Absinthe: The Taboo Treat

So with the return of the ever famous Absinthe to US bars one is left to wonder what is the deal with absinthe anyway? I tried absinthe a few years ago with a girlfriend of mine and quite frankly I was not impressed. It tasted heavily like black licorice and cough syrup, almost like a Black Martini and to top it off I felt no special "effects" from the drink. So what the hell? I thought the artwork was going to come to life and that I was going to be able to see through walls. So what is the big deal? Apparently the absinthe that has been made and released over the last few years is a much more subtle and diluted version from the original. The

As for it's history, many famous artist such as Manet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Ernest Hemmingway it was the drink of choice and they used to drink absinthe religiously. Apparently on the opposite note absinthe had been associated with violent crimes and social disorder. In the early 1900's it is said that many murderous crimes were committed by folks who were under it's influence. Because of it's taboo nature it was banned in many countries.

How absinthe is traditionally consumed as per Wikipedia-

Traditionally, absinthe is prepared by placing a sugar cube on top of a specially designed slotted spoon and then placing the spoon on the glass which has been filled with a shot of absinthe. Ice-cold water is then poured or dripped over the sugar cube so that the water is slowly and evenly displaced into the absinthe, typically 1 part absinthe and 3 to 5 parts water. During this process, components not soluble in water come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky is called the louche (Fr. "opaque" or "shady"). Releasing these components allows herbal aromas and flavours to "blossom" or "bloom" and brings out subtleties originally over-powered by the anise. This is often referred to as "The French Method."

"The Bohemian Method" is an alternative that is popular primarily due to the use of fire. Like the French method, a sugar cube is placed on a slotted spoon over a glass containing one shot of absinthe. The difference is that the sugar is pre-soaked in alcohol, usually more absinthe, and then set ablaze. The flaming sugar cube is then dropped into the glass igniting the absinthe. Finally, a shot glass full of water is added to douse the flames. This method tends to produce a stronger drink than the French method. A variant of "The Bohemian Method" is to allow the fire to burn itself out. This variant, called "Cooking the Absinthe" or "Flaming Green Fairy," removes much but not all of the alcohol.

One of the biggest reasons that absinthe was so popular was the belief that if gave the drinker extreme hallucinations. Of course today it has been proven that absinthe does not cause hallucinations. Apparently the original concoctions of absinthe might have had some sort of poisonous chemicals that were added for coloring. While some say that they have had great and lucid experiences, others have had the opposite affect saying that it took them to a dark place and made them want to do harm to others. Doctor have noted that the difference of experiences might come from the combination of the herbs that are used in making the drink

So what do you think? To absinthe or not to absinthe?

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