Duplais - The “Bible” of Absinthe Distillation
The Virtual Museum has just published a complete English edition of the “bible” of absinthe distillation: Pierre Duplais’ seminal “Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools”. This is the authoritative French distillation guide. It went through seven editions from 1855 to 1900 and is the basis of our understanding of 19th century French distillation techniques. It’s arguably the most important book on distillation written in any language in the 19th century, and no comparable book of the same scope has been published since.. A single English edition was published in Philadelphia in 1871, translated by M. McKennie, a professor at the University of Virginia.The special section on absinthe is of particular importance - this is our most accurate and comprehensive guide to the recipes and techniques used by late 19th century absinthe distillers, and its widely used by those seeking to duplicate their recipes today.
McKennie’s translation appears to have been issued with a very small print run, and surviving copies are extremely rare - only two have come up for sale in the last 15 years. This new facsimile edition of this English version published by The Virtual Absinthe Museum has been painstakingly compiled from scans of a rare original copy, and contains over 700 pages, including 14 plates and numerous wood engravings. If you’re serious about absinthe, you need this book.
The book is now in stock and ready for shipping.
Click here to see the new facsimile edition of Duplais’ distillation guide.
