The Miracle of Absinthe

doghouse · Nov 14, 2006

Oh, speaking of fuddie-duddies.. I may be young, but I'm one.

farnham54 · Nov 14, 2006

I think the root of the hallucinagen myth comes from two aspects of the drink:

The publicity of the 'wormwood'--people think the worm in certain types of Mescal bottles makes you hallucinate too, but this is false. This stems from (and this leads to my second point) the fact that quite often, in order to 'drink the worm', you've got to get through the first 26 ounces of tequila.

With absinthe, the alcoholic content is so high, and the majority of drinkers so ignorant, that they consume copious amounts of the stuff--that messes you up! That much alcohol in the system, wether it comes from 40 ounces of Gin or 10 ounces of Absinthe, is very bad and will have an effect on your perception abilities and yes, perhaps cause hallucinations. It has little to do with the absinthe and everything to do with irresponsible drinking.

Before people cry foul and call me a hippocrite--I speak from experience. The smell of absinthe now turns my stomach, no doubt a result of some pretty harsh conditioning to what was likley very similar to the sink cleaner mentioned before.

Cheers
Craig

herringbonekid · Nov 14, 2006

miss1934 said:
why do you think it was the drink of choice of artist and such then, if it didn't actually contain these hallucinegenic properties?

several artists are known to have drank absinthe or featured it in their work...Degas*, Manet, Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec, Rimbaud.... Again, the connection to artists is just more myth making. artists DRANK, and absinthe was a popular drink before its ban after 1905. so yes, artists drank absinthe, but not exclusivley. there were a number of reported violent crimes commited under the influence of absinthe that lead eventually to it's banning. it was said to turn men into raging monsters. take that 'delirium' rumour and mix it with the artistic genius/madman idea and you have the start of a very profitable urban myth.

*perhaps the most famous absinthe painting, Degas' "L'absinthe" sometimes called "absinthe drinkers", far from being a study of delirium, shows two people in a bar looking very BORED.

Feraud · Nov 14, 2006

miss1934 said:
why do you think it was the drink of choice of artist and such then, if it didn't actually contain these hallucinegenic properties?

Hype! Just like the idea that Red Bull and other energy drinks are giving you instant boosts of energy. They may contain copious amounts of sugar and caffeine but they take time to get into your system.
Most people are under the illusion that one sip of a Red Bull drink will have you flying off the walls.
I feel the reputation of Absinthe suffered (or benefitted) from the same marketing hype.

Feraud · Nov 14, 2006

Status?

Marc Chevalier said:
Please, folks, if you wish the *mysterious someone* to bring a bottle to the Queen Mary event, let me know as soon as possible -- either here or via a PM.

Because if only one or two people are interested, I don't think the *mysterious someone* will go to the trouble of lugging the stuff aboard.

.

Do we have enough drinkers for an Absinthe party?

Barry · Nov 14, 2006

Feraud said:
Do we have enough drinkers for an Absinthe party?

Need some additional takers?

fftopic: I bought some pipe tobacco called "Black Cordial" for this weekend. A guy in a tobacco shop told me about it and I found it at an online retailer. It's an aromatic but it burns fairly cool, tastes pretty good and smells really nice.

Feraud · Nov 14, 2006

Barry said:
Need some additional takers?

fftopic: I bought some pipe tobacco called "Black Cordial" for this weekend. A guy in a tobacco shop told me about it and I found it at an online retailer. It's an aromatic but it burns fairly cool, tastes pretty good and smells really nice.

I am sure we can use another drinker.

fftopic: I was considering bringing my pipe but have opted cigars. I feel like I have so many tiny details to remember and pipe gear would break the camel's back! lol

I will have a few cigars to enjoy with the crew if anyone is interested.

Marc Chevalier · Nov 14, 2006

Tourbillion said:
I'll try it, I haven't tried any Swiss Absinthe before. Is this a la bleue?

Yes. It was made by Claude-Alain Bugnon, formerly one of the betters makers of clandestine 'La Bleue' absinthe in Switzerlands' Val-de-Travers:

-----------------------------------------------

In 2005, when Switzerland re-legalized the production of absinthe, M. Bugnon went legit with a trio of absinthes made with the 1935 'Charlotte' recipe. Below is a pic of the bottle that a *mysterious someone* will bring to the Queen Mary (if a few more people indicate here that they're interested):

-----------------------------------------------

.

Absinthe_1900 · Nov 14, 2006

miss1934 said:
why do you think it was the drink of choice of artist and such then, if it didn't actually contain these hallucinegenic properties?

Absinthe was inexpensive, and it tasted good.

Far more average people in France & Switzerland drank absinthe, than did a small handful of artists.

Marc Chevalier · Nov 14, 2006

Oh, and Army veterans drank it.

.

Absinthe_1900 · Nov 14, 2006

I would recomend that the *mysterious someone* offer a glass without sugar so the attendees can taste the difference between with or without sugar.

Some people might prefer it without. I generally prefer without sugar.

geo · Nov 14, 2006

Since Canada is a protectorate of the British Crown and, furthermore, since Great Britain never banned it in the first place, chances are good that it's not illegal in Canada and available for sale.

I haven't seen any real absinthe here, just a drink called "Absente", and I doubt it's the real thing. The real absinthe has only been legalized in Switzerland recently, and even that is not the absinthe that the poets drank in the 1900's. The original absinthe was 75% alcohol, whereas the new one is 40%. The high alcohol content, together with the wormwood plant which is one of the ingredients, may explain why it drove people to madness. It was usually drunk diluted, but a few die-hards drank it straight, like Alfred Jarry, who, amongst other things, invented the science of pataphysics, "the laws which govern exceptions and will explain the universe supplementary to this one. In pataphysics, every event in the universe is accepted as an extraordinary event." He died at 34.

Canada has its own laws, independent of the British.

Marc Chevalier · Nov 14, 2006

Absinthe_1900 said:
I would recomend that the *mysterious someone* offer a glass without sugar so the attendees can taste the difference between with or without sugar.

"So let it be written, so let it be done." Partakers will be offered the option, and given the chance to taste it without sugar.

.

Marc Chevalier · Nov 14, 2006

geo said:
I haven't seen any real absinthe here, just a drink called "Absente", and I doubt it's the real thing.

You doubt rightly. "Absente" is not the real thing.

geo said:
The original absinthe was 75% alcohol, whereas the new one is 40%.

In the 19th and early 20th century, most original absinthes were available in 68%, 70%, or 72% strengths. However, some absinthes made back then had lower percentages -- even as 'low' as 55%. In short, there was a variety of alcohol content percentages available to the public.

geo said:
... the new one is 40%.

Plenty of new ones have alcohol contents much higher than 40%. For instance, the one that my *mysterious friend* is bringing to the Queen Mary has an alcoholic content of 72%, and it's a legally made Swiss absinthe (not hausgemacht, not bootleg).

.

geo · Nov 15, 2006

Your *mysterious friend* is becoming very interesting, and the bottle that he may bring along even more so. Too bad I will not go to the Queen Mary, but there's one more reason to look forward to a trip to Switzerland.

farnham54 · Nov 15, 2006

Marc Chevalier said:
Plenty of new ones have alcohol contents much higher than 40%. For instance, the one that my *mysterious friend* is bringing to the Queen Mary has an alcoholic content of 72%, and it's a legally made Swiss absinthe (not hausgemacht, not bootleg).

.

That may be true, Marc, but in order to be legal here in Canada, they have to have less then 40%; it's one of the laws of the land as it were. I believe that the same is true in the states, but I may be wrong. The stuff I had in Prague was I beleive about 70%; but in Canada such a drink is illegal.

Cheers
Craig

Story · Nov 23, 2006

Ready on the right? Ready on the left? Firing line ready

"FRENCH 75"

- 1 1/2 oz Gin
- 2 oz Lemon Juice
- Champagne
- 2 tsp Superfine Sugar
- Garnish: Cherry
- Glassware: Collins Glass

Shake all the ingredients in a shaker except champagne with ice and strain into a collins glass. Top with champagne and stir. Garnish with cherry.

History:
Named after the French 75-millimeter guns, this champagne cocktail was created during the first World War by American army officers. The original recipe called for gin, absinthe (now illegal in the United States) and calvados. Calvados is an apple brandy made in France. It is produced from an apple cider and aged in oak barrels for sever

John in Covina · Nov 23, 2006

FLaming!

I was wondering about a scene in Copala's Dracula, I belive they showed a serving where the Absinthe was poured over a sugar cube and then flamed.

Was that a custom in some places?

scotrace · Nov 24, 2006

In that film, I believe it was dripped over the sugar cube, but most certainly not flamed.

My understanding is that Igniting the concoction is a bit of frat party bafoonery.

Maj.Nick Danger · Nov 24, 2006

scotrace said:
In that film, I believe it was dripped over the sugar cube, but most certainly not flamed.

My understanding is that Igniting the concoction is a bit of frat party bafoonery.

Would it contain enough alcohol to ignite? I think it requires around 150 proof,... 75 percent ethanol at least if I'm not mistaken, for ignition.
Anyway,....I have never seen absinthe in any liquor store here. I wonder if any bars might serve it? [huh]

The Miracle of Absinthe

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