Experiencing The Green Fairy
I didn’t know what to expect, frankly.
I’ve just always wanted to try it.
Absinthe.
For years, the anise-flavored spirit was banned in the United States. The spirit, which is made from herbs – most notably the flowers and stems of the wormwood plant – originated in Switzerland.
It gained its reputation in the late-19th Century and early 20th Century France with the bohemian culture (watch Moulin Rouge! sometime; the drink is at the heart of that film). The spirit in its natural state is this funky amethyst green.
Absinthe contains small amounts of the chemical thujone, which apparently is a powerful psychotropic drug. But there’s not enough thujone in Absinthe to do any harm.
The cool thing is there’s a ritual to drink it. Start with an “appropriate glass” (we used Martini glasses) and pour 1.5 ounces of Absinthe into the glass. Next, take a slotted spoon (we used an egg slicer) and put a cube of sugar on it and rest it on the rim of the glass. Next, drip 4-5 ounces of cold water over the sugar cube and into the Absinthe.
When the water and sugar meets the spirit, its clouds up, or “louches” and makes the drink blossom. There are other flavors that come out that supposedly are over-powered by the prevailing anise flavor.
OK, so I had three (I was drinking diet 7Up up to that point) and can report that I did not go schizo.
But I didn’t feel like writing the Great American Novel, either (sadly).
It was an interesting taste, probably an acquired taste, but interesting nonetheless.
Some who tried it with me reported Sunday that they were tired – I know I was – but no ill affects were reported.
All-in-all, it is a fun alternative drink.
And I still have a whole, un-opened bottle with which to experiment.
I’ve just always wanted to try it.
Absinthe.
For years, the anise-flavored spirit was banned in the United States. The spirit, which is made from herbs – most notably the flowers and stems of the wormwood plant – originated in Switzerland.
It gained its reputation in the late-19th Century and early 20th Century France with the bohemian culture (watch Moulin Rouge! sometime; the drink is at the heart of that film). The spirit in its natural state is this funky amethyst green.
Absinthe contains small amounts of the chemical thujone, which apparently is a powerful psychotropic drug. But there’s not enough thujone in Absinthe to do any harm.
The cool thing is there’s a ritual to drink it. Start with an “appropriate glass” (we used Martini glasses) and pour 1.5 ounces of Absinthe into the glass. Next, take a slotted spoon (we used an egg slicer) and put a cube of sugar on it and rest it on the rim of the glass. Next, drip 4-5 ounces of cold water over the sugar cube and into the Absinthe.
When the water and sugar meets the spirit, its clouds up, or “louches” and makes the drink blossom. There are other flavors that come out that supposedly are over-powered by the prevailing anise flavor.
OK, so I had three (I was drinking diet 7Up up to that point) and can report that I did not go schizo.
But I didn’t feel like writing the Great American Novel, either (sadly).
It was an interesting taste, probably an acquired taste, but interesting nonetheless.
Some who tried it with me reported Sunday that they were tired – I know I was – but no ill affects were reported.
All-in-all, it is a fun alternative drink.
And I still have a whole, un-opened bottle with which to experiment.
Comments
Yikes, u gotta be kidding me.
Guess not, happy 45th birthday?
s.
I'm making it known publicly here and now that this Queen is officially putting absinthe on the same "Not Allowed To Drink" list as tequila.