Spirits · New York City, New York
Doc Herson's Natural Spirits
Small-batch absinthe that started in a Harlem basement.
- Founded
- 2012
- Founded by
- Kevin Herson, Stacey Luckow
- Based in
- New York City, New York
Making it since
2012
Their story
Kevin Herson worked in commodities before he and his wife, Stacey Luckow, started making whiskey, moonshine, and absinthe for themselves in the basement of their Harlem brownstone in 2012. Absinthe became the focus, and the hobby turned into a business.
The name and label borrow from a Prohibition-era doctor's prescription for alcohol. In 2014 the company moved production to the old Pfizer building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and it has been described as New York City's first legal absinthe distillery. They make three styles: green, red, and white.
How it's made
Grains from upstate New York are fermented and stripped into a raw spirit, then redistilled in a pot still with botanicals such as grand wormwood, fennel, anise, mint, and lemon. More herbs are added after distillation for color and flavor before the absinthe is strained, settled, and bottled.
Absinthe doesn't make you hallucinate, it never did and it never will.
Why we carry them
Doc Herson's is a good way to rediscover absinthe as a botanical spirit rather than a legend. We like a small pour slowly diluted with cold water.
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