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Mata Hari Absinthe: The First Czech-Bohemian Absinthe on U.S. Market
Paul: just want to clarify a couple of facts in your article. (and folks, I handle Mata Hari marketing in the U.S. so please recognize that I have a commercial interest)
Absinthe was just "legalized" (actually there's more to it than not, and if your readers are interested in the details, check out www.wormwoodsociety.org for the full story) in Oct. of 2007. So with Lucid opening the market, Absinthe has only been commercially available for about 10 months.
There's a big difference between Czech (aka Czechsinthe, Crapsinthe) Absinthes and Bohemian Style. The latter refers to the flavor profile, not the geographic origin. Obviously it's confusing because Bohemia is really a geographic region in the Western Czech Republic. Mata Hari is Bohemian style made in Vienna Austria, not the Czech Republic, and by a master distiller whose family has been in the business since 1875. The particular recipe for what we've branded as Mata Hari, actually dates back to 1881 (I've physically seen it...Gerry Fischer keeps it in a safe in his great grandfather's office on Wilhelmstrasse). Back then it was sold as Fischer Absinthe (products weren't branded per se, they carried the manufacturer's name, just like Pernod was made by Mr. Pernod.)
Absinthe Mata Hari in the US does not advocate the use of what's known commonly as the fire ritual. This service style is usually associated with Czechsinthe's, but as I've already said, Absinthe Mata Hari isn't one.
Regarding mixability, I think it's important to note that while the maker of Mata Hari also makes a traditional French style product, we decided to bring in the Bohemian style because it's what sells the best in Europe where Absinthe has been legal for a few years. Consumers have basically voted and said they liked the concept of Absinthe, but prefer to tone down the licorice, and drink it mixed into more contemporary drinks as opposed to classics.
Lastly,when it comes to reviews, I'm a big believer in the most important one...yours! Taste it and evaluate it yourself. (But if you want to read what Paul Pacult and Robert Plotkin had to say, you can check out their reviews at the Mata Hari website.
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Seems like the New York Times article you referred to sparked a lot of conversation. We went down to Apotheke that week to visit with Albert Trummer, the owner/mixologist to get his POV on the piece. He reinforced the Donald Trump theory of PR...any is good, but he did acknowledge the negative bias of the author. Herr Trummers serves his own absinthe, and the category certainly fits the theme of the place since it does look like what you'd imagine an apothecary shop from the 1890's would look like.
Fad or trend? That's the question. I have noted this before in a comment, but from the feedback we're getting from retailers around the country both real and virtual (a lot of Absinthe is sold via e-comm) it's growing but from a small base. So it's sort of like the proverbial blind men feeling an elephant...everyone's POV determines their response.
So from our perspective as brand marketers (in the interest of transparency, we market Absinthe Mata Hari) the numbers show the category continues to grow rapidly in toto. As with any new category, there will be a flurry of brand entries, then a settling out period, and we'll emerge with a few brands that have demonstrated staying power (capital and time) and traction at retail.