” from La Valote Martin is a crystal clear Absinthe which has an exquisite flavor. Its aroma is made up of 10 different herbs (grande wormwood, petite wormwood, Melissa, hyssop, peppermint), grown, for the most part, in the Valley of Val-de-Travers. This is the region where the “Green Fairy” was first born in 1760. The production of Absinthe (plant cultivation, drying and distillation) has largely contributed to the region’s economic growth.
By the 1840’s many varieties of absinthe became available on store shelves in France where at one point 26 distilleries were producing 10 million liters of absinthe annually.
By 1910 the Fairy was forced underground with the implementation of the 1908 Swiss Government Act that banned the production of Absinthe; hereby creating the myth that still lives today. It wasn’t until decades later, countries slowly began revisiting and revising their absinthe bans to allow the production of absinthe with limited amounts of thujone, among other caveats.
Many local clandestine distillers kept the tradition alive throughout the 20th Century. Francis Martin was one of them. When the ban was lifted in 2005, Francis jumped at the chance to share his passion for the “Green Fairy” with a wider clientele, in order to produce it legally and to maintain its distillation in its home region. His recipe has not changed; absintheurs appreciate it as ever before. The eldest among them can often be caught saying that it reminds them of the Absinthe of their youth. In 2014, Francis’ son Philippe, takes over the distillery and will carry on a family know-how tradition.
