Are you ready to 'Dance with the Green Fairy'?
Do you even know the Green Fairy?
I have to admit, I didn't.
Oh, I'd seen the paintings.
I knew about 'the absinthe drinkers'; those degenerate artists who sat around the cafes in Paris, tippling some green concoction that inspired them to new heights of creativity.
I knew it had been banned.
That's the sum of my knowledge… Very little actually.
Then I received an email, asking me to review a site selling absinthe: Buy Absinthe.
Selling it???
You mean, someone's actually making it? And they're not going to end up in some obscure French prison chained to a wall?
Caught my interest. Anything a wee bit on the, um, marginal side of 'The Powers That Be' always catches my interest. I was a Viet Nam war protester. I've been know to mail Cuban cigars to friends in the U.S.
Back to the absinthe.
Apparently it became popular in France after the phylloxera plague seriously decimated wine production. One must have something to sip in the cafes, after all. It's ban was at the instigation of a French General who thought his troops were enjoying it rather too much. The idea was picked up by the Prohibition and Christian Temperance movements, (Rah!) seconded by the vintners who had a new crop of grapes to sell, and the rest, as they say, is history.
With a little more research, I discovered that thujone, the plant derivative found in wormwood that was long thought to be the cause of the 'effects' of absinthe is also found in sage and tarragon, and has been used for thousands of years in various medicinal treatments…. Including that old staple of the cold season Vicks Vap-O-Rub. (That bit I found elsewhere…. can't stop myself… must have more info…)
I also discovered that the 'effect' of absinthe, if there was one, was more readily attributed to the fact that it's rather high in alcohol…
Buy Absinthe offers a wide range of high quality absinthes for sale as well as the paraphernalia (I love that word… brings back memories…) used to recreate the traditional 'absinthe experience'. They ship everything worldwide (Yes, even to the U.S.) See How to Buy Absinthe for details.
I had no idea there was a ritual to drinking absinthe. From my little previous knowledge (and the old Temperance Union song) I had visions of Picasso and Wilde, both fans of the beverage, lying in a gutter with a siphon.
Not true.
There are special glasses and, most particularly, spoons used to drink absinthe properly. Buy Absinthe has several of the classic items for sale as well as the history and descriptions for use. They give a brief history and production details of each absinthe they offer; from France, Switzerland and Spain (which never halted legal production) as well as recipes for other drinks and details for traditional ritual.
If want to Read more about Buy Absinthe they even have a blog!
Now, who's up for dancing with the Green Fairy?
That absinth is green and had been banned -that’s pretty much what I knew until recently. David Lebovitz had an interesting article about it recently, and now you – I need to look it up in France next time 🙂
I’ve seen the ritualistic pouring of Absinthe with the sugar cube and such. It’s green, licorice tasting and you’ll have a close encounter with God if you drink enough!
Ummm..raises hand meekly…am I the only one who has ever seen it? The Green Fairy? 🙂
You have way too much time on your hands! Or, it is too cold to stay outside for very long! Hey, are you enjoying “Dancing With The Fairy’s! You are too fun Katie!
It’s far too lawless around here for me – I’m off….
to buy some absinthe. What was that link again….?
Ha. We just read about absinthe in “The Devil’s Picnic” by Taras Grescoe. He was looking to dance with the blue fairy (and did). Very interesting reading about absinthe and why it became a banned substance.
There is an absinthe bar not far from us; we toyed with going to try it but it is insanely expensive. Seeing as how I’m not the biggest fan of licorice flavoured alcohol AND a cheapskate to boot, my dance with the green fairy has been put on hold.
-Elizabeth
Pille, apparently it’s making a comeback. I’ll have a look today to see if it’s in the shops.
Peter, now THAT sounds interesting… All that lovely sugar, too!
Deb, cold, then rain, then cold… winter! meh… (thank you)
JennDZ, I think so far you are it…. Meekly…yeah, right!
Amanda, that old lure of the naughty…
awfully appealling isn’t it?
Elizabeth, an absinthe bar? How terribly cool! The bottle prices on their site didn’t look bad at all. But then the bar would have to provide ‘the experience’. If you ever decide to go – tell all!
I don’t know a whole lot about it myself, but food/drink rituals are always interesting. I think they started allowing it in the U.S. again (I’m not 100% on the details)…but without the “magical” ingredient that makes it absinthe, go figure.
Ha! Very interesting. A newish local restaurant is advertising that they carry absinthe; an attempt to pull in the try-anything-possibly-taboo university student crowd, no doubt! Anyway, I was surprised that they carried it, and that’s when I found out it’s being made and sold—even in the United States!—again. I should check it out. Hmm. Maybe I’m still feeling my try-anything-possibly-taboo oats.
Judging from the FAQ on the “buy absinthe” website, it looks like faux absinthe is available in the USA. (There can’t be any thujone in any alcohol for human consumption in the USA)
As for the amount of thujone allowed in Canada, from reading wikipedia, it appears that it depends on which province the absinthe is purchased.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujone
Ontario allows 10 mg/kg of thujone which in my considerable ignorance of the whole experience sounds on the low side.
The wikipedia article is a little annoying because it mixes its measures (some are mg/l, some are mg/kg) but I have only skimmed it.
As I said, licorice flavoured alcohol isn’t my favourite unless it’s in shrimps with pernod and considering the price of absinthe, I doubt that my dance with the green or blue fairy will be any time soon.
-Elizabeth
Mike, kind of like the fake alcohol on Star Trek?
Lisa, have a try – and then tell all! I’m just afraid one has to drink rather a lot of it…. which is not my favorite thing (anymore)
Elizabeth, my only worry – if they are banning thujone…will they ban sage and tarragon?!?!?! Interesting that it’s done by province. And the site said they label shipments to the U.S. “Not for human consumption” I wonder if I could send Cuban cigars and label them fire-starters?
Whatever you are looking for in terms of Absinthe, they have it! Click my name to see for yourself.
I don’t know if it is urban legend or not, but the Russian word for “wormwood” is “chernobyl”
I got a pitch from them too. We went back and forth about actually getting a product to me to review. They wanted me to buy it up front and then pay them back — that sounded a little suspicious to me. We went back and forth a little, then they seemed to drop the ball on their end. I must admit the thought of tasting it kind of scared me!
Thanks, Abbie, I’ll check it out!
Stewert, I don’t know either…but I believe it… Eerie!
Betty, and I admit that I didn’t taste it! That’s how it started but ended up with just the site review. Curious! Mon mari would have loved tasting it. I think I would…but I’m not sure I wanted a whole bottle! Although, everything I read says it’s no more harmful than Bombay Gin or Bitters!
I never dared to try it. I had friends who did and they are still alive, he he, but it went straight to your head, they said it had more or less the effect of a pot cigarette.
Emiline’s uncle (SugarPlum) participated in a contest related with absenta (drawing design) not so long ago… here is the web http://www.originalabsinthe.com/
Nuria, I always smell those ‘cigarettes’ when I’m in Spain…brings back memories///
Thanks for the link! (I’ve not tried the absinthe…yet)
To my knowledge, there are only two absinthes in existence that contain anywhere near pre-ban levels of thujone (100+ mg): King of Spirits Gold and Century Absinthe. Neither of the two, nor any other genuine absinthe, will make it to the States anytime soon. For the real deal, you have to travel to Europe or have it shipped over. Yes, possession and importation for personal use is legal. They’re both available to buy from Absinthe. I’ve been a regular customer since the first time I stumbled it on the internet.