Quality Of Absinthe Green Fairy
Absinthe Green Fairyis an alcoholic drink with an interesting history. Developed as an elixir or tonic in the 18th century it is now one of the most controversial and famous drinks of all time.
Absinthe is an anise flavored spirit which is absurdly strong between 45 and 75% Alcohol by volume. The name “Green Fairy” was kept because of it’s emerald green color. Herbs are used in the making of this distilled liquor. The common herbs tend to be wormwood, green aniseed and fennel. Henri-Louis Pernod produce his famous original Pernod Absinthe recipe by utilizing herbs like hyssop, lemon balm, nutmeg, juniper, veronica, star anise and dittany. The herb calamus was thought to be psychoactive along with wormwood and nutmeg. The essential oil extract from the herbs is responsible for louche in Absinthe when iced water is poured over the sugar on the Absinthe spoon. The reason of Absinthe to cloud or louche is the insolubility of oils in water.
Absinthe Green Fairy and the Art World
Absinthe is famous for inspiring many artists and writers associated with the Bohemian culture of the Montmartre area of Paris. People know Vincent Van Gough, Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin, Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Degas, Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde as Absinthe drinkers. Absinthe gave inspirations and their genius to various writers and artists. Painters like Van Gogh and Picasso even featured Absinthe and Absinthe drinkers in their paintings.
Absinthe’s association with old Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge and the Bohemian sect, was just the excuse necessary for prohibition campaigners. Absinthe was linked with the murder of a family and the growing problem of alcohol addiction in France so the campaigners raised their hands against the legalization of Absinthe in France. Other countries also banned it but it remained legal in the Czech Republic, the UK, Spain and Portugal.
The chemical thujone, present in wormwood was thought to be the reason behind the psychedelic effects. Thujone and THC in cannabis were believed to be the same. Although Absinthe is mainly alcohol and ethanol but it also contains minute amount of thujone. Studies prove that Absinthe is just as safe as any other strong drink and the alcohol content in it can be harmful not the thujone. Many studies and articles have been written on the subject. A person should be careful about the quantity while consuming it as it is double strong in comparison to the vodka or the whisky.
During the time of prohibition many people enjoyed buying and drinking vintage style Absinthe in Absinthe bars in the Czech Republic, served in the classic Absinthe large glassesand in surroundings decorated with vintage Absinthe posters. Now, in 2008, Absinthe is legal in many countries although thujone levels are controlled in the EU and the United States only allows Absinthe with trace amounts of thujone to be bought and sold.
You can buy Absinthe online by the bottle or order Absinthe essences (visit the website AbsintheKit.Bottled Absinthe Green Fairy can also be made at home by visiting the site. Some new Absinthes which are made for the US market do not contain thujone.
Absinthe Green Fairy can also be used in cocktails – mix with champagne for a truly decadent drink!
Tags: absinthe, Absinthe spoon, vintage Absinthe posters
This entry was posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009 at 3:15 pm and is filed under food and wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.