Absinthe, and the New Neighbor
The house I live in has a small single apartment in the back that's been occupied by two different single guys since I moved here. Yesterday brought a third.
Despite their close proximity, and the fact that I would often hear fights, stubbed toes and (*cough*) intimate moments (*cough*) through the walls, I never associated with either of them. They're almost too close, too accessible, too aware of what I put in the garbage and recycling bin to become acquantices with. But this time, I decided to break habit, and actually say hello.
So I walked over and knocked on his door. Jim is his name. Has a huge stereo with towering black magnetic field speakers, an old couch from the 70s, and lots of single guy bachelor pad kind of junk. Not trendy bachelor pad mind you, I'm talking sports equipment, a basket full of remote controls, and a coffee table with feet marks around the rim.
After a few minutes of conversation, he invited me to come back for a drink sometime soon. "Sure," I replied. Besides, I'm not one to turn down a free cocktail.
"I'm getting a bottle of Absinthe," Jim said.
"A what?"
"Absinthe. Ever had it?"
Suddenly my mind filled with the paintings of Van Gogh, of Oscar Wilde, of Dali, of Moulin Rouge! and the Parisian intellectuals and artisans vomiting that profound green liquor. Jim smiled, knowlingly, and said it was "quite good" if I was interested.
Later I found out that Absinthe is banned in the US, and for whatever reason has been making a bit of a comeback lately; smuggled into the country just as easily as any type of narcotic.
Then, I find out that there is a custom for drinking it.
The traditional method of 'presentation' (drinking) involves charging a perforated 'absinthe spoon' with a sugar cube and placing it over an 'absinthe glass' which greatly resembes a modern parfait ice cream glass. The glass has a line around it demarking the proper amount of absinthe it should contain so that when full, the glass will hold the proper 5 parts of water fo 1 part absinthe -- almost no one ever drinks this liqueur neat, save for a few show-offs. The water is trickled from a carafe or 'absinthe fountain' over the sugar cube which slowly dissolves. As the sugary water dilutes the alcohol, the herbal oils in the high proof alcohol solution come out of solution, being almost insoluble in water. This liberates the hugely floral bouquet and produces a milky off-white drink similar to Greek ouzo or Mideastern arak or European anisette -- all anise based drinks like absinthe. The clouding effect is termed the louche, and is of great aesthetic appeal to absintheurs. Modern variations involving setting the absinthe alight are mere cheap melodrama.Absinthe
I don't know if Jim follows tradition, but either way I have a date with the Green Fairy.
Comments
I found a very old bottle of the stuff a few years ago when cleaning out my grandparent's house (they had lived there for 80 some years). It was dated pre-prohibition, and if I remember correctly, the abuse of absenth in particular was one of the major arguments used by the prohibitionists. A small sample of the stuff (not using the proper method) revealed a distinct flavor of something one might use on a wound. I cannot vouch for the proper flavor, as it was my only sample and I have nothing to compair it too. Here's to hoping your experience is more pleasant.
Posted by: Nate at April 4, 2002 7:51 PM
I seem to recall reading somewhere (perhaps it was in one of the Anne Rice "Lestat" novels) that absinthe consumption led to, or was at least believed to lead to, insanity of one form or another.
From http://www.modbooks.com/cgi-bin/m?absinthe/faq.html:
Absinthe is usually flavored with anise, fennel and other herbs. An important ingredient in absinthe is wormwood which contains a psychoactive ingredient called thujone, a terpenoid similar to THC, the essential ingredient in marijuana. When combined with alcohol, it may produce unpredictable results.
At the turn of the century a number of leading physicians were beginning to study the drink, and though inconclusive by modern standards, their findings of absinthe's effects on rats showed that wormwood, when mixed with alcohol, produced convulsions and lesions on the cerebral cortex.
That in itself is enough to keep me away. I'll stick with my unfashionable single-malt scotches, thanks...
Posted by: Bob at April 5, 2002 9:29 AM
Do let us know how it goes...
Posted by: Miriam at April 5, 2002 11:49 AM
if you have the good stuff, that which can be found in some european countries, or the pre-prohibition absinthe as mentioned above, it is weird. it's a lot like marijuana....really good marijuana.
Posted by: clark at May 1, 2002 12:49 AM
i would like to know where to get some of this stuff.
Posted by: ken at September 28, 2002 1:10 AM
FROM WHAT THE MEDIA SHOWS ME "MOULAN ROUGE:?"FROM HELL" tHE PERFECT DRUG" NIN_ABSIN IS A HALLUCENAGENIC PLEASE TELL US?
Posted by: KENNETH at September 30, 2002 5:51 AM
What is the formula for making Absinthe?
Posted by: Andreas Markup at October 22, 2002 5:02 PM
Absinthe's main ingredient is the plant known as "Artemisia absinthium" from the Asteraceae family, which is also known as Wormwood.
It's been rather hard to find a recipe for the drink, but from what I can tell, the most common ingredients are:
Wormwood
Anise
Fennel seed
there's a lot of other recipes that are just variations to get the drink more palatable.
here's the recipe I'm currently trying:
http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/pf-absinthe.html
And as always, it's a good idea to look around for more info and experiment yourself.
Posted by: happy at October 25, 2002 10:21 PM
In Portugal, Billy Goats browse on Cystus which has very sticky leaves. At night the children comb out the Billy Goats Beards to obtain quantities of the Cystus Glue which, as I recal is used to make one halucigenic constituent of absense. I must revisit the library in Dunfermline where this information was obtained. Can anyone enlighten me. I do remember the one about Carob Beans being used to measure gold. Hence Carot !!
Posted by: Ewan McCrae at October 26, 2002 6:51 PM
