Lucid (Absinthe)
Encyclopedia
Lucid Absinthe Supérieure is a traditional, French-made absinthe
verte (green absinthe), whose formula was first approved in 2006. It was granted a COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) in the United States on March 5, 2007, making it the first genuine absinthe to gain approval for legal distribution in the U.S. since 1912.
Lucid is produced in France for the Viridian Spirits company of New York. It is distilled using traditional French methods. Lucid contains less than 10 ppm thujone
, because the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
mandates that any finished food or beverage tests less than 10ppm (equal to 10mg/kg) thujone in order to be considered legal (i.e. "thujone-free") pursuant to 21 CFR 172.510. Speculation about the extent to which thujone is important persisted for more than a century, but any lingering notions that thujone was an 'active ingredient' of absinthe has been conclusively debunked by modern science. The Lucid brand revived the antique term "Absinthe Supérieure" to differentiate itself from the negative connotations of absinthe that persisted in the TTB. The recipe includes Grande Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium
), along with green anise, sweet fennel, and other herbs, and was developed by T.A. Breaux, an absinthe expert and historian. By early 2008, Lucid became available through most distributors in many states.
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
verte (green absinthe), whose formula was first approved in 2006. It was granted a COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) in the United States on March 5, 2007, making it the first genuine absinthe to gain approval for legal distribution in the U.S. since 1912.
Lucid is produced in France for the Viridian Spirits company of New York. It is distilled using traditional French methods. Lucid contains less than 10 ppm thujone
Thujone
Thujone is a ketone and a monoterpene that occurs naturally in two diastereomeric forms: -α-thujone and -β-thujone. It has a menthol odor. Even though it is best known as a chemical compound in the spirit absinthe, recent tests show absinthe contains only small quantities of thujone, and may or may...
, because the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, statutorily named the Tax and Trade Bureau and frequently shortened to TTB, is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury....
mandates that any finished food or beverage tests less than 10ppm (equal to 10mg/kg) thujone in order to be considered legal (i.e. "thujone-free") pursuant to 21 CFR 172.510. Speculation about the extent to which thujone is important persisted for more than a century, but any lingering notions that thujone was an 'active ingredient' of absinthe has been conclusively debunked by modern science. The Lucid brand revived the antique term "Absinthe Supérieure" to differentiate itself from the negative connotations of absinthe that persisted in the TTB. The recipe includes Grande Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium
Artemisia absinthium is a species of wormwood, native to temperate regions of Eurasia and northern Africa....
), along with green anise, sweet fennel, and other herbs, and was developed by T.A. Breaux, an absinthe expert and historian. By early 2008, Lucid became available through most distributors in many states.