The Absinthe Forger
A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit
by Evan Rail
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Pub Date 15 Oct 2024 | Archive Date 14 Oct 2024
Melville House Publishing | Melville House
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Description
Thought to be hallucinogenic and banned globally for a century, absinthe is once again legal and popular. Yet it is still associated with bohemian lifestyles, just as when it was the favorite drink of avant-gardists like Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh and Baudelaire. And today, when vintage, pre-ban bottles are discovered, they can sell for exorbitant prices to private collectors. But such discoveries are increasingly rare.
Which is why the absinthe demimonde of rich collectors was electrified when a mysterious bon vivant claimed to be in possession of a collection of precious, pre-ban bottles.
Is his secret tranche of 100-year-old bottles real? And just who is the shadowy person selling them? And what about rumors of another secret cache, hidden away in an Italian palazzo?
Journalist Evan Rail sets out to discover the truth about the enigmatic dealer and the secret stashes. Along the way, he drinks with absintheurs frantically chasing down the pre-bans, visits modern distillers who have seen their status rise from criminal bootleggers to sought-after celebrities, and relates the legendary history of absinthe, from its birth in Switzerland through its coming of age in France, and on to its modern revival.
Advance Praise
“I’ve been reading Evan Rail’s dispatches from Central Europe for years. He possesses a wide-ranging intellect, deep knowledge of the region and a storyteller’s gift for unrolling a complicated tale in a way that keeps the reader hanging on every word. He also knows more than a few things about spirits — I look to him to keep me in the know about Europe’s fast-changing distilling culture. To me, the idea of an Evan Rail book on absinthe — and an absinthe forger, at that — is a slam dunk. It’s a great story, but more importantly, it’s an opportunity for Evan to relate a rich and compelling history about a still- mysterious spirit.” — Clay Risen, NYT staff writer and author of Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey
“Evan Rail is one of the world’s most celebrated absinthe raconteurs. The study of pre-ban absinthe is his métier, and in the case of his forthcoming book, The Absinthe Forger, Evan reveals this swindle as only the best gumshoes can: by knowing their quarry from the inside out.” — Warren Bobrow, absintheur/cannabis alchemist
“Evan Rail is a most exotic rarity in the overpopulated world of food, drink, and travel writers: an unimpeachable authority on his subject who is also a consummate raconteur. A natural-born obsessive (I’ve never known a more contagiously joyous one), Rail has a nose for story equaled only by his nose for strong spirits — and with this tale, hoo boy, he’s found both in spades. I’d read pretty much anything under his byline, but this is clearly the book he was born to write. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.” — David McAninch, author of Duck Season: Eating, Drinking, and Other Misadventures in Gascony, France’s Last Best Place
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781685891541 |
| PRICE | US$32.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 368 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Sunny V, Reviewer
The title of this book really intrigued me. I thought I was in for some kind of historical cat and mouse chase but that didn’t end up being the case. Instead it’s a very modern story about a very old alcohol with a very devout following. The author was mainly a food and travel writer, it he was friends with many people in various absinthe groups, including the forger and when he caught wind of the sorry, he was quite intrigued.
He ended up traveling to various counties in Europe meeting mutual friends of the absinthe forger and victims as well, to get their side of the story. It was absolutely fascinating to see the story unfold and wonder if justice would ever be served and if the forger was going to be caught. I liked how the story was written more like many short articles than one long book. I felt like I could read it in bite size chunks, following him from country to country.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who is curious about absinthe and enjoys how someone could forge bottles that are over 100 years old. I’ve never drank absinthe myself but absolutely want to try it now. It sounds like a very interesting flavor profile.
*I was given this book for free in return for my honest opinion*
Vince K, Media/Journalist
Veteran spirits writer Rail tackles a real-life mystery, the curious career of a counterfeiter of pre-ban absinthes, ostensibly made before 1915. Adding to the case's complexity: not only was the forger regarded as an authority in the tightly-knit world of absinthe aficionados, but he was even known to Rail. Rail not only investigates the story of "Christian," as the forger is called, but also dives deep into the history and culture of absinthe, a spirit with a controversial and largely undeserved reputation, as well as exploring the impulses that drive collectors in general. The book contains welcome flashes of autobiography, as Rail recounts the lot of the freelancer in the modern media era, admitting that he looks into the matter in part because he longs to follow a story all the way to the end. "Christian" did not merely commit fraud but also damaged what had been an open and vibrant community of enthusiasts, and Rail considers that toll, too. The only blemish on the book is that the forger remains a squirrelly, abstract presence, a state of affairs Rail can't control. A fascinating true-crime tale that engagingly plumbs the mania of obsessives.
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