Giant sunflowers bloom before your very eyes as a dazzling Starry Night unfolds on the walls, ceilings and floors in the massive neoclassical halls of Chicago’s landmark Germania Club in the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit Chicago. Extended now through May 30th, the custom-designed exhibit uses 90 million pixels in 500,000 cubic feet of projections to bring the sunny landscapes, emotive night scenes, portraits and still life paintings of the famed master of Impressionism, Vincent Van Gogh, to life. It is also where Crillon Importers, the creators of Absente Absinthe ($45), introduced their intoxicating cocktail beverage to Chicago-area connoisseurs.
“Absinthe is said to have been the muse of the French Impressionist painters, such as Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne, Picasso and the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh,” said Jean-Baptiste Robert, CEO of Crillon Importers, exclusive representative for Absente Absinthe.
Handcrafted in France, Absente Absinthe uses the same artisanal distillation method and ingredients as its creators over a century and a half ago, including the infamous narcotic botanical wormwood.
Created in the 18th century, Absinthe was banned from the market in 1915 after being wrongfully associated with violent crime and social disorder. This only served to increase its popularity and drove its production underground.
The ban was lifted in 1999. Distilleries Domaines de Provence was the first to resume producing absinthe using one of the oldest recipes and traditional methods.
Absente Absinthe combines wormwood with eight other botanicals, including Star Anise, Green Anise, peppermint, and lemon balm, among others, to create an aromatic and intense French spirit.
“Crillon Importers is responsible for welcoming Absinthe back to the United States after a more that 100-year ban,” Robert explained, while creating the legendary Absente Absinthe cocktail using a special slotted spoon used to suspend a sugar cube over a wide-rimmed cocktail glass.
Robert demonstrated the making of a traditional Absinthe Cocktail, slow-dripping ice-cold water over the sugar cube from an ancient carafe, to dilute a generous shot of Absente Absinthe. Add a splash of your favorite fruit juice to create an intoxicating cocktail with a slightly bitter overtone.
“Van Gogh and the painters of his time revolutionized the art world with their bold technique,” Robert explained, while sipping his newly made cocktail. “Instead of following the classical technique of recreating realistic depictions of the world around them, they instead projected their subconscious visions onto canvas. That subjective vision became known as Impressionism. It was inspired by Absinthe.”
The key ingredient of Absinthe is wormwood. “It is a narcotic plant grown only in the mountains of France,” Robert explained. “Van Gogh lived in Arles, not far from a distillery. So, it would make sense that he would drink Absinthe and be inspired by its seductive qualities.”
It was also at Arles that Van Gogh famously cut off his ear in a fit of mental distress and tragically, took his own life.
Van Gogh stayed in the artist’s colony at Arles between February 1888 and May 1889. In the short span of just over a year, he executed more that 300 paintings and drawings, including his most famous works, including The Starry Night (1889), Sunflowers (1888) and The Bedroom (1889).
These masterpieces and more are brilliantly displayed in the magical exhibit at Chicago’s Germania Club Building designed and conceived by Massimiliano Siccardi with soundtrack by Luca Longobardi. The two pioneered their immersive digital art experience in France. It now thrills audiences in 20 cities around the world, including Chicago.
Absente Absinthe’s Master Distiller is Yves Rafattelli, who grew up in the hills of Upper-Provence. As a child, Yve harvested wild herbs used in traditional Provence meals and, of course, in the creation of Absinthe. He joined the Distillery in 1981, where he acquired his know-how from Jean Augier, a 3rd generation distiller.
“It is the charm of the still,” Yves said of the creative process behind Absente Asinthe. “Every shift turns into a challenge on how to extract the most subtle scented spirits.”
The singer/songwriter Don McLean captured the spirit of Van Gogh’s 1889 painting “The Starry Night” in the song “Vincent,” which followed on the heels of his mega hit in 1972, the epic “Bye, Bye, American Pie.” I found a video performance previewing his 2022 World Tour commemorating the 50th Anniversary of “The Day The Music Died” on You Tube and watched it while enjoying an Absente Absinthe cocktail. It was a soul- satisfying experience!
Visit crillonimportersltd.com/brand/absinthe and vangoghchicago.com for more.