Loch Ness inspires Scots absinthe first
A DOCTOR and a former detective have joined forces to launch Scotland’s first absinthe blanche using ingredients hand-picked from around their 500-year-old ancestral home by the shores of Loch Ness.
The couple, Lorien and Kevin Cameron-Ross, creators of the award-winning Loch Ness Gin, developed the recipe for Loch Ness Absinthe, both distilled at their home on the banks of the loch, following a trip to the birthplace of the spirit, Val-de-Travers in Switzerland.
It was there Lorien learned to fine-tune the craft of making absinthe which was first used as a medicinal remedy by a French doctor living in the country, Pierre Ordinaire around the 1790s.
Although best known as absinthe verte, the notorious "green drink", popular in the late 19th and early 20th century among artists and writers in Paris, with Vincent Van Gogh and Ernest Hemmingway among its devotees, the couple decided to create their own Scottish blanche recipe.
Blanche absinthe dates back to 1910 following the ban of green absinthe in various countries – although not in the UK – due to unproven fears it had hallucinogenic properties resulting from the use of thujone, a component of wormwood.
This led to the illegal production of clear absinthe in Switzerland, making it harder for the authorities to identify.
Lorien said: "We are really proud of our latest product, Loch Ness Absinthe, boasting our very own homegrown botanicals including wormwood mixed with nearby fresh water which flows into the famous loch.
"We felt there was gap in the market for an absinthe blanche in Scotland, a drink I really enjoy, so decided to put the wheels in motion last year and began to research its history and fully understand the craft of creating and distilling it."
Loch Ness Absinthe, with a ABV of 53 per cent, is less potent that absinthe verte, which is usually around 72 per cent.
The couple, who are firm believers in mindful drinking where you drink less and enjoy yourself more, recommend that Loch Ness Absinthe should be enjoyed slowly as an aperitif, ideally in a mix of one-part absinthe to three parts iced water, poured over a sugar cube on the glass’s rim.
Lorien continued: "I’ve worked really hard to get the recipe for our latest product, Loch Ness Absinthe exactly the way I wanted and in the process perfected the art of distilling it to get the exact results I was looking for.
"With the help and support of Kevin, I’ve created a drink that I’m really pleased with, which has already received fantastic feedback, leading to us driving our plans forward to launch even more products in the near future that will continue to be inspired by the loch and the land around us."
