Last night, Lush Life snapped some photos at the opening of White Star — Sasha Petraske’s absinthe joint that Rob and Robin told us about earlier this week. The bar, in the former King Size space, is small, so we got a little nervous when UrbanDaddy told its subscribers about the opening, but Lush Life reassures, “While the place was packed, there was still room to move as the absinthe flowed.” While we’re talking about the green stuff: Lucid will introduce New Yorkers to two new varieties in mid-September.
Rather than watering down the press release, we’ll give it to you straight (just don’t apply this same policy to absinthe):
The only absinthe distilled in Couvet, Switzerland, La Clandestine, hand crafted by Claude-Alain Bugnon, is a colorless absinthe in the Swiss ‘La Bleue’ style, based on a 1935 absinthe recipe that was handed to Claude-Alain’s family by a close family friend. La Clandestine takes its name from the way it was sold as an “underground” brand for several years during the era of absinthe prohibition. It has repeatedly reaped awards and accolades and is considered by many to be the finest Swiss, La Bleue style absinthe available in the world. Claude-Alain is a three times winner of the golden spoon at the Pontarlier Absinthiades.
Nouvelle-Orléans Absinthe Supérieure, one of the famous Jade Liqueurs absinthes, is the creation of renowned absinthe expert, T. A. Breaux, and is a traditional green Absinthe Verte produced in Saumur, France. The incomparable flavor of Nouvelle-Orléans is derived from a full compliment of Grande Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), and additional select European botanicals traditionally used in crafting a genuine Belle Époque absinthe. Having won numerous international awards and worldwide acclaim since its original release in 2004, Nouvelle-Orléans will soon be available to U.S. connoisseurs for the first time.
We won’t get to taste-test the products until a party at Gemma next Wednesday — in the meantime, asking Mr. Petraske about them is probably your best bet.
Opening: White Star Bar [Lush Life]
Related: Restaurant Openings, Week of August 25
