APSINTHION DE LUXE

Absinthe in Asda? Good grief... spotting this bottle nestling inconspicuously amongst the spirits in my local branch, I felt myself torn. On the one hand, it was cheap and available; on the other, I had a strong suspicion that it would be pretty grim stuff, and quite possibly not even the real deal. After examining it from all angles for some time, I finally decided to take the plunge and shell out fifteen quid, figuring that, at worst, it would be something to take along to a party. Let's face it: much as you wouldn't open vintage champagne just for swigging on a night out, so the classier brand of absinthe demands savouring. This stuff looked as though it could stand a bit of drunken manhandling from people who didn't know better.

My examination of the bottle - a plain enough container with a long neck that seems almost designed to encourage you to swing it around in a suitably bladdered manner - revealed that this previously-unheard of brand originates in Poland. It has a suitably ornate yet minimalist label which gives little more away (no thujon levels listed for instance, though this isn't unusual), and a search of the net was equally fruitless - neither the brand nor importers CdC are anywhere to be found. The fact that the CDC in America is the Center for Disease Control was hardly reassuring though...

Even through the frosted glass, you can see that this is pretty damned green, and pouring it out reveals an imposingly radioactive-looking brew. It has a potent aniseed smell to it, and for all the world resembles Czech absinth (though the label uses the 'e' spelling). Disregarding this, I decided to prepare a glass in the traditional dripping water style rather than the Czech flames a go-go method. Diluted, the drink turns a pale, cloudy green, rather like a glow-in-the-dark fluid. The taste? Well, pretty much as you'd expect. The aniseed is still dominant, ala Pernod, but it's not unpleasant. You're unlikely to switch from a classier brand after tasting this, but it does seem to stand up against similar looking absinthes quite well. And one glass did bring about an agreeable buzz, so I guess it works.

With less alcohol content than most rivals - and I suspect minimal thujon levels - this is probably a safe bet to drink in reasonable quantities at the aforementioned parties, and the price can't really be argued with. But you ought to have a decent brand for more select entertaining.

DAVID FLINT