All Things Absinthe

There is a pub in North Beach closing soon (as soon as the beer runs dry) and taking its place will be an absinthe bar. Excited? Interested? They want to know what you think... I voted "thrilled" although I like beer a lot too (in fact I make my own). So if you are inclided to vote sad, furious, thrilled, bored, intrigued or laughing... head over here to place your vote and read the article....

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around-town/food-drink/San-Francisco-Brewery-Is-Waiting-for-Its-Taps-to-Run-Dry-66981077.html

I notice these more and more in the news. Its a good thing!

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/1829482,2_1_AU17_ABSINTHE_S1-091017.article

This particular absinthe bar in Colorado also has an absinthe club..

For $125, members get a bottle of absinthe and two glasses, a membership card with a house account, and access to a special Bar Absinthe parking area.

Would you join if you had an absinthe bar and a deal like this?

Do you know of any absinthe bars in your area?

Pardon us as we upgrade the AbsintheMan website. Along with a nice new clean look, we have decided to rename the site to "All Things Absinthe". Enjoy the new flavors and come back for some exciting downloads available soon.

Regards,

AbsintheMan.com

Are you getting ready for the holidays yet? :) Click the images to view the items...

In the video you will see Brad of Letters In Bottles Blog interview Stacy Sisson of the Absinthe Museum of America. It looks like a nice place to visit when in New Orleans. Brad mentions on his website he wasnt compensated for doing the interview, but I wonder what sort of compensation the museum gets from Ted Breaux for saying things like... "Lucid is true traditional absinthe." Ted, your ego gets stroked again... this time by a pretty museum curator. We all know sex sells, but come on. I'm afraid there may be no turning back now. I guess the victor really does write history.

The summer months are definitely upon most of us by now. Where AbsintheMan resides it is now over 103*F or about 40*C. I look forward to nestling my feet in a nearby lake up in the mountains... the cool water gently splish-splashing everywhere. Bring along some cheese, a deck of cards and a bottle of absinthe and all will be well. I promise you that.

Beginning August 1st and at the beginning of every month from here on, we will be giving detailed absinthe reviews so it should be something to look forward to.

I'll be posting my absinthe ice cream review as well and tips on how to make it better. It came out great, but....

We are also proud to announce our newest advertiser... http://www.rueverte.com/ I thought it would be important to place an order with them first before signing them on and they were very fast in shipping from Europe. You'll get my honest review about them soon, so look for it. They have a comfortable and easy to navigate website, so thats already a good start, especially in todays digital world.

Ciao!

AbsintheMan

Looks like I have something to try this weekend! This one comes from ...

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/05/absinthe_ice_cream.html

... and in case you dont have an ice cream maker, he has great tips for making ice cream HERE.

Absinthe Ice Cream

About 1 quart (1l)

1 cup (250ml) whole milk

A pinch of salt

2/3 cup (130g) sugar

2 cups (500ml) heavy cream or half-and-half

5 large egg yolks

3-4 tablespoons absinthe

about 1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate truffles, or chocolate chips

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

2. Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream or half-and-half into the bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

5. Strain the custard into the cream or half-and-half. Stir over the ice until cool, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

6. Stir in 3 tablespoons of absinthe. Taste, and add another one if desired.

7. Freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Once churned, stir in the chopped chocolate bits.