Absinthe

Photo courtesy TIME

Photo courtesy Archie McPhee

So I love the movie Moulin Rouge for several reasons. We can discuss them later. But for right now, the movie is significant because it is where I first heard of Absinthe. Or first heard of and made note of absinthe.

I wanted to personally write a little bio of absinthe, but wikipdedia's paragraphs are so good, and accurate as far as I can tell from my reading:

"Absinthe is traditionally a distilled, highly alcoholic (45%-75% ABV) beverage. It is an anise-flavored spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood. Absinthe has a characteristic natural green colour but can also be colourless. It is often called "the Green Fairy". Although it is sometimes mistakenly called a liqueur, absinthe is not bottled with added sugar and is therefore classified as a liquor. Absinthe is unusual among spirits in that it is bottled at a high proof but is normally diluted with water when it is consumed.

Absinthe originated in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland. It achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers. Due in part to its association with bohemian culture, absinthe was opposed by social conservatives and prohibitionists. Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, and Aleister Crowley were all notorious "bad men" of that day who were (or were thought to be) devotees of the Green Fairy. Absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. The chemical thujone, present in small quantities, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries except the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although absinthe was vilified, no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary liquor. Its psychoactive properties, apart from those of alcohol, had been much exaggerated."

Fabulous introduction, absolutely fabulous.

I have always wanted to try absinthe. I'm not really shopping for psychedelic drugs or I probably wouldn't be spending my time blogging about food and nutrition. Mainly, I just want to say I've tried this cultural giant of a drink. I mean, it's probably not going to kill me, and I would be really excited at the opportunity. And now with my quest to be the perfect vegetarian it would be even more justifiable. So on that note, in this past year or so, absinthe has become legal in the United States. However, there is some controversy over the absinthe we are downing. To sell absinthe in the United States, it must be thujone free, which kind of takes the whole big adventure out of it. Check out a couple articles HERE, HERE, and HERE for more information.

So if someone presented me the opportunity here in America, I would probably jump at it. Or if I had the extra money and happened to be at a store selling it, I would definitely opt to try it. But it's still not the same and on one of my wanderings I will probably search out the real thing.

I had it noted to blog about the new legalization for quite awhile, and then the other day I decided the time was right. I stumbled upon absinthe mints on iliketotallyloveit HERE. You aren't going to trip off them, or get drunk, I just thought they were neat.

Check out some more absinthe information:

Wormwood Society HERE -how to buy and drink good quality absinthe HERE

Real Absinthe Online HERE

Wikipedia HERE

Absinthe Online HERE

Vert d'Absinthe HERE if you can read French

Enjoy!

NAOmni