Slatkin Absinthe (Christophe Laudamiel) 2000 “Gothic Ode to the Green Fairy”

Slatkin Absinthe Ida’s bottle

“Whiskey and beer are for fools; absinthe for poets;
absinthe has the power of the magicians; it can wipe out
or renew the past, and annul or foretell the future.” ~ Ernest Dowson

Christophe Laudamiel via the perfumer

I love to jump straight down the rabbit hole when it comes to reviewing older fragrances. It happens (on an alarmingly regular basis) that once I decide to choose a particular perfume, I have a devil of a time trying to glean either accurate or sufficient information about it. It’s never my intention: I simply think, “Oh, this is a fabulous scent! I’ll wager that many of our readers would enjoy this one”. By then I’ve committed myself. As I trawled through any number of drawers, this shiny silver bottle poked its lovely head out – so I’ll blame this review on that dresser drawer and this particular bottle. The fragrance is now obscure, but it was composed in 2000 by master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel for Harry Slatkin. When Mr. Slatkin created his own brand Slatkin & Co. in 1992 with his wife Laura, they eventually branched out into fine fragrance. My all-time favorite is Slatkin Absinthe (not to be confused with another popular Slatkin fragrance named Black Fig and Absinthe).

Collage of famous people who drank absinthe and paintings: Clockwise from top right: Oscar Wilde, Van Gogh, Arthur Rimbaud, Earnest Hemingway, ‘The Absinthe Drinker’ by Edouard Manet, ‘Angel Fernández de Soto with Absinthe’ by Pablo Picasso ‘Green Muse’ by Albert Maignan

For me my glory is an
Humble ephemeral Absinthe
Drunk on the sly, with fear of treason
and if I drink it no longer,
it is for a good reason. ~ Paul Marie Verlaine

Absinthe fragrances abound; it’s a fact. I happen to be an immense fan of them and my perfume collection will attest to this. Slatkin Absinthe is removed from the fray of other wormwood-inspired scents, which is why I’d like to share it with you. As fortune would have it, we will have to work with skeletal notes – because that’s all we can find. Surely there is more to the perfume than just anise, currants, woods, and incense.

Via Unsplash

When we think of the Green Fairy, aka absinthe – verdant images come to mind: lonely debauched heroines of Edgar Degas, Albert Maignan, and deliciously lurid advertisements from days gone by. Not this one. Slatkin Absinthe is a gothic ode to the Green Fairy, but it most certainly is NOT green. When I smell it the color purple appears, somewhere on the spectrum of deepest plum veering towards eggplant. Absinthe is mythical, a fragrance for the Fae – not a photorealistic depiction of a grassy meadow populated with wild herbs. Wearing Absinthe is akin to inviting mischievous sylvan beings into your personal space. If it is so benign, why does it possess a compelling dark richness? No innocence abides here, and that’s just as well.

The Absinthe Drinker (1901) by Pablo Picasso free use

My initial encounter with this fragrance begins as an effusive burst of anise – a crepuscular presence which is as spicy and anethole-heavy as liquorice. It is sweet, but not overindulgently so, because it clings to the berry-tartness of currant. Currants possess an animalic facet which is sometimes described as resembling cat urine with a sulfurous tinge – so Absinthe has effectively departed from the ingenue category. This animalic facet is relatively soft, but it is a humming undercurrent of note. Woody facets are mentioned, but not specified; again, they are tender, obliging and seamless. Tendrils of incense are subtle and interwoven, and remain throughout the drydown until, several hours later – they exist as a fragrant phantom. I must add that one perceives a sense of pipe tobacco as well. Eventually Slatkin Absinthe assumes a ghostly, vaporous demeanor; if you apply it with a generous hand, it will last longer, but in the long game, it is a skin scent.

Slatkin Absinthe is best taken at face value, as opposed to harboring the expectation of an armoise/artemisia -based scent. I appreciate it for its painterly, limpid personality. If you are seeking the green, camphoraceous, intense herbal quality that is most frequently associated with absinthe and the elixirs to which monks devote their passion distilling, you will not find it here. Slatkin Absinthe is more abstract than literal – but that fact does not alter its charm or appeal. Keep an open mind – and you will be rewarded with a work of art, not a snapshot.

Notes: anise, currants, woods, incense

This fragrance is part of my collection. My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

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