The Green Fairy Lands in Greenville

 

As Greenville’s Dark Corner Distillery prepares to celebrate its one-year anniversary after giving the state its first legally distilled whiskey since prohibition and its first and only hand-distilled gin, owner Joe Fenten says the small-batch micro distillery has a new title that has never been produced in the Southeastern United States.

The Green Villain Absinthe Supérieure debuted this past weekend at the distillery’s Main Street location.

“The Green Villain is a contemporary revival of a long-misunderstood Old World spirit based on a traditional recipe dating back to 1871,” Fenten said.

According to head distiller John Wilcox, “Producing an authentic French style of absinthe is a very time consuming and meticulous process. A bouquet of botanicals is required to achieve the correct color and flavor of this mysterious spirit. The holy trinity of absinthe, grand wormwood, sweet fennel, and aniseed are the primary ingredients for our recipe.”

Dark Corner previewed The Green Villain at Euphoria, a weekend long event celebrating the culinary and arts communities in the Upstate. The absinthe was traditionally prepared at the event as it was in the late 19th century Parisian cafés.

“The preparation of absinthe is an art itself,” said Wilcox. “Ice-cold water is slowly introduced into the spirit causing it to louche, or become cloudy. The color changes from rich jade to an opalescent emerald. Absinthe is definitely a beautiful spirit. It’s a show-stopper.”

Fenten told CRESCENT, “Dark Corner’s Green Villain is a celebration of tradition, craft, and innovation. Mirroring moonshine’s rebellious spirit during Prohibition, absinthe survived its multi-country ban in 1915 as bootleg. Its legend was a quiet footnote in history until the ban was lifted in the 1990s. Dark Corner Distillery is proud to share this unique and exciting spirit and offers education on its history and preparation at its Main Street location.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Dark Corner Distillery