Another US Absinthe- Le Tourment Vert
Pulling up as the third Absinthe to be released in the US is Le Tourment Vert. (The Green Torment… that would be like naming Jack Daniels “The Brown Emetic”) I have not witnessed this in stores in the Chicago area, but I have heard reports of it on the coasts. It is apparently a small batch release from a French company called Distillerie Vinet Ege. From what I have heard it has a mild minty flavor and an unusual bluish color. It does indeed contain anise and grand wormwood, so it would be a true absinthe but for one fact, it is pre-sweetened. This stuff is not real absinthe. I have not heard rave reviews on the flavor, but since I have not tried it myself, I cannot come to any conclusion. Totally awesome bottle though!
March 7, 2008 at 11:07 pm
“unusual bluish color”
“What is usual about that? Ever thought about why some Swiss absinthe is called La Bleue? Because of the blue tint perhaps? Engage brain before posting if possible.” – Some Guy From Hotmail
The term ‘La Bleue’ can be confusing to a neophyte of Absinthe. La Bleue absinthes are not blue colored, they are not colored at all! They are part of the Blanche family of clear absinthes. La Bleue can be used interchangeably with Blanche. Originally La Bleue was a Swiss nickname for bootleg clear absinthes created during the ban.
Thanks for the feedback, jerk!
April 1, 2008 at 3:03 am
TOURMENT’ buzz is such a great high! I’m moving from Vodka to Absinthe ! Where can I get in Portland?
April 4, 2008 at 5:30 am
If you’re in portland oregon, go to the liquor store near 23rd and west burnside. 60 bucks will get you a bottle
April 10, 2008 at 2:09 am
I just bought a bottle at murry and allen in beverton today, only 59.95 great high!!
April 14, 2008 at 12:29 am
i just bought a bottle in Portland and i found the best way to drink it is to put 2 sugar cubes over a glass of the absinthe on a fork, or on an absinthe spoon if you have one, then pour water on the cubes to dissolve them in to the glass it will turn cloudy and taste a little like “good and plenty’s” ENJOY!
April 21, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I bought some this weekend at the liquor store in Lake Oswego, wow! What an experience. They were actually demo’ing it in the store and made really great cocktail with Simple Syrup, Sweet & Sour and Lemon. Shake with ice and serve. Yummy
May 14, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Last week when i picked up some Bailey’s from my neighborhood (state owned) liquor store in Beaverton, Oregon, they had a little paper placard right at the cash register advertising Le Tourment Vert.
I was under the impression that absinthe was still illegal in the U.S., so I am excited to see it showing up and hopefully Portland will have its own small batch absinthe distillery in the near future (we already have local gin, vodka and other liquor distilleries).
May 17, 2008 at 1:19 am
I have been running a liquor store in las vegas for a few years now and I must say that this absinthe is outstanding! not only am I an exclusive dealer of this brand in town but only one casino has the rights to sell and serve this absinthe in las vegas.. the people at le tourment vert really know how to make a great product. the taste is one of the best I have experenced in both absinthes from the states and of absinthes from other countries. the color is spot on in the true form of french absinthe, and it louches (clouds up) very well. and to top it all off it is packaged in a unique hand painted bottle. a very good deal for about $60!
May 24, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I picked some up @ the liquor store on Sunnyside. It’s in that plaza by the Wells Fargo and Safeway. It was like 50 something. Don’t take straight shots. They’re really strong and make sure you mix enough water in or the taste will be super overpowering. I definitely recommend it though.
May 31, 2008 at 11:07 am
I’ve had the Le Tourment. It’s a torment to drink. It’s nothing like absinthe. It’s more like Scope.
May 31, 2008 at 12:06 pm
le tourment vert is not absinthe.
May 31, 2008 at 6:11 pm
“the color is spot on in the true form of french absinthe, and it louches (clouds up) very well.”
No it’s not and no it doesn’t. Real absinthe is a peridot or olive green, it may not be candy-colored to attract the kiddies, but it’s real. Tourment is the same color as the phony Czeck absinthes. Tastes like it too.
Louche? It doesn’t louche. It gets a slight bit hazy.
And where’s the aniseed flavor? Absinthe is an aniseed liquor. This stuff is nothing like absinthe and I’m glad it’s artificially colored because it kept me from wasting 60 bucks.
If you want to pay good money to pretend to be drinking absinthe, this is your chance.
June 2, 2008 at 2:31 am
I have to agree with Johnny5.
This is not absinthe. It tastes like mouthwash and does not louche. It looks like copper was added to this and tastes like scope was added to cover it up. I really wish I had the opportunity to taste it before wasting $60 on a bottle.
Spend your $60 on a bottle of Lucid or Kubler before dropping your bills on the counter for this swill.
If you think this is good absinthe, you have never tasted absinthe.
June 16, 2008 at 3:13 am
It gives a great high. I’m amazed at the harsh critics here. If anyone recommends Kubler you know they are full of it. Lucid and Kubler are okay, as is Le Tourment Vert. It is different, at only 100 proof, so it can be diluted on the rocks or by using less water. Also, the taste is not as scope-ish as it is botanical, which can only be appreciated by open minded people. Absinthe can be blue, green, red, or white. Green and white are the most common and if anyone tells you it must be green, well, use Google and your brain. What is my favorite? St. George’s is the best I’ve had, yet some claim it isn’t absinthe. The moniker is hype.
June 20, 2008 at 5:03 am
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Westbound!
July 4, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Well, Robert in SD. I would not be so opposed to your review except for the fact that Le Tormente has such an horrendous taste that it should not be compared with either of the real absinthe being marketed in America.
Saying St. George’s is the best you’ve had, then I stand by my quote above, stating that you have never tasted absinthe. While St. Georges has had good reviews it is still not considered absinthe, but rather “like absinte.”
Le Tormente is colored artificially and flavored with eucalyptus and mint. If you want to call that “botanical”, keep deluding yourself. If it takes an “open mind” to enjoy the taste of mouthwash, then good on you. That is a pretty bold statement in and of itself.
You’ve definitely done your studying (insert sarcasm). While absinthe comes in a variety of colors, they are most likely not that way artificially as is Le Tormente.
Kubler and Lucid, while possibly being lower quality absinthe compared with what you can find in Europe are still, nonetheless, absinthe. Whereas St.Georgesand La Tomente are not. It is not a “moniker”, it is as complex as “what makes rum rum”. I can make a distillate of sugar and age it in barrels, but is it rum? Just like these people can make a spirit with herbs that are typically used to produce absinthe, yet calling it absinthe is deceitful and disengenous. Sounds to me like they are trying to make it a moniker and you are jumping on the bandwagon. A marketing ploy and hype. I seem to recall from my reading on the subject that this same scenario is what generated the ban in the first place. Dime a dozen ‘absinthe’ brands with no standards got the whole lot chucked into the vault of myth. Thanks for being a part of it again!
July 11, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I manage a bar in San Francisco and I serve absinthe every day. It astounds me people question the authenticity of Le Tourment Vert.
The criteria for real absinthe is that it contain anise, fennel and grand wormwood which Le Tourment Vert does. Regarding the color – anyone who has brewed with herbs or knows about brewing with herbs, will realize color varies from batch to batch. My guess on the color issue, is the company have decided to keep it standardized and recognizable by adding color. Color doesn’t change the taste anyway (do you think cheese is really orange?).
With the introduction of many new absinthes onto the market only increases the possibility there is going to be something in there that pleases your palate. Surely everyone has the right to their opinion on what tastes good. We should not be telling anyone that their opinion is wrong, after all that is what it is, an opinion, not a fact.
We let the absinthe available in our bar speak for itself and time after time our patrons are requesting Tourment – for me that speaks volumes. If I can’t move a product off the shelf why would I continue to stock it. Tourment is popular on its own and also as part of mixed drinks we serve and will continue to serve because it is our most popular brand of absinthe. The next most popular would be St George.
Not everyone likes high alcohol content drinks and to have the general public turned off absinthe by rocket fuel – which Tourment is definitely not – is sad for the brand in general.
July 19, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Harrison – maybe I have been to your bar then. I have been out with a few girlfriends of mine and we have all had the Tourment. One of my friends really likes the traditional style (she also likes sambuca and ouzo so likes the anise flavor). We had mixed drinks with the Tourment Vert and I really liked something called a gargoyle. Sweet and tart, really nice for summer. Anyway, despite what some of you have said on here, Harrison I agree – if we are drinking it keep it – I will be back for more.
July 25, 2008 at 4:50 pm
my friend married a guy from france and he moved here. i bought le torment and we had some. he says it is fantastic. all you scope dopes out there should shut up. he says anise. the lower alc. of this makes it more drinkable. very BOTANICAL. at only 100 proof a third of a pinky finger in the glass with an icecube and a splash of water should not of messed me up the way it did. im a fan of this stuff. all you haters should stick to vodka because your taste buds are shot. peace out
July 31, 2008 at 12:01 am
I just bought some in New Orleans in the French Market. This stuff makes you silly. Definitely a different drunk than that of alcohol alone.
August 10, 2008 at 12:32 am
Just bought a bottle of Le Tourment de vert on Chartres in New Orleans. I had a glass the traditional way melting a cube of sugar in a spoon with ice water at Good Friends bar in the quarter. Everything got brighter and thought I could write like Hemingway and paint like Van Gogh for a couple of hours. I have had several kinds of absinthe both French and Czech. This stuff is awesome. The botanicals give you almost a THC buzz cause they act on the same receptors in the brain. I gotta order another bottle of this stuff now that I am back in South Carolina. Make no mistake. If you drink too much of this stuff you are in for a reckoning. The green fairy lives. One more comment. The torment de vert taste more like eucalyptus than licorice. Therefore, it is by far my favorite. IT is about time this stuff was legalized. I give it a two thumbs up…………Wow!!!
August 13, 2008 at 3:40 am
i dont want to let the green genie out of the bottle, but portland fashion week (www.portlandfashionweek.net) may almost certainly have la torment vert as a liquor sponsor, with several cases on hand in the vip lounge for those brave enough to imbide.
August 14, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I like the flavor of le tourment vert too, nice subtle, herbal. I say drink what you like – I do.
August 26, 2008 at 6:37 am
Wanted to get in touch with RDizzle702. I am in Las Vegas, got me a bottle of Le Tourment, and want to see if anywhere local carries Absinthe spoons, cubes, and glasses… and fountains. I could order online, but I prefer to give local businesses…. well…. business. By the way, it does louche as traditional absinthe does, but not to the same extent. Folks here are so critical, and they seem not to pay attention to the details
August 31, 2008 at 10:38 am
Just came back from Vegas Last week. C-man, I bought a bottle of Lucid, Kubler and Le Tourment to bring back to Japan. The only spoons I saw were attached to the Absente box. Needless to say, I didnt waste $45.00 just to get the spoon. Too bad they don’t carry St. Georges yet.
September 14, 2008 at 8:40 pm
I too live in Las Vegas and own Le Tourment, but I can’t find the accessories here. If you find a supplier of the fountains, glasses, spoons, etc. Please let me know as well.
Thanks a million!
October 4, 2008 at 6:44 pm
There are a ton of sites you can buy the real thing from. They import it in, and hwile somewhat spendy, if you are a fan of Absithe it is worth the price.
In the US there are a few near Absinthe types out there, Absente, Lucid, and now Le Vert ( which of the US brands has the best flavor in my opinion)
There are a lot of different flavored Absinths. Some of the French do not have the Anise flavor at all, and the difference in quality is pretty significant. I don’t find this one to be half bad. One can always add more Thujon(sp?) if they want, and there is always ways to increase the Alc Content…though I would never suggest such a thing.
I am far from a real expert on it, but my over all favorite has ti be Ulix for general serving, or Absoth for something special, but there are so many kinds, falvors, and variations on Acl and Thujon(sp?) that I cannot come out with a hard stance on what IS or IS not Absinth as long as it has the right compoinants.
Deacon
October 14, 2008 at 3:22 am
Some people on here know what they are talking about annnd some don’t. Le Tourment Vert is a low proof absinthe, yes I said absinthe. It is low proof mainly for mixability, targeting shot takers. Absinthe has no laws for how it should be made, unlike burbon or scotch, so there is no true way to make it, however there are traditional ways. One of the traditional ways contain things called the “holy trinity” which is wormwood anise, and fennel, Le tourment contains all of these. As far as the color goes, COLOR DOESNT MATTER!!! Most Swiss absinthe is near colorless, mainly to hide from the authorities during bans. The louche is only created when you pour ice cold water over a spoon with a sugar cube on it. The sugar and herbs in the absinthe do not combine and cloud the drink, louching is not the true sign of a good absinthe like most of you think it is, just look at the louche in Kuebler. The way you guys are comparing absinthe is like comparing vodka to whiskey, you have to compare them like a canadian whisky to an american whiskey, they are going to taste different but they are essentially made the same way with the same contents. Pernod was the origional mass produced absinthe and Kuebler was the second. They are both great, but they aren’t the only ones, and they taste nothing alike. But if you are buying some of the crap people like johnny5 is selling, then keep in the dark and remain uneducated. Buy something and use it as a control, like pernod and compare it to le tourment, keeping in mind that pernod is about 136 proof and le tourment is 100, Then go buy a bottle of 151 and a bottle of tommy bahama they are essentially the same stuff but one is much stronger than the other and they taste totally different.
October 24, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I have bought Lucid and Kubler, and recently some Le Tourment Vert.
It is ‘real absinthe’ in that it contains grand wormwood. It is not ‘typical absinthe’ with regards to the flavor and not a typical vert in regards to the bluish color (akin to copper sulfate, yes, but the coloration dyes are listed on the label). The observations about alcohol content and flavor also are worth pointing out, although a strong liquor as liquors go, it is a ‘weaker’ absinthe as absinthes go.
I would not recommend it as one’s first absinthe experience, but I would also say that it is a fragrant and interesting spirit, and in particular it would seem to be the kind of absinthe that you can use successfully as an ingredient in a multi-liquor cocktail.
November 6, 2008 at 4:54 am
FYI, the bottle is green and the absinthe contains FD&C yellow #5, blue #1, and red #40. Regardless, it tastes a lot like
November 13, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I was recently served a little Le Tourment neat at a rather good establishment here in Los Angeles. At first I almost thought it was green Chartreuse. It is much sweeter than any absinthe in my collection of French and Swiss absinthes. None of them are pre-sweetened. I personally would consider Le Tourment an absinthe liqueur. Does that mean it’s not good? Certainly not – it is good, just as a Margarita is a good drink, even though it’s a daisy (a sour with a flavored sweetener) instead of a cocktail. Using correct terminology has nothing to do with whether or not a drink or product is pleasing.
November 24, 2008 at 2:45 am
Hmm… freakishly artificial green color and an artificially sweet taste? Try swigging a little bit of Anti-Freeze and see how that suits your “palate”. Does it taste terrible? Kinda like cheap aftershave and mouthwash. It’s terrible mixed with water as an absinthe should be but as a shot straight-up it’s not too terrible… just tastes nothing like absinthe should. If you like Le Tourment save yourself $35 and go buy a bottle of Agwa liquor. Tastes roughly the same and is far less expensive. Bottle’s not as cool but if you already have a bottle from Tourment just pour it in there it’s the same artificial color.
November 24, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Just got back from New Orleans, and had my first little run in with Absinthe. Not sure about it as compared with other types, but it was very drinkable. From what I’ve read, Absinthe purists will not like it because it is pre-sweetened, artificially colored, and doesn’t louche very well. This is all most likely just to make it more “BAR FRIENDLY”. Since it doesn’t require as log to prepare. As for legitimate Absinthe two things needed to be considered “true Absinthe” by most:
1) Containing Artemisia absinthium (which le Tourment vert does)
2) The presence of thujone (Which I cannot find if this has been stripped out of le Tourment vert), though Lucid states very clearly that it does contain thujone.
Some US available versions/brands are made with true wormwood, but have had the thujone removed. Although, in the U.S.,finished beverages with >50% alcohol/volume are required to have <10ppm thujone. (<50% alcohol/volume require <5ppm thujone). Just giving the facts.
At any rate, you would most likely die of alcohol poisoning before you experienced any psycho-active effects from ANYTHING readily available in the states…just common sense. But, it is a great thing to have at the bar, because of the eye catching preparation.
BOTTOM LINE: for something that will probably suite your palate more if you are not an avid Absinthe drinker. You will probably not be disappointed…does take a little like licquorice and MINT.
November 29, 2008 at 11:49 pm
OK so I’ve had a few days to mull over my purchase of this stuff, and I must say that several of my friends who had not enjoyed regular anise-heavy absinthe do seem to enjoy this. I still have trouble drinking it as anything but a shot but I did come up with another super simple mixed drink recipie for it that works with it’s flavors to make it a little more pallateble.
I call it:
Louisiana Midnight Mist
1 part Le Tourment Vert
3 parts Turkey Hill Chai Iced Tea (tho any chilled chai tea will work)
prepare as you would a traditional absinthe dripping chilled tea instead of water over absinthe spoon and sugar cube (if your tea is pre-sweetened then omit the sugar cube).
November 30, 2008 at 10:53 am
Thanks for the recipe Justin! That sounds pretty interesting. I have been looking into cocktails made with various teas, and it seems like there aren’t that many.
December 2, 2008 at 4:57 am
Hey Justin, I was reading your first post and really wanted to ask how you knew what anti-freeze and aftershave tasted like but then I thought I am probably better off not knowing. Like you, was surprised at the color when I first poured tourment, but only because my previous experiences were with a couple clear (and dreadful) czech absinthes and Lucid. I put my color biases aside, most food we eat is artificially colored anyway, and it doesn’t make my food taste any different, and tried le tourment vert as a shot and over ice. I must say I like this over ice. I also like it mixed, I was out the other night and it was mixed with tia maria – I really liked the taste. The flavors mixed really well. I might just try your recipe – sounds really different. I will have to head back to that bar and find out what their recipe was. The guy mixing the drinks said that tourment was one of the best mixing absinthes available. I am wondering if perhaps that is the market they are going for rather than traditional style of drinking? I personally find other absinthes I have tried just too harsh for me – but that is me and each to their own. I will let you know if I have a chance to try your recipe. Great idea.
December 11, 2008 at 6:17 am
Bought some in New Orleans while staying a weekend in the Quarter with my wife, first time away in like ten years. It was a stiff shot.. As far as the after-effects, they were there.. We took two shots each then stared at a courtyard for approximately 20 mins, then giggled a bit in realization. We then galloped through the Quarter the rest of the night. “Classic Expirience” It wasn’t heavy or anything, just added a touch more class to everything.. The French Quarter and Absinthe should be intertwined…
December 18, 2008 at 4:24 am
Someone mentioned that absinthe is just wormwood, fennel and star anise(the trinity) as well as some other botanicals. Not so, true absinthe is prepared in a particular way. It is a liquor, rather than a liquer as it has no sugar added. The herbs are macerated in alcohol, then that is further distilled. In the Swiss, that is the end of the process, in the green, there is an additional step of coloring with herbs(sometimes mint, or more anise). In cheaper absinthes, (Pernod Absinthe) green color is added. Blue and Blanche are the same, they are Swiss clear absinthes. There has been a red, colored with hibiscus, but even in the 19th century that was not common.
I’ve tried a number of the absinthes produced today, as well as a vintage Pernod. I can say it is a matter of taste, as there are certainly variations
within true absinthes, due to the different recipes. But don’t confuse le tourment with the real stuff. If you like it, that’s fine, but it isn’t real absinthe.
December 18, 2008 at 6:39 am
A fine post, I daresay, worded better then mine own explanations. Bully!
December 18, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I’d like to add that what Seeker says about thujone being removed from US available absinthes is not entirely true. During the distillation process, very little thujone crosses over, this is true both for historical and modern absinthes. The confusion about thujone arises from some “bad science” experiments conducted which showed that thujone is in fact, very toxic in high doses. This was used as fodder to try to prove that absinthe is potentially toxic. No more so than any strong drink consumed to excess. There is some anecdotal evidence that during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some poor quality absinthes, made in the same way as “bathtub gin”, may have had other additives that had potentially harmful effects. I should also mention that thujone exists in other herbs, such as sage.
Do you “trip” from drinking absinthe? From the alcohol certainly, but there
is no hard evidence that the herbs do little more than add a nice taste. Anise and fennel are well known for helping digestion. Is it addictive? Only because it goes down so easily and the lack of sediment means that there is little of that morning after feeling.
February 6, 2009 at 12:10 am
I found this being sold in Mundelein, IL at DiCarlo’s Liquors. I believe it’s also at all the Binny’s around the Chicago area.
Has anyone had the North Shore Distillery Sirene Absinthe? It’s quite tasty. Also found in various stores and finer bars in the Chicago area.
April 30, 2009 at 2:46 am
I love Le Tourment Vert, I found a bottle in Grandburry , Tx. Ive had CZECH
absynth, and now French! Its awsome.
June 25, 2009 at 6:09 am
Le tourmente vert is bad. Its expensive and very fake, food coloring and it smells like thinner. There is a distiller in portland OR and that is what I might try, unless I decide to stick to real alcohal, like whiskey. Ok, we are now in the year 2000, we have bottled water, and real sugar comes in powder. Put the sugar in the water bottle and put the whole thing in the freezer, use that as a mixer after its mass cold.
September 27, 2009 at 5:57 am
For those that have deemed LTV “genuine absinthe” because it contains anise and fennel need to realize that genuine absinthe needs a NOTABLE measure of these herbs. Even the wormwood is hard to taste in this. Anise and fennel are in such sparse amounts it’s nearly undetectable.