Set Absinthe Grön Opal & Tarragona glass and dripper - 50cl

The Grön Opal absinthe (Swedish for Green Opal) is made according to a French recipe from the 19th century.

For several years, the two distillers from Svensk Absint have worked on making the perfect recipe and finding the ideal sources of herbs. We are delighted to offer you the Grön Opal and the Vit Opal, exclusively on Absinthes.com

The Grön Opal is characterised by its intense and fruity Swedish wormwood.

The secret of this absinthe's complex and delicious taste is due to the distillers' choice to take the highest quality herbs, without compromising:

It means going out in the countryside looking for wild-growing grand wormwood.

It means taking the time to grow lemon-balm, hyssop and roman wormwood in their own garden.

It means meticulously finding the finest sources of plants that grow in hotter climates, like anise and fennel.

Before bottling, the absinthe is rested at least three months in barrels, so that its flavour smooths out. As most of the work requires intense manual effort, and a lot of time, only small batches of this absinthe are produced.

Discover the tasting notes of absinthe expert Marc Thuillier over on our blog.




In its tasting notes, Markus Hartsmar, from Absinthe.se, has high praise for Grön Opal too:

Aroma: subtle notes of green anise and melissa.
Louche: develops slowly and steadily, very thick and creamy.
Taste: pleasant mouth feel, perfect harmony between wormwood, anise and fennel.



The two distillers, Mikael Norell and Tomas Runnquist

As used by famous writer and notorious absinthe drinker Ernest Hemingway, during his time in Spain in the twenties (see image).



Tarragona glasses on table. Ernest Hemingway and others at a restaurant table in Pamplona, Spain, summer 1926. Left to right at table, Gerald Murphy, Sara Murphy, Pauline Pfeiffer, Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Hemingway. (Image courtesy of Ernest Hemingway Collection/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)

Hand made in Europe by artisan glass makers! A faithful reproduction of the absinthe glasses that became popular in Spain in the 1920s to 30s. Following the absinthe ban in France, some absinthe producers including Pernod moved absinthe production over to Tarragona in Spain, where absinthe was - and still is - legal. This created demand for locally-produced absinthe glasses and drippers. This kind of absinthe glass and dripper is nowadays referred to as the Tarragona style.

The techniques used to make our absinthe glasses are historically accurate, being handmade by skilled glass-blowers. Small air bubbles or imperfections in the glass are proof of this time honoured technique.

If you are used to reproductions of earlier absinthe drippers, the hole might seem large to you, meaning the water flows quite quickly. If you want to take things a bit more slowly, a trick among absintheurs in the know who often prefer their absinthe without sugar is to place a glass marble in the bottom of the dripper.



Infamous American author Ernest Hemingway is known to have enjoyed drinking absinthe in the north of Spain starting in the 1920s. There is a photo of him using a Tarragona absinthe glass, in Pamplona where he is known to have taken part in the running of the bulls, where bulls are released onto the streets, and people who wish to are allowed to run along with the charging bulls: At their own risk!

In Hemingway's book 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', set during the Spanish Civil war. The book's main character, an American guerilla fighter, takes solace in absinthe, described as 'liquid alchemy', which reminds him of a happier time in his life spent in Paris.




How to use an absinthe dripper. Much more convenient than a carafe, an absinthe dripper, or in French, brouille-absinthe, lets you add iced water and sugar to your absinthe without water splashing everywhere, and it has the advantage of being very compact. To use a dripper, pour a measure of absinthe into your glass. Set the dripper on top of the glass. Place a sugar cube in the bottom of the dripper, fill the dripper with ice cubes, and then fill up the dripper with water. Enjoy the cloudy louche forming in the absinthe in your glass. Add 3-6 parts water for one part absinthe.

If you are looking for either part of this set individually, please take a look here: Tarragona Absinthe Glass, Tarragona Absinthe Dripper.

Approximately 15cm tall, 8cm diameter.

If you are looking for a larger handmade glass, check out the Tarragona glass' big sister: the Grande Pontarlier Glass.