Come and Dance With The Green Fairy (Absinthe)

Name: wampyrii

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Product:	Absinthe
Date:	25/07/01 (7899 review reads)
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Absinthe is an alcoholic liquer with one of the more colourful histories to its name. Much maligned for its potency, it still remains banned across many western countries and that which remains freely available in others has its contents strictly regulated.

Absinthe is an emerald green liquer containing numerous herbal extracts themselves including wormwood. Its colour is derived from the presence of chlorophyl which gives it an extremely bitter flavour and is therefore usually diluted with water and sugar to increase its palatability, although personal taste comes into this I suppose...personally I think you would have to be insane to drink it without dilution. Absinthe's notoriety comes from a hysteria which arose around its consumption during the 19th century. It was the favoured drink of bohemian circles in the western world, including such well known figures as Oscar Wilde and Vincent Van Gogh to name but a few. It was around the 1850's that people began to question problems which may arise from chroinic usage of the liquer, virtually blaming it for every single alcohol related problem of the time. A condition called absinthism was identified inclduing such symptoms as epileptic attacks, delusions and hallucinations and the proposed psychotropic effects of the liquer eventually led to its ban in France, Germany, Italy and the USA amongst other countries by the turn of the 20th century. Looking back the testing for such a condition was rather weak to say the least and it appears that the drink became the scapegoat for general fears surrounding the effects of the industrial revolution especially in France and a general attack on bohemianism in much the same way as cannabis had been attacked elsewhere. Undoubtably some of the ingredients of Absinthe could have had the proposed effects including an extremely high ethanol level of between 60% - 85% and a chemical found in wormwood known as Thujone - which has a chemical construction similar to the a
ctive ingredient in cannabis. Prolonged and high consumption of either could have resulted in some obviously nasty side effects.

However, taken in moderation, like all alcohol should be anyway, and bearing in mind that what you get today isnt exactly what you was on offer all those years ago, Absinthe remains a very enjoyable drink. There are two traditional methods which I know about to drink this drink. The first is to pour sugar onto a perforated spoon and then run cold water through it into the absinthe which causes the shot to turn an opaque colloidal solution. This method allows you to savour the flavour of the absinthe. The second is to take a spoonful of sugar and dip it into the absinthe quickly, light the sugar until the flame dies out and the sugar becomes caramelised and then mix with the absinthe before downing quickly. Either method is equally good giving a slightly different flavour, but I prefer the first, the more traditional method, but of course it is all down to personal preference. Taste? Well I suppose aniseed is about as close as you are going to get as far as description goes, but its not aniseed...if you know what I mean.

Overall then, whatever the taste, its a wonderful drink, but don't start thinking you are going to go on some weird hallucinogenic trip on the stuff because what you get in the shops now, is a hugely 'watered down' version of what was available150 years ago. Try not to get too much of a liking for absynthe either or you could find a sizeable hole growing in your pocket - like £40+ a bottle! Its a very special drink and there have been many mutterings and rumblings from those who seek to protect and control about its continuing availability so perhaps check it out why you still can might be the advice. There are numerous different brands, but I would advise checking it out abroad rather than in the UK, where you'll find the prices much lower.

Happy Drinking!

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