La Fee Parisienne Absinthe France Absint 68%

In Auvers-sur-Oise, north of Paris, where Van Gogh painted his last canvases, there is a museum devoted entirely to absinthe. The woman who founded it signed off on this recipe. Green in the bottle, milky white in the glass, and built on wormwood the way it was in the 19th century.

Please note: No absinthe spoon is included with this bottle.

The expert's description

La Fee Parisienne Absinthe France Absinthe 68% Without spoon is a French Absinthe distilled from nine herbs to a 19th-century recipe and bottled at 68%.

The herb list runs grand wormwood, petite wormwood, genepi, green anise, star anise, fennel, hyssop and coriander seed, plus two ingredients the house keeps to itself. Each herb is distilled separately and the distiller blends the parts afterwards. It is slower than throwing everything into one still, but it hands over control of how far the anise steps forward and how dry the wormwood is allowed to bite.

The recipe was developed with Marie-Claude Delahaye, who founded the absinthe museum in Auvers-sur-Oise and still runs it. She approves every batch before bottling, and she looks at three things: the colour, how dense the louche turns when the water hits, and whether the herbs sit in the right proportion to one another. La Fée Parisienne is the only absinthe the museum puts its name to.

The base spirit is distilled from sugar beet and reaches roughly 96% before the herbs and the dilution. The green colour is not added but drawn out of fresh plants macerated in the spirit after distillation, so the chlorophyll does the colouring. At 68% this bottle is made for the ritual of iced water and sugar, not for drinking neat.

Tasting notes

Nose

Wormwood first, green and bitter like a crushed stem between the fingers. Anise settles on top and sweetens the aroma, with fennel right behind it. Move the glass and the coriander surfaces, warm and faintly peppery.

Palate

Undiluted it is concentrated and hot. Iced water changes it completely: anise and fennel spread out and soften, wormwood lays a dry bitterness underneath, and hyssop cuts in with a mineral, almost minty edge. Sugar takes the peak off the bitterness without making the drink sweet.

Finish

Long and coolly bitter. Anise holds on longest, wormwood stays at the back of the tongue, and the mouth is left clean and slightly numb the way only anise spirits manage.

Specifications

Name: La Fee Parisienne Absinthe France Absinthe 68% Without spoon
Producer: La Fée Absinthe
Region/Country: France
Type: French Absinthe
ABV: 68%
Size: 70 CL
Botanicals: Grand wormwood, petite wormwood, genepi, green anise, star anise, fennel, hyssop and coriander seed
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: The herbs are distilled separately and blended afterwards
EAN no.: 9010330000374
Serving suggestion: 1 part absinthe and 4-6 parts iced water poured over a sugar cube on an absinthe spoon

Flavour profile

Anise · Herbal · Bitter · Fresh · Powerful

Did you know?

The bottles carry a UV-inhibiting coating. The green comes from chlorophyll in the plants, and chlorophyll fades in sunlight. Without that coating the contents would slowly drift from green towards yellow-brown while the bottle sat on the shelf.

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Frequently asked questions about La Fee Parisienne Absinthe France Absinthe 68% Without spoon

What sets La Fée Parisienne apart from other absinthes?

The endorsement from the absinthe museum in Auvers-sur-Oise. Marie-Claude Delahaye helped develop the recipe and tastes every batch before it is bottled. On top of that, the nine herbs are distilled separately and blended afterwards, which draws a clearer line between anise, wormwood and the green herbs.

Is a full-strength absinthe worth the step up?

Yes, if you want to taste what absinthe actually is. Full strength means the spirit can carry more essential oils from the herbs, and those oils are what create both the louche and the aroma once water goes in. A reconstructed 19th-century recipe, nine separately distilled herbs and a museum signing off on every batch is not a combination you find in many places.

How do you drink it when no absinthe spoon is included?

Rest the sugar cube on an ordinary fork or a flat teaspoon laid across the rim of the glass. Then pour the iced water slowly over the sugar, exactly as you would with an absinthe spoon. With neither to hand, dissolve the sugar in the water first and pour the mixture in.

Why does absinthe turn milky white when water is added?

Because the anise oil cannot stay in solution once the alcohol strength drops. Anethole from green anise and star anise dissolves in strong spirit but not in water, so the oil separates into microscopic droplets that scatter light. That is the louche, and the more oils in the bottle, the denser it gets. The same phenomenon shows up in pastis, in ouzo and in an anise-based Liqueur such as Sambuca.

Do you actually need the sugar?

No, it is a matter of taste. Sugar dampens the bitterness of the wormwood and was standard practice in 19th-century Paris, but plenty of people now drink absinthe without it. Try the first glass with sugar and the second without, and you will know where you stand.

What is wormwood, and why does it matter so much in absinthe?

Wormwood is a bitter member of the daisy family, and it is the plant absinthe takes its name from. It supplies the dry, green bitterness that keeps the sweetness of the anise in check. Both grand wormwood and petite wormwood are used here, the latter usually going in late in the process to give colour and aroma rather than bitterness.

How should an opened bottle be stored?

Dark, cool and standing upright. Light is the biggest threat to a naturally coloured absinthe, because sunlight breaks down the chlorophyll. The alcohol strength keeps the contents sound for years, but the colour will not survive a spot on a windowsill.