Real Absinthe Debuts on the US Market

The launch of Lucid absinthe in the USA is earth shattering news for absintheurs this side of the Atlantic. For the first time since 1912, real absinthe is available on the legal US market. This day has been a long time coming and could not have taken place without the hard work and dedication of the modern “father” of absinthe; T.A. Breaux.

T.A. Breaux of Jade Absinthe fame, is the distiller behind Lucid. It is distilled alongside the Jade line of absinthes at the Combier distillery in France and share the same care of craftsmanship and historical authenticity. Lucid is made using macerated herbs including Grande Wormwood (artesmisia absinthium) that are carefully distilled in copper alembics. The fact that Breaux has created another high quality absinthe should come as a shock to no one, he does it all the time. What is shocking is that Lucid absinthe has been approved for sale in America even though it contains Grande Wormwood. Grand Wormwood contains Thujone and it is this compound that FDA had banned and effectively kept real absinthe from reaching our shores (by legal means). How Breaux got Lucid approved is a bit of a mystery to me. Perhaps Lucid contain an engineered version of Grande Wormwood that that been stripped of Thujone. Or perhaps it contain untraceable about of Thujone. I’ve also read that US food laws we brought in line with the EU standard of allowing Absinthes with less than 10mg/l thujone. Either way is fine with me. Absinthe isn’t about Thujone. It’s about taste.

Early reviews suggest that Lucid holds up Breaux’s standard of quality and can hold its own against other quality absinthes. It is said to be smell and taste “clean and floral” be” light on the anise.”

It gladdens me that the first absinthe available to people in the USA that have never tired absinthe will be Lucid. The internet is flooded with crap “absinthes” that promote thujone and false claims about getting high. Or even worse are the soak-these-herbs-in-vodka “absinthe” kits. Sampling the output from these products is enough to turn any newbie off of absinthe. Real absinthe (like Lucid) is bound to have the opposite result. If enough people in America get turned out to real absinthe, more real absinthe will appear (rumor has it two others have been approved are in the pipeline). But one step at a time… Till then, imagine what the future could hold for American absintheurs, e.g., walking into your favorite liquor store and selecting between both French and Swiss high quality absinthe.
Hats off to Lucid and Ted Breaux!