![]() |
tags in Absinthe TopicsAbsinthe News
NavigationUser login |
Pre-prohibition American Absinthe DistillersSubmitted by brian on Fri, 02/12/2010 - 19:04.
The following is an article from 1912 that has a few historical gems (in terms of absinthe). It makes note of four absinthe distillers in the USA and shows how popular absinthe was in New York City at the time. My research suggests there were more than four absinthe producers prior to 1911 but to date, I've found only three brands names. ..... PLENTY OF ABSINTHE. From: New York Herald 1912 The Broadway water wagon has fewer passengers than it has had since a month ago, when the announcement was made that the boon of the morning after, absinthe should no longer be imported into this country. The supply of absinthe was said to be very low, and the high rollers who could not get along the morning after a high roll without the insidious dispeller of the dark brown taste and the shrinker of heads seven sizes too large for their hats decided that the only way to make the supply last was to roll only on special occasions. A remark made by a white-coated person in one of the popular red paint emporiums along the Great White Way* changed the situation entirely, and the result was a scramble from the seats of sobriety that had not been expected before the night after election, "Absinthe is made In America, right here in New York, and there never will be a shortage until a State law is passed forbidding its manufacture or until wormwood from which It is distilled, ceases to grow," said the wise one. The member of the Forty-second Street Country Club who overheard this remark and Investigated was satisfied with the result and quickly spread the good word. But to be sure of this solace of the day after the beneficiary must live within the boundaries of New York State. There are just four distilleries in the United States which manufacture absinthe, and they are all situated in New York City or a short distance up the Hudson River**. The Federal law which prohibits the importation of absinthe does not interfere with the sale of absinthe in a State, provided it is manufactured in that State, but it does prohibit interstate traffic in the cordial. Residents of New York State can drink as much absinthe as they have money to .... * Great White Way is a nickname for a section of Broadway in the Midtown section of the New York City. ** This could be referring to a distillery that may have produced absinthe in Boston, MA. The brand was produced from 1904 to 1911. *** Chicago actually had an absinthe distillery located at 91 West Broadway. It was operational in 1850s. **** San Francisco had an absinthe distillery on Front Street. It was operational in the 1880s. Reports indicated that the absinthe rivaled was imported from France. The company had been making absinthe on the East Coast (NYC) since the 1850s. I've found evidence that absinthe was also produced in St. Louis. Bookmark/Search this post with:
( categories: )
|
Recent blog posts
Absinthe Reviews
|