Herbsaint
Herbsaint is a brand name of anise-flavored liqueur originally created as an absinthe-substitute in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1934,[1] and currently produced by the Sazerac Company.
It was developed by J. Marion Legendre and Reginald Parker of the city, who had learned how to make absinthe while in France during World War I.[1] It was originally produced under the name "Legendre Absinthe", although it never contained absinthe's essential ingredient, Grande Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). It first went on sale following the repeal of Prohibition, and was unique in its category as an absinthe substitute, as opposed to a pastis.[1] The Federal Alcohol Control Administration soon objected to Legendre's use of the word "absinthe",[2] so the name was changed to "Legendre Herbsaint", French/Creole for "Herbe Sainte" (Sacred Herb), the Artemisia absinthium.
The Sazerac Company bought J.M. Legendre & Co. in June 1949. Herbsaint was originally bottled at 120 proof, but this was later reduced to 100 proof, then changed to a different 90 proof recipe in the mid-1950s. By the early 1970s only the 90 proof remained. In December 2009, the Sazerac Company reintroduced J.M. Legendre's original 100 proof recipe as Herbsaint Original.[3]
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ a b c Jay Hendrickson, Absinthe in America I - The Story of Herbsaint Archived 2010年12月25日 at the Wayback Machine, The Virtual Absinthe Museum at Oxygénée Ltd. (Access date December 7, 2010.)
- ^ Absinthe Banned: Ruling Given by Analyst Archived 2011年01月04日 at the Wayback Machine, reprint from New Orleans Item, May 6, 1934. (Access date December 7, 2010.)
- ^ Todd A. Price, Sazerac Co. reintroduces the original recipe for Herbsaint, The Times-Picayune, December 19, 2009. (Access date December 6, 2010.)
External links
[edit ]- The History of Legendre Herbsaint
- 1944 promotional booklet for Legendre Herbsaint — Cocktail recipes and a brief history of Legendre herbsaint and the old absinthe house in New Orleans (1.76MB PDF format)
