Evan Rail: On Uncovering Truths From Underreported Crimes

Born and raised in Central California, Evan Rail studied at UC Davis and at NYU in Paris, where he received his MA. His writing appears in a number of publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, and VinePair, where he has a monthly column. His essay Why Beer Matters, an Amazon Top 100 Bestseller, was followed by The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest, an award-winning memoir. His poems and translations have appeared in The New Republic, Zyzzyva, Poetry Review and The Times Literary Supplement (TLS), among other journals. He lives in Prague. Follow him on Bluesky and Instagram.

Evan Rail

Photo by David Surowiecki

In this interview, Evan discusses the research that went into his new true crime book, The Absinthe Forger, how receiving an email from the subject at the center of the book change the storyline, and more.

Name: Evan Rail
Literary agent: Max Sinsheimer at Sinsheimer Literary
Book title: The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit
Publisher: Melville House
Release date: October 15, 2024
Genre/category: True Crime
Previous titles: The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest, Why Beer Matters & Other Essays
Elevator pitch: The Absinthe Forger is a true crime story about a con man who forged counterfeit bottles of vintage absinthe that supposedly dated from before the spirit was banned in 1915, and how a group of amateur absinthe detectives uncovered the evidence of his fraud.

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What prompted you to write this book?

In part, I wanted people to know the truth about a crime that had mostly gone unreported: Nobody was ever prosecuted for the fake vintage absinthe that was circulating in the absinthe underground. I also wanted to share the secret world of absinthe with readers, since most people don’t have access to it. While researching the book, I was able to visit collectors who have bottles of absinthe going back to the 1850s—literal museum pieces, which they track down and drink today. I thought people would enjoy visiting these cellars with me and learning more about the Green Fairy, a drink that inspired some of the greatest artists and writers of all time.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It took almost exactly three years, from the initial “that would be a cool book” idea in October 2021 to a final publication date of October 15, 2024. The story line changed only slightly from the original book proposal to the final draft.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Because I was writing about an unprosecuted crime that had never been proven in court, I had to go through the manuscript with a lawyer who specializes in libel and defamation. And when I was sourcing the historic absinthe advertisements that are included in the book, I had to brush up on copyright law, including cases like Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Indeed, there were! I was about halfway through the book when the man I was writing about—the eponymous absinthe forger himself—wrote to me and told me to knock it off. That changed the storyline, since I didn’t have “and then the absinthe forger sends me an email” as a plot point in my book proposal. From then on, I had no idea what was going to happen next.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

That absinthe is not poisonous, and it doesn’t make you hallucinate. It’s a wonderful drink with a rich history and a very real sense of place. And if you’re lucky, you might even be able to taste a historic “pre-ban” absinthe—the very same spirits that Oscar Wilde, Arthur Rimbaud, Pablo Picasso. and Vincent van Gogh used to drink.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Keep the faith. Your “last” submission might be the one that hits the bullseye.

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