Sales of absinthe are also rising in France and in the U.K. after the European Union permitted its production in 1998. While there are no industry figures for absinthe sales, Karl estimated at least 400,000 bottles of absinthe were produced last year and may exceed 500,000 in 2005. Blackmint is now looking for ways to break into the U.S. market, where absinthe is illegal.

``You can't spell it `absinthe' in the U.S.,'' said Karl. ``If you say `absinthe,' it's `no, no, no.' You have to find a way around it.'' Blackmint will seek sales in the U.S. by lowering the potency from 53 percent to 45 percent and changing the label to comply with rules, he said.