Standard Wormwood Distillery

HISTORY

WORMWOOD (Artemesia Absinthium)

At the heart of all of our spirits you will find the influence of this elusive and largely misunderstood plant. Growing our own wormwood in upstate New York at our family farm has given us a deep appreciation for this herbaceous bitters, nearly lost to history. Traditionally used for its herbal bitterness in Absinthe, Vermouth, Amaro, Bitters and even beer, it underwent a hundred year ban for misleadingly being known as a hallucinogen. While it does give a subtle lucid wakeful feel and is unique among other spirits for this, the true history of why it was banned is wrapped up with a grape blight in the late 19th century, when French wine Barons sought to ban absinthe due to its rise in popularity while the wine industry was recovering.
Around a century after the original ban and a decade of home distilling in Bushwick we are bringing wormwood into modern spirits outside of the absinthe tradition. No anise or licorice is used, just the wormwood for its bitter profile and unique ability to modify the spirit, much like bitters in a cocktail, but all in the distilling process. Rounding the spirits out, creating layers of complexity from a range of deep chocolate notes to spicy herbaceous undertones, we are taking wormwood into a new chapter of its history.