La Fée Absinthe

The Cocktail was born in New Orleans and July saw the 5th anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail, a festival that gives the connoisseur or amateur the chance to taste, see and learn about cocktail culture.

The whole Tales of the Cocktail event took place in the famous Monteleone Hotel with the La Fée Absinthe Bar, hosted by George Rowley, welcoming guests in the Ernest Hemingway penthouse suite.

The Cocktail was born in New Orleans and July saw the 5th anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail, a festival that gives the connoisseur or amateur the chance to taste, see and learn about cocktail culture. The whole event took place in the famous Monteleone Hotel with the La Fée Absinthe Bar, hosted by George Rowley, welcoming guests in the Ernest Hemingway penthouse suite. Visitors to the bar were able to learn more about the history of absinthe and the La Fée brand tasting both the authentic La Fée Parisienne and its modern day variation La Fée Bohemian. Guests enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the La Fée Absinthe Bar quickly became an area not only for education but for social gathering. The fun didn’t stop there, with celebrations in the Old Absinthe House, a late night tour of the bars in New Orleans and the meeting of some very interesting local absinthe enthusiasts.

Ernest Hemingway Suite

In honour of one of absinthe’s most notable celebrity aficionados, the La Fée team chose the aptly-named 'Ernest Hemingway' suite of the famous Monteleone Hotel in the famous French quarter to host their popular La Fée Absinthe Bar, which soon became a firm favourite among guests attending the festival, and even some hotel guests who were simply on vacation. George Rowley gave in-depth presentations on the history of absinthe and the authenticity, provenance and quality of the La Fée Absinthe range from France, Switzlerland, and the Czech Republic including the new premium X•S range. Guests also enjoyed tastings and demonstrations of the traditional serving methods of the French absinthe La Fée Parisienne, watching in fascination as ice water dripped through a sugar cube created that all important ‘louche’. They were also shown the more modern sugar and burn method of serving using the contemporary La Fée Absinthe Bohemian.

Hemingway himself stayed in the suite on numerous occasions while visiting New Orleans, and the team were thrilled to think that if the great author was still alive today he would undoubtedly have been revelling in the La Fée Absinthe Bar and the absinthe celebrations taking place in his own favourite suite. His photo was placed in pride of place overseeing events, and La Fée bar staff wore their hypnotic La Fée 'eye' t-shirts with the Hemingway quote on the reverse "Got tight on absinthe last night. Did knife tricks."

A welcome VIP visitor to the suite was Sasha Petraske of Milk and Honey who only two weeks earlier had been mixing La Fée cocktails in New York with George Rowley at the Spiegelworld show 'Absinthe', where Sasha prepared the La Fée Absinthe Seafizz cocktail.

La Fée Seafizz

• 1 1/2 oz La Fée Absinthe Parisienne
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg white

Glass: Highball
Method: Shake with ice and strain into glass and top with sparkling water.

Another welcome guest to the suite was local New Orleans absinthe expert Ted Breaux – as foremost European and US experts in their field, George and Ted spent time getting to know one another and chatting about all things absinthe.

A wide array of guests visited the La Fée Absinthe Bar, and at one point the suite was so full there was virtually no space for La Fée staff. The suite became known for its informality, congeniality and fun – as well as the fine La Fée Absinthe, of course - and a highlight of the week was when a hotel guest dressed only in bathrobe and shades wondered in fresh from the adjacent swimming pool to join in the fun. He quickly made new friends over a glass of La Fée, as can be seen here.