Once vilified as a madman’s drink, the spirit is gaining popularity among trendy types in London, with sales up almost 50 per cent.
THE TIMES (extract) : by Ellie McDonald, Saturday, 5th January 2025
Five o’clock was once known as the “green hour” in the heady days of the Belle Epoque.
Few drinks have a history as varied as absinthe. For centuries it has been connected with art, literature and rebellion. Ernest Hemingway created “Death in the Afternoon”, a cocktail blending absinthe and champagne, and Vincent van Gogh’s “Still Life with Absinthe” immortalised the drink in 1887. Oscar Wilde was drawn to its charms, once likening it to a sunset. Dubbed “the green fairy”, this anise-flavoured spirit was a fixture of Belle Epoque Paris so popular that 5pm was nicknamed “the green hour” (now it is merely known as Happy Hour).
Today, however you don’t need to journey back to the Belle Epoque to indulge in the green fairy. No longer vilified, the spirit is experiencing a rennaissance in the UK. Bars and distilleries are reporting 40 – 50 per cent year-on-year growth in sales, while global sales are expected to reach up to £35 million by 2026. Now, the drink is inspiring a new generation of drinkers and gaining popularity once again, at bars across London.
At alternative music venues such as Blondies in Clapton and the Black Heart in Camden, frozen absinthe slushies are served. Nightjar, a prohibition-style jazz bar in Shoreditch, serves absinthe in its traditional form, complete with a fountain. In Soho, the David Bowie-inspired Thin White Duke bar and recording studio sells absinthe cocktails. At Absinthe Parlour, shortlisted for bar of the year at the Spirits Business Awards 2024, education is part of the experience. The venue hosted an absinthe tasting and lecture in the National Gallery in November, attracting 400 guests. It explored Van Gogh’s connection to drinking absinthe in 19th-century Montmartre.
Elsewhere, bartenders are finding creative ways to incorporate absinthe. At Three Sheets, which has bars in Dalston and Soho, the owner Max Venning said the Sazzaquack cocktail – served with lemon absinthe, a twist on the more traditional Sazerac, which uses cognac or whiskey – has become a popular offering.
“The reality of today’s absinthe is that it is made in much better conditions. It’s not going to have those bad alcohols in,” Venning said. “It’s become a versatile product that piques people’s interest. In bars like ours it’s used as an ingredient in some drinks like the Sazzaquack. It’s one of the most popular drinks we do because of the way we serve it. It gets a lot of attention as we normally do classic, simple serves, but this one is a bit more kitsch and people enjoy that”.