{"product_id":"the-absinthe-forger-evan-rail-9781685892241","title":"The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World's Most Dangerous Spirit","description":"\u003cb\u003eNow in paperback: an astonishing true crime story about an eccentric grifter who blew up the lucrative black market for vintage bottles of the legendary drink of artistic renegades, absinthe . . .\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThought to be hallucinogenic and banned globally for a century, absinthe is once again legal and popular. Yet it is still associated with bohemian lifestyles, just as when it was the favorite drink of avant-gardists like Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh and Baudelaire. And today, when vintage, pre-ban bottles are discovered, they can sell for exorbitant prices to private collectors. But such discoveries are increasingly rare. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhich is why the absinthe demimonde of rich collectors was electrified when a mysterious bon vivant claimed to be in possession of a collection of precious, pre-ban bottles. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIs his secret tranche of 100-year-old bottles real? And just who is the shadowy person selling them? And what about rumors of another secret cache, hidden away in an Italian palazzo? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJournalist Evan Rail sets out to discover the truth about the enigmatic dealer and the secret stashes. Along the way, he drinks with \u003ci\u003eabsintheurs\u003c\/i\u003e frantically chasing down the pre-bans, visits modern distillers who have seen their status rise from criminal bootleggers to sought-after celebrities, and relates the legendary history of absinthe, from its birth in Switzerland through its coming of age in France, and on to its modern revival.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Evan Rail\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1685892248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781685892241\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Melville House Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/23\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 368\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.81lbs","brand":"Evan Rail","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46881115472127,"sku":"9781685892241","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_1f5928a2-a1fe-4c3c-8075-12863213c3b7.jpg?v=1747970721","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-absinthe-forger-evan-rail-9781685892241","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}