St. George Absinthe Verte

Real absinthe. No artificial ingredients, no gimmicks.

The first legal American absinthe released after the U.S. ban was lifted in 2007, St. George Absinthe Verte remains one of the most acclaimed and respected spirits in this category.

What’s in it?

Wormwood, fennel, star anise infused in brandy and then distilled. The resulting distillate is infused with mint, tarragon, opal basil, lemon balm, hyssop, and stinging nettle.

The Process

Distiller Lance Winters considers absinthe the pinnacle of the distiller’s art form. Why? Because creating a beautiful absinthe means taking a number of loud botanical ingredients and making them sing in harmony.

For us, it didn’t happen overnight.

While the U.S. ban was still in place, it was illegal to sell absinthe, but not to distill it. We distilled a lot of absinthe during that period, and when the American ban was overturned in 2007, we were ready.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding absinthe, but the process itself isn’t really all that esoteric. The real art is in harmonizing a variety of botanical ingredients and creating a symphony of flavor.

For us, that means infusing brandy with wormwood, fennel, and star anise. We then distill this infusion on our 1,500-liter copper pot still. After that, we perform a secondary infusion of mint, tarragon, opal basil, lemon balm, hyssop, and stinging nettles.

The secondary infusion is what gives absinthe color; just after the secondary infusion, our absinthe is an intense emerald green. By the time we bottle it and the bottle reaches you, the absinthe will have turned its characteristic feuille morte (dead leaf) hue due to chlorophyll from all the botanicals breaking down with time and exposure to light.

The Experience

A heady, herbaceous smack to the senses. Opens with spicy black licorice, then slowly evolves into citrus and grass profiles with a dose of sarsaparilla. Because of the abundance of essential oils, it’s rich and viscous on the palate—even at 120 proof (60% alcohol). 

To bring out another level of vivid flavors and a lovely louche (milky cloudiness) that seems to glow from within, a single large ice cube is ideal. Adding water further releases botanical oils into solution, deepening the louche and intensifying the heady, floral aroma.

We don’t advocate adding sugar to our absinthe—or to any other artisanally distilled absinthe for that matter. Having developed its recipe over years of patient experimentation, we think it’s pretty much perfect just as it is.

In cocktails that call for an anise spirit, St. George Absinthe Verte adds exceptional complexity and depth of flavor. It heightens its fellow herbal ingredients in classic recipes like the Tuxedo. We often see our absinthe used in Tiki cocktails, like the Zombie. And if you’re an absinthe lover, indulge yourself with an Absinthe Frappé or an Absinthe Suissesse.