Grön Opal is a classic green Absinthe from Sweden. It is based on the three traditional herbs ingredients wormwood, anise and fennel. The green color is achieved by adding a well-balanced blend of dried herbs to the distillate, which is completely colorless when it comes out of the still. It is the chlorophyll in the herbs that gives the natural green color. Roman wormwood, hyssop and lemon balm are the most traditionally used herbs for this purpose. As well as giving off their color, these herbs of course also contribute their own flavor nuances. After distillation, the Absinthe is racked into barrels to age for at least three months, during which the flavors mature even more.
Grön Opal is an intense but smooth Absinthe. As only three herbs are used for distillation, the aroma is focused on the traditional taste of Absinthe. The coloring herbs add some complexity, but just a bit to not overpower the holy herbal trinity. In this sense, lemon balm adds a fresh and crisp taste. The louche, this means the cloudy effect ones the Absinthe is diluted, is very thick, almost like herbal milk. This is a sign of the intensity of the essential oils being dissolved in the spirit.
Swedish Absinthe: Groen Opal
Svensk Absint AB (Swedish Absinthe Ltd.) is a small-scale distillery located in Örebro, Sweden, founded in 2009 by Mikael Norell and Tomas Runnquist. They make artisanal spirits, focusing on small batches with high quality ingredients. Artificial colors or flavors would never cross the doorstep of this distillery. Ecological thinking is important to them; not only is their Absinthe naturally green, but also all the electric power they use in the distillery. They have installed a large array of solar panels nearby, which powers everything in their facility. Mikael has his own herb garden where he cultivates roman wormwood, melissa, hyssop and many others of the ingredients, and harvests them carefully and meticulously by hand. The grand wormwood, which is one of the most important ingredients in their Absinthes, is however not cultivated but harvested wild-growing. It grows scarcely at certain far-off locations in Sweden, and the amount they can harvest during a hectic period in early August is what determines how much Absinthe they can produce in a year.
The aroma of the Swedish wild wormwood is very fragrant and powerful; the quality is superior to cultivated plants. The plants are left to dry for one year, hanging in the attic, before they are stripped from the stems and go into the boiler with the other herbs. The bain-marie still used holds around 100 liters, and every distillation yields around 25–30 liters of heart. Since at least six distillations are needed to fill a whole barrel before aging, this leaves room for adjustments between the runs, to secure the consistency between different batches. Wormwood from different years is used to ensure consistency.
The Absinthe rests for several months in its barrel before bottling. Every step in the production is done by hand, from selecting the best leaves of the plants to labelling and sealing the bottles. Besides Absinthe, the distillery also produces Aquavit and different brands of Gin in small batches.
How to drink Grön Opal
You should drink Grön Opal according to the classic French Absinthe ritual. You need an Absinthe glass, an Absinthe spoon, sugar cubes and ice-cold water for the preparation. This is how the ritual works: Fill some Absinthe into the glass (approx. 1 oz). Then place the Absinthe spoon on the rim of the glass, put a sugar cube on top and slowly add water. You can use a water carafe or - even more professional - an Absinthe fountain. The Absinthe in the glass blends with sugared water and magically louches from green to an opalescent white color. We recommend a ratio of 1 part Absinthe to 3 parts water. Finally, stir the Absinthe with the spoon. Your glass of Groen Opal is prepared! Green Opal needs more water than White Opal, as it is more alcoholic. But of course you are free to experiment with how much water suits your taste - some people like less water while others like more. However, a certain amount of water is needed for all the flavors to fall out of solution and release their aromas.
