This Oakland woman loves absinthe so much she changed her name to Absinthia

Absinthe – that high-proof spirit with the mysterious lore and liquorice taste people either love or detest. It’s gotten easier to love, though, with distillers making high-quality versions ever since the U.S. legalized absinthe in 2007. One of the best options on today’s market comes from our own backyard, Absinthia’s Bottled Spirits, from the eponymous maker who lives in West Oakland.

Absinthia Vermut is so enamored with absinthe she legally changed her name to reflect it. (That’s much more dedicated than, say, just getting a tattoo.) Her line of small-batch absinthes, which have garnered awards from San Francisco and New York to Europe, are made with California grapes and organic botanicals, like wormwood and coriander from Oregon.

On a recent afternoon, Absinthia took the time to chat about how she became involved in the “green fairy,” why the spirit was historically misunderstood and why you probably shouldn’t make your own using grain alcohol. (Note this interview was edited for brevity.)

Q. What ushered you into the world of absinthe?

A. I was at a San Francisco Cacophony Society event that Miss P (P Segal, Burning Man’s first host) put on back in 1996, and there was this crystal bowl of green liquid. I had no idea what it was. That was my first taste of absinthe, and I fell in love with it – I loved the flavor, l love the color green. I started researching it and by the next year, I had made my first bootleg bottles of absinthe. The recipe was quite honestly terrible. It involved Everclear and wormwood and anise tinctures from somewhere in the Mission. I started working really hard on making it taste good with organic ingredients.

Q. Why did absinthe get a bad rap?

A. What I loved about it originally was that it was so illegal and misunderstood. People really still believe what the French wine industry lied about in anti-absinthe propaganda in the early 1900s. The French were worried about not being able to compete with absinthe, because absinthe was becoming more popular.

Q. The stuff about absinthe making you go insane is a myth, right?

A. It was just people pounding too much alcohol. Also there was a guy in Switzerland, an alcoholic, who killed his wife and daughters in 1905, and they got him to say it was the absinthe that made him do it. That’s when countries started outlawing absinthe. But what we found out is once you distill absinthe, it’s perfectly safe to drink. That’s why it’s legal again today. And I make it the exact same way – I use vintage recipes they used in France 150 years ago.

Q. How has absinthe changed since it went legal in 2007?

A. In the beginning a whole bunch of brands came to market and a lot were pretty gimmicky. They weren’t true absinthe or were bitter, and some people made the opinion they didn’t like it. Or they came to it and were like, “I’m going to trip!” but they didn’t trip or hallucinate. I feel like in recent years, people are understanding it more – they’re using it in cocktails and starting to have it on their home bar.

Q. What is wormwood, anyway?

A. Wormwood actually grows wild in Golden Gate Park, if you know what you’re looking for. It’s very pretty: It’s a leafy green with yellow flowers. I had a farmer once make a bouquet, and I took a big sniff and my eyes started watering, it was so bitter. My absinthe has no sugar in it, but it’s got a natural sweetness from the grapes we use as the ethanol, and it all balances really well. It’s very easy to drink with just some cool water or in a cocktail. A lot of people who think they hate absinthe say to me, “Oh my gosh, I like it!”

Q. You’re a member of the Women’s Cocktail Collective – what’s that about?

A. That was started by Allison Evanow of Square One