AbsintheMan.com

The Paris Times - Green Witch

2011-07-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

In June of 2007 The Paris Times write a nice little article about absinthe. Click the link below to view the article (pdf). Enjoy :)

http://www.absintheman.com/absinthe-paristimes-270607.pdf

Artemisia Absinthium Wormwood

2010-02-19T09:02:00.000-08:00

Artemisia Absinthium Wormwood is very popular throughout Europe. I have seen many varieties of wormwood growing in Russia & Ukraine as well. Wormwood is well known and used in Europe for medicinal use, besides its storied use in Absinthe. In fact, my wife used to pick wormwood in the forest and fields and sell it to the local apothecary for a little spending money as a child.

The photo above comes from one of the many herbal gardens located throughout Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_absinthium

Absinthe DVD

2010-02-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Back in 2008, well known actor David Arquette teamed up with Le Tourment Vert to create a short 12 minute 3D film called "The Butler's In Love". Not much was heard about it until late 2009.

Recently, I decided to try out some free software in Ubuntu, my computer operating system. Its free, so dont expect much from it :) But considering what I had to work with, this little DVD I made came out nicely. It includes the short film "The Butlers In Love" (of which you can find on youtube and elsewhere) and a couple other interesting clips from Tourmented Films as well. I made this DVD so you can sit back, relax at home with a glass of absinthe and enjoy this short film on the big screen, instead of huddled around a computer monitor.

I hold no rights to this DVD and the original producers hold all copyrights. I simply made it for your pleasure. You will have to click the link below to download the ISO file, then burn the ISO file to a blank disc.

This ISO file is 390mb in size.

http://www.absintheman.com/absinthe1.iso

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Side Note:
If you are interested in linux operating systems, which have tons of free programs (over 20,000 free programs), please check out the links below. There are some main reasons I use linux over Windows. No more viruses, linux is free and so are any programs you want to use in linux, no need to download drivers, no secret government back doors, no need to defrag the hard drive, and on and on.

The image under this paragraph shows you my KDE desktop and Windows 7 running within a virtual box :) If I want/need to, I can do Windows 7 full screen, with no border box around it. Some video editing software I have for Windows, doesnt work in linux, so from time to time I need to jump into Windows. Notice how similar Win7 is to KDE4? Microsoft copied the KDE4 look to create Windows 7. KDE's style was around over a year ago already. But Windows wins out when there is some program that wont work in linux. Some games dont work in linux, etc. You can get many Windows programs working fine in linux like Photoshop, MS Office, and others, but in the event of a rare occasion where your MS program wont work in linux, you can simply run XP or Win7 in a box. So check it out!

Why Linux Is Better...

http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/

Ubuntu Linux...
http://www.ubuntu.com

KDE4...
http://www.kde.org/workspaces/plasmadesktop/

Purchase Single Sample Absinthe Vials

2010-02-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

Yes! It is true all of you absinthe drinkers! There is now a way to purchase single sample vials of absinthe.

Rue Verte brings to you their line of absinthe vials called ABSINTHEXPLORE.

Long before I ever started blogging about absinthe, I was buying bottles of absinthe at $150 or more at a time. From England to France, Germany, Spain and even Russia. This was back in the early 1990s, right before the internet really took hold and before I knew the value of money :) I would have been much better off today if Rue Verte had been in my life.

Rue Verte is doing something no other absinthe retailer is doing. They are offering us a chance to make our own sample packages of absinthe. Check it out...

The absinthe tubes you select can be purchased individually HERE, or in sets right HERE. Prices are excellent and shipping is inexpensive to the USA. Not to mention you will have your absinthe in about 4 days.

This makes for a great opportunity for novices to taste high quality absinthes without spending a fortune and for amateurs a great way to savor new flavors. All without the upfront cost of a full size bottle. Each tube will give you 50ml of absinthe of your choosing... enough for two generous absinthe glasses.

Rue Verte is an excellent place to order high quality absinthe. I have personally dealt with many absinthe retailers in Europe since the mid 1990s and Rue Verte is clearly ahead of anyone else. They know what they are doing, secure and thoughtful packaging, they have a well detailed and organized website for easy ordering, excellent prices, cheap shipping, and fast shipping too. Whew! In one word... AWESOME.

Next week, I will go more in depth about Rue Verte and its founder Antoine. He is a class act, a real gentleman, and has become a leader in absinthe retail world on the internet. For now, check out some sample absinthes...

Individual Vials of Absinthe
http://www.rueverte.com/absinthexplore_unite.php

Vial Sets of Absinthe
http://www.rueverte.com/coffrets.php?coffret=2

You can learn more about the Rue Verte Absinthe vials at the ABSINTHEXPLORE landing page here:
http://www.rueverte.com/absinthexplore.php

Rare Spirits Borne on Vodka’s Back

2010-01-29T08:45:00.000-08:00

This article made it into Ukiah's blog and the original article (same thing) came from the New York Times.

Take a break from your day and read the article link above. There is a nice back story on how Hanger One (St. George) in California came about via Germain-Robin. I might just have to take a drive up to Ukiah!

Le Tourment Vert Logo Design

2010-01-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

Logo Design Works awards Le Tourment Vert the #8 spot for the top 10 alcohol logos. I like the logo, but I think other absinthe logos could have won over LTV. So, what do you think?

http://www.logodesignworks.com/blog/top-10-alcohol-logos

The Little Green Book of Absinthe

2010-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

A new absinthe book coming VERY soon (Feb 2, 2010 to be exact).

If you are interested in purchasing this book, mouse over the image or click the title here:

The Little Green Book of Absinthe

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Book Description:

A celebration of "the green goddess"-this is the first book to share absinthe recipes since it was recently legalized in the U.S.

This enticing little volume presents a collection of more than 100 absinthe cocktail recipes that draw upon the classic roots of the drink as well as its new iterations. Readers will be entertained with nuggets of absinthe history and trivia, including the tradition of the green fairy, famous devotees of the drink, and the myths (or facts) of its hallucinatory properties.

Readers will learn that:

• America's most famous early cocktail, the sazerac, was a New Orleans creation that called for a dash of absinthe

• When the absinthe backlash started in the 1890s, Edgar Degas' masterpiece L'Absinthe was booed off the auction block at Christie's in London

• An experienced absintheur can identify a brand from across the room just by watching how it louches-the way the herbs' oils cloud the drink as the bartender adds water

About the Authors:

Paul Owens owns the San Francisco restaurants Tortilla Heights and Fish Bowl Bar & Grill.

Paul Nathan is the founder and owner of absintheology.com and absintheparty.com. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Dave Herlong is a bold premier mixologist who has been working at The Palms in Las Vegas.

Ted Breaux - Godfather of Absinthe

2010-01-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

Ted Breaux has been nicknamed The Godfather of Absinthe in this Las Vegas news video. Thats true in more ways than we might realize....

http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/22317899/index.html

Exploratorium serves up the science of cocktails

2010-01-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

I noticed during the audio slide show, the people of St Georges absinthe were creating a cocktail mixing absinthe and root beer together.

Attendees were treated to experimental cocktails that take advantage of the chemical and physical characteristics of their ingredients, demonstrations of the physics that make bar tricks work, the debunking of myths about absinthe, and scientific explanations for the dreaded hangover.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30252_3-10439352-246.html

Best Police Reports of 2009

2009-12-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

This comes in from the lovely state of Washington:

June 29: A person contacted police for assistance. He had a faint memory of being arrested the previous day. But, he did not know where he was at when arrested, which agency arrested him, or what had happened to his rental car. Nor could he find any of the paperwork he had been given at the time. Officers reminded him that he had been arrested by Blaine police five days earlier for Driving while Impaired on SR 543, with open containers of Absinthe at his side. They helped him find the towing company so he could collect his personal effects from the rental car he would no longer be driving.

http://www.thenorthernlight.com/news/article.exm/2009-12-30_best_of_2009_police_reports

New Absinthe Bar Coming Soon to SF

2009-10-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

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

Another Absinthe Bar

2009-10-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

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 The Dust

2009-10-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

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

Absinthe Soap, Absinthe Floss, Absinthe Toothpicks & More

2009-10-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

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

A Visit to the Absinthe Museum of America

2009-10-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

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.

Summer Months

2009-07-22T00:49:00.000-07:00

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

Absinthe Ice Cream

2009-05-23T06:55:00.000-07:00

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.

Absinthe In Russia & Ukraine

2009-05-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

A few years ago while I was in Moscow, Russia my wife and I headed to a big grocery store, similar to a COSTCO here in America. It is a German company that is expanding around Europe called METRO, and this store we went to was called a HYPER MARKET becuase it was enormous in size. Imagine a COSTCO that was 4 to 6 times bigger. It literally had everything you would need under one roof. You could also buy stuff in bulk as well. So we headed there to pick up some items and as we were canvasing the isles, I noticed absinthe for sale. I cant remember the brands they had offhand, but they were all made in Czech Republic, Romania or some other Eastern European country. They also all looked like the phony mouthwash versions too. I never did buy one, but looking back it would have been a fun and interesting souvenir to add to my absinthe collection. I'm going back to Russia soon, so I will keep my eyes open for any Absinthes. Hopefully the good stuff has arrived there by now.

While I was vacationing in Yalta on the Black Sea, there was a huge park with winding trails and small restaurants scattered along and I would stop in for a quick bite to eat, or relax for a couple hours and enjoy the scenery. This park in Alupka, called Воронцовский парк, is also next to Vorontsov's Palace which is known mostly today for the Yalta Conference of WWII. Anyways, having dinner with my wife we witnessed a new (or new to me) absinthe ritual of lighting it on fire and pouring it from glass to glass before finding its way into a flaming mixed cocktail. We saw this several places in the area and must have been the new "thing to do". It was cool, I admit, but to treat absinthe like this? It must have been the cheap Czech stuff! Lets hope so anyways. Thats it until next time folks. We are going to have some interesting changes here at AbsintheMan so pop in often and enjoy the ride!

The Edison Bar - Los Angeles

2009-05-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

There is a nice bar in downtown Los Angeles, off the main drag, in a dimly lit alley. If you dont know about it, you'll never find it. Its called the Edison Bar. Hidden down an alley, wink at the strapping bouncer, slide past the smoking lounge and journey three floors down to a swank trip back in time where cocktails flourish, absinthe is sold by a pixie, gorgeous women with boas walk through the crowd and remnants of power plant paraphernalia light up. Its 1920s Americana. Now you know why I like this place....

http://www.edisondowntown.com/

Catch an interesting slideshow of their happy hour below. Fridays are "soup kitchen" days with grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soap and depression era priced 35 cent cocktails. Yup. 35 cents. I can never refuse a good absinthe drink. Theres is called "Absinthe 75" which is: Absinthe, Lemon and Sugar cubes bathed in Champagne.

Slideshow...
http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/view/243090/

More photos...
http://skateboarding.transworld.net/2009/05/06/stefan-janoski-nike-la-party/

This place has no cover charge and make sure to dress nice. Nice dress or style for the ladies, no sloppy jeans or tennis shoes for the guys. Dress nice or don't come at all basically is the message The Edison tries to impress. If you have sneakers on a Saturday night... You'll never get in. Again, this place serves absinthe. They have several brands like St George, Le Tourment, Kubler, Pernod, Lucid and several more. You can order them as straight shots, or in Pontarlier glasses. Wednesdays & Thursdays get packed after 7pm, and weekend nights can leave you waiting in line over an hour to get in. Consider making an online reservation, which forces you into a $25 minimum drink charge per person in your group. Drinking absinthe, you'll reach that pretty quick :)

If you want a pleasant night out in downtown Los Angeles, whether its a Wednesday night or a Saturday night... this is one night you wont forget!

The Absinthe Review Network

2009-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.absinthe-review.net/

Women & Absinthe. You cant go wrong with such a match! The Absinthe Review Network (TARN) spends their days taste testing and reviewing different absinthes. Not a bad way to spend the day huh? They also have various absinthe related photos to browse, and they have an exclusive interview with Cheryl Lins, maker of small batch Delaware Phoenix Absinthes thats selling out quick...

http://www.absinthe-review.net/delaware_phoenix_interview_page_1.htm

Absinthe & Flamethrowers

2009-05-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've seen this book from time to time in my local book store, yet never flipped through it. Although this book has no reviews on Amazon, Amazon.com sells the book for $11 new, and the used price is also about $11. Many times I will gauge the quality of the contents based on the used price compared to the new price. This one holds its value so maybe there is something to it. I would hardly call absinthe "living dangerously" as the write up about it suggests...

Written for reasonable risk takers and suburban dads who want to add more excitement to their lives, this daring combination of science, history, and DIY projects explains why danger is good for you and details the art of living dangerously. All of the projects—from throwing knives, drinking absinthe, and eating fugu to cracking a bull whip, learning baritsu, and building a flamethrower—have short learning curves; are human-focused, as opposed to technology-centric; are affordable; and demonstrate true but reasonable risk. The guide maintains that risk takers are more successful, more interesting individuals who lead more fulfilling lives. What would the world be like if Thomas Edison retired after 30 years working for the railroad, it asks, instead of getting fired for blowing up a rail car with one of his experiments? Though the manual doesn’t advocate getting fired, it does reveal that making black powder is pure excitement. Unlike watching an action movie or playing a video game, real, edgy life experience changes a person. Each potentially life-altering project includes step-by-step directions and illustrations along with sidebar tips from experts in the field.

In any event, it has peaked my interest enough to go read through it next time I'm at the book store. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting!

Pacific Distillery bottling up absinthe

2009-05-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice article covering Pacific Distillery. The article goes on to say the new Pacifique Absinthe will run about $63 a bottle and replicates a recipe from 1855.

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44950672.html

Cant wait to try this one.

When Absinthe Meets Chocolate

2009-05-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

Nuno Chocolates on the east coast makes absinthe filled ganaches. Will you buy some? This is an interesting and perfect combo as I was recently drinking some newly shipped Opaline and François Guy and the dark chocolate and absinthe really hit it off in my mouth. If I had to pick, it went better with the François Guy the best, as it has less alcohol content. Personal choice of course, but I think this combo below is going to be a big winner for all of us absintheurs.

http://nunuchocolates.com/products.php?category=GA
Absinthe Delight

A favorite of chocolate lovers, wine connoisseurs, and late 19th century poet Arthur Rimbaud. The anise flavor holds its own with the dark chocolate making this an addictive treat.

Absinthe Articles for the Weekend

2009-05-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Found two interesting articles related to Absinthe... specifically Vincent Van Gogh's ear and how it got chopped off. I wont spoil it for you here... its a must read (at least it was for me!)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1178163/One-arrogant-bully-The-nervous-wreck-So-truth-war-Van-Goghs-ear.html

ANother article takes you on a photo journey into Van Goghs life...

http://www.docudharma.com/diary/13384/van-goghs-ear-a-photoblog

Complete with a photo of Van Goghs famous cafe painting..

Absinthe now on Virgin Airlines

2009-05-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Virgin does it again. They continue to expand their horizons. This time the green fairy takes you to your destination. They become the first airline to offer Absinthe on an airplane.

They are now serving Le Tourment Vert...

http://www.letourmentvert.com/

Here is even someone blogging about it, showing proof (while on his way to Vegas)...

http://macadaan.com/2009/05/07/absinthe-on-virgin/

What is Absinthe all about?

2009-05-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a pretty good video taste testing three types of Absinthe (courtesy Wine Library TV & Wormwood Society). The three types of absinthe are: Marteau, Obsello, and Vieux Carre. Check it out...

If the video doesnt load up, find it here:

http://tv.winelibrary.com/2009/04/14/absinthe-whats-it-all-about-episode-658/

Absinthe Cupcakes? Yes, Cupcakes.

2009-04-22T02:27:00.000-07:00

So how much do you really love absinthe? Would you use at least 1/4 cup of it in an absinthe cupcake recipe? Would you use your favorite brand absinthe for baking or a cheaper quality brand like Lucid or Kubler?

We'll be trying this recipe out soon, as it sounds interesting enough and post the results. I am apprehensive becuase the woman who created this cupcake recipe doesnt seem to be an overtly big fan of absinthe.

Treat yourself and get your baking pans ready and give this a try. It cant be that bad, right?

http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/2008/03/absinthe-makes-heart-grow-fonder.html

The Absinthe Drinkers (movie)

2009-04-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I recently came across what looks like and interesting new film coming soon called "The Absinthe Drinkers". The IMDB Movie Database says production will begin in mid-September of 2009 and will be filmed in France and Italy.

The Examiner Article about the movie...

http://www.examiner.com/x-4908-Twilight-Examiner~y2009m4d17-Writer-and-director-John-Charles-Jopson-on-The-Absinthe-Drinkers-Peter-Facinelli-and-the-cast

IMDB link...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1255856/

Movie Website...

http://www.absinthedrinkers.com/

The website wants to make it clear that the movie is not about absinthe, but a group of 19th century artists whom absinthe was a part of their lives.

Here is the synopsis...

This story of a woman artist’s struggle to succeed in the male-dominated art world of 19th century Paris and Florence will feature Polish film star Alicja Bachleda, along with a strong international ensemble cast including Peter Facinelli, Jürgen Prochnow, Nikolai Kinski, and Alessio Boni, Watch this space for more casting announcements.

The Absinthe Drinkers is currently being cast in Los Angeles by Carol Lefko Casting. The Producer is Carlo Dusi.
The Absinthe Drinkers is an independent feature film by Writer/Director John Charles Jopson set for principal photography in autumn 2009 in Paris, Florence, Tuscany, and Belgium.

I wonder if we will hear any Rammstein in the movie?? :)

Drank Lots of Absinthe Last Night

2009-04-10T15:39:00.001-07:00

Last night while cooking dinner, I decided to have a glass of absinthe. Then another. And another. And so on. I ended up trying every single one of my absinthes and took plenty of notes. Ive been wanting to do this for quite some time... planning it, but never doing it. On a whim it just happened. Yes, Im alive to tell you about it and strangely enough, I really wasnt hung over at all this morning. Maybe thats one of the reasons why I love and am so passionate about absinthe. My eyes ache a bit, which, I have no idea why. Could be those Miranda Kerr photos in the latest issue of Victoria's Secret :)

Here is the list of absinthes I tried last night: St. George Verte, Kübler 53 Swiss, Lucid Superieure, PF 1901, Pernod 68, La Fée Parisian, Un Emile, Logan Fils Suisse, Lamesinthe, King of Spirits Gold

Unfortunately for me, I have now run out of 4 of my bottles. PF 1901, Pernod 68, La Fee and Un Emile. This is a sad day here, although I will use my data from last night for my upcoming reviews. I will have to replace them with something else now! I will have to update my personal absinthe collection list down the right side of this blog.

Absinthe in National Geographic

2009-03-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

If you havent yet seen it, National Geographic wrote a quick one page news flash in their July 2008 issue. The left side of the page showed a big modern glass, absinthe at the bottom and a flaming sugar cube on the top. Dont these producers and publishers consult with anyone first? Sheesh! The right side of the page where the short article is talks about Hemingway doing knife tricks, Toulouse-Lautrec brothel hopping and T.A. Breaux chiming in yet again as some sort of self proclaimed pseudo absinthe king. While some of this we can secretly conspire to, Breaux' oft chime-ins anywhere the word absinthe gets mentioned, grows old.

Check out Nat Geo's video about Absinthe below. Notice the angle this video takes. They show crazy guys with long stringy hair, cool bros sipping absinthe while saying its something like pot or LSD. Lets face it, this is pure psychology at work mixing imagery and wording to paint a mental picture in some peoples minds that absinthe is evil, still illegal, should still be banned, etc. This video doesnt help things. Check it out anyways...

In the mean time, I'll be out doing knife tricks and brothel hopping ;) ciao!

Vieux Carre Absinthe

2009-01-31T23:40:00.000-08:00

A new absinthe on the horizon?? Read the blurb HERE...

But is it any good?

Two Interesting Absinthe Reads...

2009-01-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

Lovers of absinthe never seem to grow tired of reading anything absinthe related. Check out these two new articles...

Absinthe connects Swiss Village to American Rock Singer...
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/29/europe/29swiss.php

The Absinthe Backlash Begins...
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/01/the_absinthe_backlash_begins.html

The Poe Absinthe Drink

2009-01-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

There have been many reports, stories and myths linking Edgar Allen Poe to drinking absinthe and being part of the absinthe world. We decided to honour him with our very own original absinthe drink. You can call it the "Edgar Allen Poe". Or simply call it the "Poe".

Here is how to make it...

3 parts concord grape juice
1 part absinthe
a few small ice cubes

Whenever I try a new concoction, I tend to use the cheap stuff. I grabbed myself a bottle of Lucid. Its cheap, Ive got a lot of it still, and when mixed into a cocktail, you wont know any difference anyways. OK, after the third one you wont. So I mixed up the two, dropped in a few small ice cubes and swirled. As with the ritual of fixing absinthe the traditional way, this new cocktail produced an instant cloudiness. In fact it turned very cloudy and a thick purplish reddish color. Almost like blood. Very interesting! I think Poe would have approved. Pardon the cheap photos, I took them late at night. The concord grape juice provides plenty of sweetness to mirror the absinthe. Its going to be a classic drink in our house. In 9 months, expect babies. Seriously, it was that good.

Mix up one of these for yourself and friends and sit back and drink a "Poe".

If you try this out, please come back and comment! Thanks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe

If you've made it this far, you deserve a bonus. While drinking a "Poe", enjoy reading Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Gold Bug".

Coming Soon...

2009-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

We hoped you liked the "Bob Marley" in our previous post. Check out tomorrows blog post for a new famously titled drink. We think its even BETTER than the Bob Marley. We have pictures and they dont lie!

Coming soon... next Monday in fact we will introduce a new reoccurring project.

The Bob Marley Absinthe Drink

2009-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

What if Bob Marley drank absinthe? We have no facts or clues if he ever did, and being a Rastafarian, he would have stayed away from hard liquors. But what if? Try out both of our AbsintheMan Marley drinks (you can use some other green leaves in place of the mint)...

The Bob Marley Absinthe Drink

2 ounces club soda
1 ounce absinthe
1 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce orange juice
1 teaspoon Jamaican sugar
8 mint leaves (ehem, or some other green leaves)

Crush the mint leaves and mix them together with the other items. Shake for a minute or so, then pour over ice. There you have it, the "Bob Marley".

The Bob Marley Absinthe Smoothie

This one is a no brainer but delicious. Just mix these together for a refreshing smoothie...

4.20 ounces of Odwalla Mango Tango Fruit Smoothie
1 ounce absinthe
squirt of lemon juice

Goes excellent with brownies. Be creative. Add some tastiness to the smoothie by brewing a "tea" and adding it into the smoothie for a nice "lift".

Try them out this weekend or anytime. The Bob Marley Absinthe Drink & Smoothie. Or just call them the "Bob Marley". Both of these are an AbsintheMan.com original drink!

Absinthe’s mind-altering mystery solved

2008-10-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

MSNBC seems to have solved the age old mystery for all of us...

Absinthe’s mind-altering mystery solved

Proof positive: High alcohol content responsible for psychedelic effects

You can read the whole article here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24371992/

Pernod is Back

2008-10-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

While Pernod is now available in the USA and is interesting as I have been a fan of it for many years, the label says Yellow #5 added. Was this the case before when I was purchasing it years ago? That part of it doesnt sound interesting, artificial ingredients in Absinthe?

I still might pick up a bottle as my last one from 10 years ago is almost run out. I jsut saw it at BevMo.

Is the allure of absinthe wearing off now that we can pick and choose at the local BevMo? Or will a new generation of absintholics immerge!

The Sunday Absinthe Quote

2008-10-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

"The first month of marriage is the honeymoon, the second is the absinthe-moon."

~Voltaire

The Marine Corps OUTLAWS Absinthe!

2008-10-18T07:08:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, you cant make this stuff up folks. The Marine Corps has put Absinthe and eight other legally obtained substances off limits to Marine personnel in Japan.

Absinthe, a liquor containing wormwood that is said to cause mild hallucinations.

The Marine Corps have somehow determined that Absinthe might cause psychedelic trips or hallucinations. They have grouped it with opium and Psilocybin mushrooms. Good God. I think they have watched one too many Johnny Depp movies. (at least the marine in the picture above has good taste)

Read about it here...

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/10/marine_absinthe_101808w/

The Sunday Absinthe Quote

2008-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

"Let me be mad… mad with the madness of Absinthe, the wildest, most luxurious madness in the world."

-Marie Corelli

The Sunday Absinthe Quote

2008-10-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

"Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife into the piano. The woodworms are so bad and eat hell out of all furniture that you can always claim the woodworms did it." ~Ernest Hemingway

Absinthe Brasserie coming to NYC?

2008-10-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

Word on the street says the famous San Francisco Absinthe Brasserie & Bar is opening up soon in New York City. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

http://www.absinthe.com/

The Absinthe Encyclopedia

2008-09-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Absinthe Encyclopedia
A Guide to the Lost World of Absinthe and La Fée Verte

by David Nathan-Maister

David Nathan-Maister of Oxygenee is putting together a definitive encyclopedia about the green fairy called "The Absinthe Encyclopedia - A Guide to the Lost World of Absinthe and La Fee Verte". This will be the most comprehensive reference in English on the drink and will be available October 30th, 2008.

The book will be 350 pages in length with, almost every page being profusely illustrated in full colour on high quality gloss paper, making it a visual feast and will have a sturdy case-bound hard cover with a fully illustrated outer cover.. There are nearly 1000 illustrations, many of which have not previously appeared in print form. This will be thee most comprehensive reference work on absinthe.

This is a LIMITED EDITION of only 500 copies!

Publication date: 30th October 2008.
Published price: $175, plus shipping.

http://www.oxygenee.com/

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Written by David Nathan-Maister, it surverys the history of absinthe from earliest days right up to the present, with a particular focus on its glittering heyday in Belle Epoque France. Hundreds of full colour illustrations document every aspect of the drink - its distillation and production, the grande marques that distributed it, the bars and cafés that served it, the patrons - men and women, rich and poor, soldiers and politicians, poets, artists, lovers and boulevardiers - who drank it. Special sections describe the various drinking rituals in exhaustive detail, others deal with absinthes popularity and spread in the USA,
its alleged "secondary effects" and the disputed syndrome of absinthism, the hard fought and ultimately successful campaign to ban it in France, Switzerland and elsewhere, and 80 years later, its modern renaissance at the dawn of the 21st century.

Essentially the entire contents of the Virtual Absinthe Museum are included in the book, with chapters devoted to absinthe spoons, glasses, fountains, pyrogenes, carafes, advertising postcards and posters, absinthe related books, journals and newspapers, and early photographic and film references. For collectors of absinthe related art, antiques and accouterments the book is an essential reference, unequaled by anything published in English or French to date.

The Sunday Absinthe Quote

2008-09-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

"After the first glass (of absinthe), you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, which is the most horrible thing in the world." - Oscar Wilde

La Clandestine Absinthe in US

2008-09-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from Drink Up NY where Ive ordered absinthe from before. They are well equipped for shipping and ship bottles well packaged as well as fairly quick too. I like em. You can now pre-order La Clandestine absinthe from DrinkUPNY for only $79.99. They'll start shipping on October the 6th.

ORDER IT HERE

Here is Drink Up NY's write up on La Clandestine...

This highly praised la bleue is crafted by hand in Couvet, the 18th century Swiss birthplace of absinthe, and it has long been a favorite of international absinthe lovers. Distilled by Claude-Alain Bugnon, winner of the Absinthiades Golden Spoon for the last three years, and based on a 1935 recipe, the name reflects its "moonshine" heritage. Mr. Bugnon was one of many home distillers keeping the Val-de-Travers absinthe tradition alive in spite of the ban; La Clandestine started as a hobby in his cellar. Americans could sometimes acquire a rare smuggled bottle of "Clandestine La Bleue." Later, following legalization, he bacame the first underground distiller to receive an official production license.

A testament to mastery of his craft, La Clandestine's distiller has since been awarded three consecutive Golden Spoon Awards at the Pontarlier Absinthiades. La Clandestine was also awarded a Gold Medal at Distiswiss, a competition for all Swiss spirits. Turning a beautiful milky white when water is added, La Clandestine marries the rich flavor of anis and fennel with the slight bitterness of wormwood. Several local botanicals add additional aromatics to this refreshing spirit. It's delicate complexity makes this absinthe ideal for enjoying both with chilled water and mixed in classic cocktails.

Product of Switzerland
Alcohol by Volume: 53%

Dinner with Absinthe Expert Breaux in AZ

2008-09-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Ted Breaux, one of the world’s foremost experts on absinthe, will host a special pairing dinner Sunday at Digestif in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.

Breaux, a New Orleans chemist, is the founder of Jade Liquors.

Executive chef Payton Curry and pastry chef Tracy Dempsey have put together a four-course menu, which will be complemented by four types of the green liquor.

Vegetarian options also are available.

The 6 p.m. dinner costs $50, excluding tax and tip.

Info: (480) 425-9463 or digestifscottsdale.com.

• Check out the four-course menu and absinthe pairings (pdf)

Sorry, Absinthe Trippers: Scientists Say You're Just Really Drunk

2008-06-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

Found this interesting article today...

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/sorry-absinthe.html

I politely disagree :)

Absinthe Products

2008-05-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

We have a few items available for sale with more coming soon.

Don't forget to check the right side of the blog listed under "Absinthe Links" for other places to purchase absinthe, as well as absinthe spoons, glassware and fountains.

Absinthe as Tootpaste?

2008-04-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

Not exactly :) but if you miss the flavor of absinthe and dont want to get drunk, Ive recently switched to an all natural fluoride free toothpaste. It has anise oil in it with the main ingredient being baking soda. A very fresh mouth feel and oooh so good with the anise. A nice change from the typical mint toothpastes on the market. Creme de Anise Toothpaste is made by Natures Gate. I found mine at a store called Sprouts in the Los Angeles area, but Ive seen it at some other health food stores like Whole Foods. Some Ralphs grocery stores now have a health food section and they should have it too. If not, you can order this on Amazon.

"The Absinthe Drinker" Goes On Sale (again)

2008-04-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber plans to sell a Picasso painting of his - it is expected to fetch up to $70 million. The painting is titled "Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto" and is from Picasso's Blue Period.

Thats up from the $60 million he tried to sell it for a year ago when he had to remove it amidst claims it was actually owned by a German-Jewish man during WWII.

"I'm hoping to sell it and it's all going to go to theatre charities," Lord Lloyd Webber stated.

He is currently in America working as a mentor for the current crop of contestants on US reality show American Idol.

In Sickness & In Health

2008-04-16T16:41:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately there was a sickness in my family. My mom was diagnosed with cancer, but is doing better after going for alternative treatments. All of this severely cut my blogging time, but look for fresh new content next week, as well as our review of the new St. George Absinthe.

Some intimate stories of our New Years eve party, fresh new reviews of absinthes, movies, original absinthe recipes and more.

We are coming back!

Absinthe CBS Sunday Morning

2008-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

Glasses and Spoons have Arrived!

2007-12-31T11:59:00.000-08:00

All hail the Green Fairy!

For Christmas my beautiful wife said I could order whatever I wanted for my gift. It was within common reason that she too wanted to order something for herself. And that was quite all right with me as I already had an idea what I wanted!

Several days before the bells of Christmas Day tolled, I had visited an interesting absinthe related website that I had frequented many times before. It is called "La Maison d' Absinthe". They offer all sorts of absinthe spoons, glasses and fountains and are located in New Orleans.

http://www.lamaisondabsinthe.com/

I finally picked out the 5 absinthe spoons Id been wanting for a year now and 6 absinthe glasses. I already have one replica spoon and interestingly, my modern looking Pernod glass broke in the sink last night. Oh well. The wait for my new goodies was almost unbearable to fathom. Tick tock, tick tock said the clock in my head. I already knew the box would not arrive in time for Christmas, but hoped it would arrive for New Years Eve. Ive planned to celebrate it with some close friends and plenty of absinthe. To make matters worse, La Maison d' Absinthe sent me my FedEx tracking number and I became obsessed with tracking the package after I found a website that follows it all around the country. Check it out...

http://isnoop.net/blog/?p=19

Thankfully, the FedEx listed the package to arrive on the 31st... perfecto! I waited, each day to see if my package moved any. This is not good for ones health by any means. The incredibly S-L-O-W process of waiting and hoping and watching.... fingers dancing to check my 7.85 lb box being jumbled and kicked across the heartland. I was especially excited about the glasses. I had ordered the "Réservoir" glass which is made in France by La Rochère, the oldest glass maker there (since 1475 actually). This glass is a period reproduction also called the 'Pontarlier' and was made famous in a painting by Charles Maire. (click his name to see his painting)

Tonight, I will be one happily drunk drinker of the delicious delectable drink named Absinthe.

Happy New Year! Happy 2008 everyone! May your year be filled with good health & happiness!

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Hidden St. George Absinthe!!!

2007-12-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

It appears that there are ELEVEN bottles of the new St. George absinthe scattered and hidden about the San Francisco bay area. Read the Craigslist posting below and try to find out where the heck the absinthe is located! Looks like im making a trip up to SF for New Years ;)

I waited in front of the door to St. George Distillery at the defunct Alameda Naval Station for 4 (count 'em F-O-U-R) days in the freezing wind and cold, waiting for the HISTORIC moment to arrive: the first U.S. distilled absinthe since 1912 available for legal purchase. Alas, the much awaited 11:00AM hour tolled on the 21st of December of the year 2007. The distillery doors flung open, smashing my frozen nose, but I was not deterred! My frost bitten fingers were shaking as I handed over my plastic currency and stuttered "T t t twelve b b b bottles p p p please". At $75.00 USD a pop I could hardly afford this expenditure on my part-time clown income, but I was determined to chase the green fairy until I found doG, or, at least got laid. I hobbled through the warm tasting room past professional drinkers parading themselves as Grey Uniformed Green Fairy Guardians. Bursting through the back door I elbowed my way through throngs of green eyed monkeys hungrily eyeing my clinking cache of TRUTH ELIXER. Out on the desolate, weed choked former jet fighter runway I slammed the trunk of my convertible Falcon Futura closed on 11 bottles. Looking across the bay at the almost sinister skyline of Little Gotham West I slither into the back seat, frozen limbs tingling, heart audibly pounding my rib cage. I pop the cork and release the green fairy. Eschewing proper absinthe preparation I tip my head back and gulp straight from the bottle. Pungent aromas of anise and fennel assault my nostrils as the holy green liquid tumbles down my throat. I feel like I am simultaneously ascending and descending as distilled wormwood wriggles into my brain. I returned to this body 48 hours later and there are no words to explain that I now understand everything. You cannot revisit the revelation, thus I have no need to imbibe the remaining liquid doorway. I am dispensing the opened bottle to strangers, and have randomly scattered the remaining 11 bottles near fairy symbols throughout the Bay Area.

NEWS: Line forms to buy Absinthe

2007-12-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hundreds Line Up In Alameda For Ancient Liquor

Long Line Snakes Outside Warehouse For Absinthe

http://www.nbc11.com/news/14907465/detail.html

On the first day that the legendary alcoholic drink absinthe went on sale in the United States legally in about a century. Hundreds of people lined up outside of an Alameda warehouse where Hanger One, makers of the new St. George absinthe is located.
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NEWS: Absinthe on ABC

2007-12-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

ABC News was kind enough to do a write up about absinthe but they start their article "Decadence and debauchery. Mayhem and murder." After 100 year the media still links absinthe with negativity. Lets hope this new millennium ushers in a new age where absinthe is revered as a drink to be enjoyed amongst a joyful celebration of friends! If you cut off your ear, so what!!

One interesting note in the article was that Crillon Importers, the makers of Absente, will be finally creating their own real version of absinthe.

Go here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/IndustryInfo/story?id=4034368&page=1

Or use our ABC NEWS link HERE.
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An Absinthe History

2007-12-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

The AbsintheMan blog would not be complete without a history of Absinthe. And what better way to write such an important piece than by actually drinking absinthe and then telling the story.

It was a dark and stormy night... no wait. Wrong story.

Absinthes history can be traced as far back as biblical times where the key herb, wormwood, was mentioned not only in the bible, but also in Egyptian and Syrian texts. In the 16th and 17th centuries wormwood helped protect against the plague. Its use has been noted throughout history as an herbal treatment for a number of ailments.

It was in 1792 that a Frenchman, Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, created a digestive tonic using wormwood and other medicinal herbs. Wormwood is a very bitter herb, and Dr. Ordinaire reduced the bitterness through the process of distillation.

Soon enough, this new tonic was nicknamed "La Fee Verte" or the Green Fairy and in no time caught the interest of a Mr. Dubied. The first full scale production of absinthe began when Mr. Dubied teamed up with his son in law, Henri-Louis Pernod.

During the mid to late 1800s, French army doctors prescribed official rations of absinthe to help with fevers. Soldiers brought their love of absinthe home after battles in North Africa to the crazy passionate life of Paris.

Absinthe leaped into the hearts and minds of French society with notable artists like Van Gogh, Degas, Gauguin, Picasso and Manet partaking of the Green Fairy.

The rise of absinthe is well documented. Unfortunately so was its fall. Imitation absinthes came onto the market that were artificially colored and had other harmful products mixed in to improve the famous clouding effect. These harmful ingredients caused a number of deaths and led to mental illnesses and other physical problems. With absinthe now surpassing French wine production (seen as a threat by the wine industry) and with a series of murders blamed on absinthe, America banned absinthe in 1912 and France banned the drink in 1915, essentially nailing the lid on the proverbial absinthe coffin for the next 75+ years.

Thats it in a nutshell folks :)

This is by no means the end all, be all historical view of absinthe. You'll find more great info in the absinthe FAQs from other websites through my link HERE. We're not perfect, so if we screwed something up (like a name or a date) then so be it. Caveat Emptor, as the saying goes. If you happen to find this absinthe history completely error free, perfectly spelled, and award winning, then you, my friend, must be already drunk on absinthe.

By the way, how many fingers am I holding up? :)

Some photos courtesy of oxygenee.com

Advertise On All Things Absinthe

2007-12-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

AbsintheMan dot com is generating over 8,000 page views per month from over 2,820 unique visitors. As of December 2007 we have a 68.22% visitor return rate. The site is targeted for absinthe drinkers, absinthe collectors, absinthe connoisseurs, absinthe collectibles, people interested in the Belle Epoque era, free thinkers and other interested consumers.

There are two simple ways to advertise on AbsintheMan dot com: permanent monthly ad sponsorship across all pages and text link sponsorship across all pages.

Premium Ad Sponsorship
AbsintheMan dot com is currently offering one premium sponsorship ad unit, served at the top of every page, above the first blog post.

You will own this ad spot.
Ad Specs:

468 x 60 pixel size
19K size limit
Animation allowed but no Flash

Pricing for the sponsorship unit is currently $25 per month, which translates to a very low CPM. There is a minimum term of two months, followed by a month-to-month plan where either party may terminate the relationship on 30 days notice.
If you’re interested in securing a sponsorship ad, Email your ad to dave@shirtees.net, and Paypal $50 to the same Email address.

Text Link Sponsorship
Text Links are located site wide on the right sidebar, just below the Search button. Only 10 3 links are available. Pricing is currently $10 per month per link. There is a minimum term of two months, followed by a month-to-month plan where either party may terminate the relationship on 30 days notice.
If you’re interested in buying a text link, send the anchor text and URL to dave@shirtees.net and Paypal $20 to the same Email address.

AbsintheMan.com Update

2007-12-18T16:24:00.001-08:00

We are taking a couple weeks break here for the holidays and will be back January 1st. Hope to make a run up to San Francisco and acquire a bottle of the new St. George so we can do a future review on it. In the mean time we will be creating new content to feed you a daily dose of the Green Fairy. If there is any serious news in the world of absinthe, we'll break it right here. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

NEWS: Absinthe Alchemist Book

2007-12-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back I decided to buy an online e-book called "The Absinthe Alchemist: How to Make Superior Quality Absinthe". Its a short story of exploration about all the different herbs that go into absinthe and how to actually make absinthe. I wont go into too much detail now and everyone will have to wait for my book review next Monday, but Ive finished reading it and its excellent (to say the very least!).

You can buy the eBook at a $1 discount exclusively through us- AbsintheMan.com thanks entirely to the author Scotty Bones who also runs the Absinthe Alchemist Blog.

To order "The Absinthe Alchemist: How to Make Superior Quality Absinthe" at the $1 discount please go HERE. If you are an absinthe fan and connoisseur, you'll absolutely enjoy this book! Again, if you want this book at a discount make sure to go through THIS LINK HERE. To make the deal even sweeter, you also get "The Absinthe Primer", a brief history of absinthe including historical recipes, mixed drinks and more.
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ABSINTHE REVIEWS

2007-12-06T12:15:00.000-08:00

The first of every month we offer up a new absinthe review. Subscribe to our blog by clicking the RSS feed icon at the top right to get updates every time we post something new. You could also press CTRL+D in your web browser to visit our website in the future. Come back often to see what new reviews we have.

King Of Spirits GOLD
Total Score 17 / 100

Lamesinthe
Total Score 69 / 100

ABSINTHE IN ART

2007-12-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

Absinthe has flowed into popular culture both on the Belle Epoque era and now in modern culture. Every week on Monday we cover Absinthe in books, music and art.

ABSINTHE ART (books & music too)

-French Chanson Music
-Meet the Green Fairy: The Absinthe Primer
-Maurin Quina Poster

ABSINTHE COLLECTIBLES

-Absinthe Postcards
-The Absinthe Fountain
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ABSINTHE DRINKS & CONCOCTIONS

2007-12-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Here is our list of absinthe mixed drinks we have made (and even some foods). We add new recipes every now and then so stick around. The Poe and the Marley drinks are an AbsintheMan original! Click the names to view each one.

FILM & MOVIES

2007-12-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here is our collection of movies somehow related to Absinthe. We are very creative in our association to absinthe and movies so we hope you enjoy. You'll possibly come across interesting movies you have never heard of as well as the most popular movies that have direct references or scenes with absinthe in them.

Click the movie titles to read our reviews of each movie.

Wednesday, DEC 5th, 2007
Fairy Tale - A True Story

Wednesday, NOV 28th, 2007
From Hell

NEWS: St. George American Absinthe

2007-12-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

Word on the street, er, in the press is that St. George, makers of Hanger One Vodka, will be releasing their American version of the Green Fairy on December 21st. Just in time to tuck it under everyones Christmas tree :) This is the first American absinthe in almost a century. Read more about it HERE or http://www.nbc11.com/news/14784216/detail.html

As of December 21,2007 you could always order a bottle of St. George Absinthe online (or drive to a location) at these places:

Wally's Wines & Spirits

St. Georges is also offering $10 absinthe tastings at their distillery. Check it out here: http://www.stgeorgespirits.com/

MOVIES: Fairy Tale - A True Story

2007-12-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is a bit of a stretch :) to connect this with Absinthe, but a theme that has always peaked my interest. This particular movie "Fairy Tale" starring Harvey Keitel is an adaption of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles book "The Coming of the Fairies". Sir Doyle if you recall also wrote the Sherlock Holmes books amongst other notable literature. The book/movie is about two teenage girls in Yorkshire, England who produced photographs they had taken of fairies in their garden. Elsie Wright and her cousin Frances Griffiths used a simple camera and were said to be lacking any knowledge of photography or photographic trickery. Although, most prove their photos to be forgeries, I believe in these very special creatures.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said "We see objects within the limits which make up our colour spectrum, with infinite vibrations, unused by us, on either side of them. If we could conceive a race of beings which were made of matter which threw out shorter or longer vibrations, they would be invisible unless we could tune ourselves up, or tone them down." He goes on to add.. "It is exactly that power of tuning up and adapting itself to other vibrations which constitutes a clairvoyant, and there is nothing scientifically impossible, so far as I can see, in some people seeing that which is invisible to others."

Well said. And almost 100 years later, Sir Doyles words still hold true.

MUSIC: French Chanson

2007-12-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

Monday is our "books, music and art" day so I'll go with music this time around. Alright, this isnt exactly turn of the century absinthe drinking music, but here is a sampling of some of the music I like to listen to while sipping absinthe. Have an open mind, this music is a lot of fun! Enjoy :)

A great Chanson singer I like named Olivia Ruiz...

Another great French chanson singer is Camille... check her out too!

Here is some from a model/singer named Carla Bruni...

DEBATE: Secondaries

2007-12-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Part of absinthes claim to fame (or notoriety) is having what is called 'secondary' effects besides that of just drunkenness that a typical alcoholic drink might bring with it. Some people report or claim having true hallucinogenic effects such as seeing fairies (machine elves?), ghosts, or simply just having lucid and vivid dreams. This could all be debatable since many absinthe drinkers (up to 70%) claim no special or secondary effects while drinking the green fairy. But... I would liek to share my experiences.

With most absinthes I have drank, I have noticed a heightened clarity in my thoughts and what I see. Sometimes colors are more vivid, sometimes I have an almost Alexandria library clarity in my mind about various topics. But more recently, as I work on this blog, Ive been drinking more and more absinthe. Usually, over the past several years, I will have one night of one or two absinthe drinks in a month. Lately though, I have been drinking absinthe nearly every night. I do want to report vivid dreams. I have never had dreams so realistic and vivid. Normally, I dont mid this at all, but my dreams have turned scary and violent. Am I a bad blogger or reporter for bringing this to light? I think not. Some of my dreams involve death, killing, hunting, or should I say hunted. Over the weekend, one dream still clear in my mind was with me trying to make love with my wife, but in trying to do so, we had a horrible monster of a man trying to kill us the entire night of the dream. It was all too real. I wont continue on with recalling this dream, but it was too vivid and lucid for me to recount. I wished I'd never had such a dream actually. In my 34 years of life I cannot remember a dream so realistic or brutal. I would not be so concerned if this was just me having these dreams, but now my wife says her dreams are real and scary as well. God help me.

REVIEW: King of Spirits Gold

2007-11-30T14:52:00.000-08:00

For our Friday absinthe review (every other week we review an absinthe) we'll cover King of Spirits Gold Absinth. Just the other night I was cooking dinner and wanted to get feeling really good and had not had this for a long time. I must have had prepared 3 glasses (12cl of absinth approx?) that night.

We use the La Fee Verte scoring method found HERE for reviewing absinthe and will continue to use this scoring method.

I originally purchased this bottle back in 1998 when I first got into drinking absinthe. I had been warned many times in the usual absinthe forums about King of Spirits Absinth, but decided to buy it when I found it on sale at about 30% the regular selling price. Man, it seemed like such a deal!

This absinthe hails in at 70% and its claim to fame is the 100mg/L of thujone. Well, here goes...

COLOR BEFORE WATER 3/10
We'll be posting before louche and after louche pics in the next 24 hours. A light amber colour with herbs floating inside. A very crisp characteristic that looks more like herb derived colour soaked in vodka.

LOUCHE ACTION 1/10

The lowest score possible. Using ice cold water, and 3 sugar cubes it barely pulls off a louche in the first couple minutes but dissipates just as quickly back into its clear state.

COLOR AFTER WATER 1/10
Please see above. The louche, which really cant be called that with this absinth, is nil after about a minute.

AROMA 6/30
Some credit here, though not much. It does smell a bit like other absinthes (Lucid comes to mind) but smells more like a vodka to me. As an absinthe, ~Yuk~.

MOUTH-FEEL 1/10
Its like drinking vodka. Seriously.

TASTE 4/20
I cant bring myself to rate this a 1 again... There is some flavors in there but most of it is of a bitter grand wormwood. My first thoughts are vodka or rubbing alcohol. There is little or no licorice or anise lasting tastes at all.

OVERALL IMPRESSION 1/10
I cant even bring myself to rate this well at all. I was completely unimpressed and I remember I was heartbroken when I first purchased and tried it as money back then was very tight!

TOTAL SCORE: 17/100

If my math is correct this gets 17. Which actually seems a bit high. But, whatever. Moral of the story is NEVER to buy King of Spirits, even at 70% off the regular price :) Put your money into absinthes you know and love and you'll never go wrong.

If someone gave me King of Spirits Gold as a present would I be happy? NO. Would I drink it? NO. Would I share it? NO. and the ultimate test... would I buy this again? NO.

One quick added note - Ive never experienced a hang over or headache the next day after drinking absinthe. The day after drinking this for my review, I felt like a truck ran me over with one of the worst headaches I can remember.

RECIPE: Absinthe Cake

2007-11-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Alchemist Blog HERE offers up an interesting link to an 'Absinthe Cake' they found on the internet. This weekend I will make the cake, take some photos for the blog and hope it comes out good! Crossing my fingers! Check it out...

http://www.absinthealchemist.com/blog/?p=30

and if it helps out any, I created a PDF file for the recipe HERE.

BLOGS: Excellent Absinthe Blogs

2007-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

There are a few other decent absinthe blogs Ive found out on the net. Hopefully you will also check these out from time to time as well. I have several blogs I follow (about 100 now I think) and use Google Reader to categorize and read all of them when I have time. Works pretty good! There are several other blog readers out there too, if you arent a Googler. Here are a few absinthe related blogs I like...

NOTES: Ive tried Kübler & Lucid

2007-11-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say I opened my bottles last night and enjoyed the first glasses from each bottle. I wanted to do my Friday absinthe review on one of these, but I feel I would be rushing a review and will give more time and sip these more before my reviews on them.

They are both enjoyable. One brand is clearly better than the other. And something very interesting I experienced last night while sipping these absinthes.

I'll review these soon... every other friday are my absinthe reviews, so please stick around here by bookmarking us by pressing CTRL+D, adding our website http://absintheman.blogspot.com/ to your RSS reader or even subscribe to us via email. Many thanks, and sometime today will be our next absinthe review.

COLLECTIBLES: Absinthe Postcards

2007-11-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

Absinthe related postcards are very interesting and range from satirical to humorous to publicity cards from the distilleries themselves. Some cards were pro absinthe and anti absinthe and one famous absinthe card shows an absinthe fountain in use.

For more about absinthe postcards, visit the Oxygenee Absinthe Museum.

NEWS: Absinthe in Time Magazine

2007-11-29T19:41:00.000-08:00

TIME: Absinthe Is Back

Absinthe continues its surge in the news. Today, TIME magazine offers up an article. Some interesting notes: The caption of the photo of a glass of absinthe says you can drink it "straight up". Yes, you can, but good luck. And the last sentence says "If you drink three bottles, you are going to do something stupid." Read the full article HERE.

PERSONAL: Absinthe Arriveth

2007-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

Just got my bottles of Kubler (1L) and Lucid (75cl) today. I'll be bringing the absinthes to my local French cafe/restaurant and enjoying some out on the sidewalk with friends. Should make for a great time. Im interested in experiencing the flavors of these and will be reviewing them soon enough.

I ordered both of mine which included free shipping from Drink Up NY. On their website, just type in "absinthe" in their search engine and you'll find it.

http://www.drinkupny.com/

NEWS: Stolen Absinth?

2007-11-29T08:04:00.001-08:00

I found this interesting. Regardless of YOUR views about Czech absinths, it appears its hear to stay. How so? $80,000 worth of Sebor Absinth was stolen in London. Read it HERE.

ABSINTHE FAQ

2007-11-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

There are lots of questions swirling around Absinthe so I thought I would louche things up and give some link to nice Absinthe FAQs Ive run across...

-Erowid Absinthe FAQ

-FeeVerte.net Absinthe FAQ

-Oxygenee Absinthe FAQ

Yes, there really are some more absinthe FAQs out there, but the vary in degree of info some are self serving (selling their products). These three above look to be the best.

VIDEO: Absinthe Drinker in Paris 1900

2007-11-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

Our Wednesday video contribution is titled "Absinthe Drinker in Paris 1900" and features a man preparing absinthe in front of Moulin Rouge.

NEWS: Kübler enters SF Mainstream

2007-11-28T06:49:00.001-08:00

Recently in San Francisco, Kübler Absinthe celebrated their U.S. launch. Author of "Absinthe: History in a Bottle" Barnaby Conrad was in attendance. Below are a few photos taken by photographer Misha Vladimirskiy. To see see the full set of pics, visit 7x7sf.com HERE.

Check out Kübler absinthe while in San Francisco at the Bix Restaurant & Lounge.

NEWS: Its about Thujone again

2007-11-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

Absinthe Imported to U.S. Lacks Ingredient... Im not so sure the media is accurately reporting things correctly.

In this most recent article it says that absinthe in the US has arrived but with the "omission of a key ingredient." Omission mean lack of, or ZERO, ZIP, NADA. Which isnt the case at all. It goes on to say the new legal absinthes "lack wormwood" or are "without wormwood".

Is this accurate? I dont think so. The Lucid and Kubler thats now being imported into the U.S. have 10mg/L thujone, which is in line with vintage bottles of absinthe. Its my personal opinion that even 100mg/L is technically still not a lot. Whats the difference between 10 parts per million or 100 parts per million when you are dealing with terms of a million? If it was say, 1% or 10% I can see the difference, but when talking about parts per million, I question the relevance. Thats why its so hard for me to fall for the Czech absinth and their push for high thujone levels.

I'll leave you all with this to ponder for the rest of the day. Im not an absinthe profiteer like Conrad is who has written a book, or Sebor Absinth is who rely on high thujone levels . . . Im in love with absinthe. Even with absinthe coming in at the lowest levels of thujone, this is still a good thing. Its now legal. You can even say its now acceptable. This only opens doors, not shuts them. More companies will come. More will be successful. More will challenge the current laws. More absinthes with higher thujone levels will slowly creep into America. Overall, I feel this will be good for the absinthe drinker as prices will drop a bit. Its good for everyone.

MOVIES: From Hell

2007-11-27T10:15:00.001-08:00

Im going with "From Hell" as my first absinthe related movie review. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie when it came out and was ecstatic Johnny Depp featured absinthe in one of his scenes. Its a rather grim and ugly story about Jack the Ripper, the murderer that terrorized London in Victorian era England. Johnny Depp is characterized as inspector Abberline out to find the Ripper. The Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society) did a superb job directing this and with the set design to recreate the late 1800's London. The set crews built four blocks of Whitechapel (the location of the murders) on location in Prague, including half a church. The Hughes Brothers originally wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to play the lead role. When that fell through, they interviewed Sean Connery and Brad Pitt before settling on Johnny Depp. Connery might have worked out OK, but somehow I just couldnt see Brad Pitt playing the roll of investigator Abberline. I'm sure thanks to Johnny Depp, we got a glimpse of the Green Fairy in this movie!

NEWS: A Continuing Resurgence

2007-11-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Absinthe continues to make a resurgence in the news. Its been like this for months now since Kübler and Lucid began legal importation to the USA. I'm curious if the popularity will wane or absinthe will come into vogue again. Check these out:

About.com offers up tips: How To Drink Absinthe

Absinthe makes its way into the Salem, Oregon News: Absinthe Makes Long Awaited Comeback

ZYZZYVA's editor Howard Junker says how he enjoyed the "absinthe ritual".

BOOKS: Meet The Green Fairy - The Absinthe Primer

2007-11-26T15:23:00.000-08:00

While researching absinthe recipes recently, I so happened upon a blog called "The Absinthe Alchemist Blog" over here: http://www.absinthealchemist.com/blog/ which has some interesting recipes and unique news you definitely dont find elsewhere. Browsing his website some more, I came to find he also sells an Absinthe E-book titled "The Absinthe Alchemist - How to Make Real Absinthe" that also comes with a free Absinthe Primer titled "Meet The Green Fairy". Well, I purchased this e-book, got it in my email box and really have enjoyed it so far. It explains exactly what Absinthe is, where it came from through a compelling historical view. It goes further into the effects absinthe has on the user, the ritual of drinking absinthe and a nice bonus, several absinthe mixed drink recipes. Check it out here if you would like to purchase the book and primer...

http://www.absinthealchemist.com/absinthe_recipe/

Remember, Ive only talked about the free primer here and will give a full review of the actual e-book next Monday. This primer alone probably saves the average absinthe fan hours and hours wasted time on the internet digging up information. So for that alone its worth it.

ALERT: Absinthe & Health

2007-11-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

This is more of a personal view than anything else :) Todays ART-BOOKS-MUSIC segment will posted sometime tonight or tomorrow morning as I have really screwed up my back lifting some heavy bags of gravel yesterday. With that said, I remember a few months ago when I tweaked my back, I was unable to help the pain much with a hot bath or a beer or stretching so I drank several glasses of absinthe (the parisian way) and the kink I had in my back mellowed up fro ma sharp pain, to dull pain, to an ache by the time I fell asleep that night. When I awoke the next morn, my back was completely cured. Coincidence? I think not. If anyone with medical background would like to comment on that, please feel free. I wonder if any ingredients in absinthe had anything to do with my quick recovery.

Our Weekly Lineup

2007-11-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Hopefully, if you have followed us this past week, you'll notice we have a lineup formation and we hope you'll it enjoy it week after week. You can bookmark us by pressing CTRL+D, add our website http://absintheman.blogspot.com/ to your RSS reader or even subscribe to us via email.

We will cover absinthe each day...

MONDAY - Books, Music & Art
TUESDAY - Movies
WEDNESDAY - Videos
THURSDAY - Collectibles
FRIDAY - Absinthe Review / Mixed Drinks

Any time we receive breaking news, we will post it immediately and list it as NEWS.

So for a wrap up, every Monday you'll enjoy absinthe in books, music and art to start your week off. On Tuesdays, we'll review a movie somehow related to absinthe. If it floats your boat (if you like it) you'll can add it to your Netflix or have a couple days to run down to the local rental store to make sure you have the movie on hand for the weekend! Wednesdays we'll have an absinthe related video on the site here and hopefully give you something interesting to think and talk about. Thursdays will cover absinthe collectibles and hopefully offer some tips on how to score vintage merchandise too. Fridays are an interesting day. We will switch of each Friday by either covering a review of an absinthe, or offer up a mixed drink we have tried. Either way, it should put you in the mood for a nice weekend.

Once again, dont forget to bookmark us by pressing CTRL+D, adding our website http://absintheman.blogspot.com/ to your RSS reader or even subscribe to us via email. Many thanks, and happy absinthe drinking!

NEWS: Absinthe Now Present (w/ audio)

2007-11-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

WBUR.ORG has a nice audio news story about absinthe. In the interview you can hear Kubler owner Peter Karl say "I have drunk many liters of absinthe in my life. And sometimes I emptied a whole liter bottle." Classic.

Listen to the audio here:

Go HERE for the article.

DRINKS: The Duchess

2007-11-23T10:00:00.001-08:00

Every Friday right here at Absinthe Man we will switch off each week reviewing absinthes and offering up recipes for mixed absinthe drinks. This week its a mixed drink called The Duchess.

Up until this point, I have always savored the complexity and curiosity of drinking absinthe the traditional way with cold water and sugar cubes. I used some of my Logan Fils Suisse absinthe... a clear absinthe that louches nicely when made the traditional way. This is the recipe I used...

The Duchess

1 shot Absinthe
1 shot Dry Vermouth
1 shot Sweet Vermouth

I pour these into the glass in the above order. The colour was a red hue from the sweet vermouth. My initial reaction was not good, but after several more sips I began to like it more. As read from a cocktail book at home, the two vermouths "tame" the absinthe down, which I found to be true. Will this become a regular drink of mine? I cant answer that just yet. Its my first mixed absinthe drink and so far, im not swayed from drinking absinthe the traditional method. The problem I have is that the absinthe became just some part of some mixed drink and lost its flavour and unique appeal it holds on its own. I guess my main diagnosis of a mixed drink would be "Would I pay for this in a bar?" The answer to "The Duchess" would be NO.

You can buy sweet and dry vermouths in most any chain grocery store in America these days. I paid $6 a bottle for name brand vermouths so I didnt really feel it in the pocket too much. There were some rather cheaper brands of vermouths for $2 a bottle, but if you are going to drop $60-$100 a bottle for Absinthe, why not spend a few more dollars for some name brand vermouth too. Good Luck!

NEWS: From Palm Springs to Barcelona

2007-11-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hopefully, we will create a one stop shop for Absinthe related news.

In Mydesert.com the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs, CA, check out their article titled "Absinthe, Inspiration for poets, now in the U.S."

Bar Marsella looks like a nice place to enjoy some absinthe in Barcelona. Check it out!

We have knowledge of a new French absinthe coming out in 2008 so hopefully we will be privileged enough to break the news here. "Hopefully" being the key word!

MOVIES: Thursday Movie Reviews

2007-11-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

Every Thursday we will feature absinthe in the movies - We'll try our best to feature reviews with absinthe in or somehow related to the movie. So stick around for that every Thursday. Today, November 22, 2007... we are taking the day off for Turkey Day here in the United States. We hope all of you have a nice one!

DEBATE: Thujone or not to Thujone?

2007-11-22T06:48:00.000-08:00

The debate on the mind altering effects of Absinthe usually boils down to Thujone levels. Thujone is a ketone and terpene, with a menthol odor and causes possible hallucinogenic effects. You can read more on its wiki page HERE. Some people will argue that high thujone levels in absinthe, 100mg/L up to 260mg/L causes these mind altering effects when drinking absinthe. Im not here to disagree, only state what I know. I have drank 100mg/L absinthe... namely King of Spirits Absinthe from the Czech Republic. It is a vile drink, with no way to make it palatable. No amount of sugar cubes, or mixed drink recipes will help. Besides that, I have noticed no differences in effects from drinking 100mg/L absinthe or 25mg/L absinthe. The results are always the same for me. An awakening of mind and spirit, a very clear awakening and knowing about my consciousness, a very sharp mind and skillful too. I also like beer and the two levels of drunkenness are very different from one another. With beer, I get this impaired, slowed, lazy and happy feeling. With absinthe I get an almost mystical acknowledgment that I am created for a purpose and absinthe is a propellant for my brilliancy.

I have ordered both Lucid and Kubler absinthes and will review them in coming weeks. I could take a hard line that many absinthe drinkers do, and steer clear of these low thujone level absinthes, but as a blogger, researcher and absinthe drinker... it is my duty to test these and blog about them.

The article that fueled my thought and debate about thujone levels is from the Boston Herald article titled "No longer Absinthe in Hub". One commenter name Artemis made an interesting reply to the article...

The USA "new absinthes" are also perhaps using chemotypes of wormwood, or carbon dioxide extraction, to rip out the thujone in order to comply with the FDA requirement that absinthe be "thujone free" This is mentioned here (i) (i) Lachenmeier, D. W., S. G. Walch, S. A. Padosch, and L. U. Kroner. 2006. Absinthe–a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 46:365-77. The classic quote from this paper is "The consequence for the absinthe manufactures is that traditional recipes and methods have to be modified, in order to avoid thujone contents, which exceed the limit" So not traditional at all it seems. I happen to have tried one traditional high thujone absinthe with about 100mg/l out of curiosity, it was called Century Absinthe. I think that Dr Arnold has said that thujone levels in absinthe were about 260mg/l. Well, I can say that 100mg worked just fine thanks. The real absinthe effect is hard to explain; a heightened sense of colour, sound and touch. The latter is perhaps the origin of absinthe as aphrodisiac? I would suggest that absinthe can be mildly hallucinogenic, and this has been explained before by the Berkeley University scientists who studied the effects on the GABA receptors. I found the experience to be very enjoyable and enhancing with no side effects. With lower thujone absinthes it is like listening to an echo of symphony orchestra, and with those artificial absinthes using chemical colourants, you'll hear nothing at all. Thujone is a naturally occurring terpene in Artemisia absinthium. The cultivation of the plant - the terroir, the harvesting, climatic conditions (esp moisture levels)and drying will directly influence the thujone levels in the plant. Real absinthe - Belle Epoque style - takes this into consideration. It is very costly and it is easier to buy in bulk dried up wormwood from Turkey, as most modern manufacturers do. Please do not forget that thujone is also a measure of the quality of the wormwood used. A pesky nuisance for modern day entrepreneurs, and this is yet another reason why thujone is being removed from the picture by the modern absinthe industry. Interesting debate.

Please comment and help this blog grow! Thanks!

NEWS: Fairy Tale

2007-11-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES - Kübler debuted its absinthe in Los Angeles with green fairies, a speakeasy vibe, and table demonstrations at the Green Door. With an 1863 feel and scantilly clad performers, Kübler’s own Nick Gallegos, were on hand to conjure cocktails with the newly legalized liquor. Make sure to read the full article HERE.

NEWS: Picasso "Owner" Loses Suit

2007-11-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

NOV 21, 2007 - A Manhattan Supreme Court Justice threw out Julius Schoeps' lawsuit claiming that he is the rightful owner of the painting that his great-uncle, a Jewish banker in Berlin, was forced by the Nazis to sell in 1935.

Schoeps asserted his claim last year shortly before a Christie's auction of the famous 1903 oil on canvas painting called "The Absinthe Drinker," was expected to fetch between $40 million and $60 million.

You can read the full article HERE

VIDEO: Van Gogh and Absinthe (short film)

2007-11-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

Every Wednesday we will be featuring a video clip related to Absinthe. Below is a claymation video titled "Van Gogh and Absinthe"

Van Gogh and Absinthe

Here is a Description: Van Gogh and Absinthe is an investigation into a day in the life of an artist who catapulted the contemporary art world to where it is today. With artists continuing to change and expand the definition of art. It is increasingly difficult to understand where a particular art movement originated. Society has become engrossed with capitalism and consumerism. Its ability to allow art and entertainment, as we know it, to exist has created a diversity and therefore a divergence from any sort of artistic community.

At this point much of the civilized world is engrossed with technology. Technology's rapid evolution has taken an established set of rules and scattered them across a web of wires. The idea of artists labeling a particular art movement appears highly unlikely. The constant force-feeding of classification is the need of society to interpret its own existence. Nowhere does this apply more than to the Post-Modern art world. Critics, art historians, and even artists have been wrestling with how Post-Modernism has developed. With the advancement of technology, global communication and more specifically the World Wide Web, many individual art movements have begun to take shape on their own. Now more than ever, the idea of a few powerful art dealers, historians, or critics creating the next Vincent Van Gogh, pales in comparison to the chance of the individual artist leaving a mark on the art world through the Internet.

Van Gogh and Absinthe's intention is to offer insight into the origin of the journey of Modern and Post-Modern Art, how Van Gogh has affected it presently and how the attitude of Vincent continues to shape the artists of tomorrow. To do this, this thesis will focus on the short film Van Gogh and Absinthe, a stop-motion animation about a day in the life of the artist, Vincent Van Gogh. If there was ever one artist who signified the essence of this thesis it had to be Van Gogh. Vincent Van Gogh also lived at a time of great change and wonder. The foundations of Modern art and Impressionism were just forming. But each and every day of this artist's life was spent questioning, why am I doing this, where do I fit into this puzzle and what impact am I making on this world?

NEWS: Genuine absinthe: Will the buzz match the hype?

2007-11-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

From the Capitol Times newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin...

Doug Moe - 11/17/2007 9:35 am

It appears you will soon be able to walk into a liquor store in Madison and buy a bottle of absinthe. Real absinthe.

A question arises: Is that a good thing?

I don't raise the question because I think people who drink absinthe -- the mysterious high-octane green spirit enjoyed by Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and other romantic and sometimes reckless artists -- are going to start seeing little purple men or cutting off their ears, as Vincent van Gogh is believed to have done after drinking the "green fairy."

I have another reason for wondering if seeing absinthe -- real absinthe, not the abundant imitations -- on store shelves is a positive development.

Regulars readers will know that I have mentioned absinthe on more than one occasion. I often suffer nostalgia for experiences I have never had, and sitting outside a Paris cafe sipping an absinthe while the cast of "The Sun Also Rises" walks by is near the top of my list.

I first learned about absinthe from

Barnaby Conrad's fine book "Absinthe: History in a Bottle." That was published decades ago. More recently, the Madison-based University of Wisconsin Press brought out Jad Adams' "Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle."

Maybe four years ago, I started hearing about a New Orleans guy named Ted Breaux, who had an absinthe obsession that far exceeded my own and who was then on a romantic quest to produce real absinthe -- not the watered down kind that had occasionally shown up in the years since it had been banned, circa 1910, in most countries around the world.

Well, Breaux has not only succeeded, in the process, he made a discovery that has led governments around the globe to rethink their absinthe prohibition.

Breaux, who has since relocated to France, found that the wormwood plant used in authentic absinthe contained far less thujone, a toxin, than had originally been believed. Removing the thujone would therefore not compromise the integrity or the taste of the drink, especially after a small tweaking of other ingredients.

With the toxin removed, the U. S. government earlier this year gave approval to Lucid, an absinthe bottled by Viridian Spirits of Manhasset, N.Y., which had hired Breaux to develop it. A recent story in USA Today said a 750-milliliter bottle will cost $59.99.

As of now, Lucid is available in only three states -- New York, New Jersey and Illinois -- but its Web site, drinklucid.com, promises wider distribution soon.

Which brings us to the question I posed at the top of this column. Is it a good thing?

In one sense it will be very nice to get to try the real absinthe. A couple of years ago, a few days after I wrote a column on my absinthe obsession, a reader actually stopped by the newspaper and handed me a small bottle with a label identifying it as "Vest Pocket Absinth" made in the Czech Republic.

I tried it that night, with no drum roll or other ceremony, and -- it's painful to admit this -- I really didn't like it. It was bitter and it burned going down and I just didn't care for it. The buzz wasn't anything extraordinary either. Had I spent 20 years lusting for something that didn't agree with me? I chose to instead believe that as kind as the reader had been to bring me the bottle, it was an imitation absinthe, and not a good one.

Now Ted Breaux has distilled the real thing. It will be here soon. And what I am wondering is if perhaps it is the romance of the quest that I have been enthralled with for 20 years. The allure of the unattainable. On a much lower plane, I can remember when Coors beer could only be purchased in Colorado. People spoke in hushed tones of smuggling back cases in the trunks of their cars. Once you could buy it anywhere, it became like any other beer.

I know what I'm hoping. I'm hoping that I'm wrong, and that my first bottle of Lucid absinthe takes me to the Left Bank and into an imagined, inspired conversation with Picasso and Hemingway and Oscar Wilde.

I'm hoping it's transcendent. For $60, it had better be.

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/257514

COLLECTIBLES: The Absinthe Fountain

2007-11-19T22:58:00.001-08:00

Monday is our day to talk about absinthe in art. Tuesdays will be our day to cover various absinthe related collectibles.

Adding ice cold water to absinthe is a very important part of preparation. It was sometimes considered an art form, and bars often had "professors of absinthe" who would show new drinkers how to properly add water one drop at a time.

Fountains appeared in bars and bistros as absinthe gained popularity. They are elegant and mesmerizing focal points and a seemingly essential luxury. Often a large glass container suspended above the table held between two and six spigots. It allowed a small party of drinkers to accurately prepare their absinthe all at once with a slow drip of cold water but did not require the painstaking concentration required by a carafe.

If you want to collect these rare beauties, the price of genuine absinthe fountains do vary - many range in price from $1,500 to $7,000 USD. You can also find modern versions of these fountains from $150 or more. One company on ebay sells them: http://stores.ebay.com/ABSINTHE-ON-THE-NET

Below you can clearly see (squint your eyes if you have to!) an absinthe fountain on the table to the right being enjoyed by two mustached men in France.

ART: Maurin Quina Poster

2007-11-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

Every Monday of each week, we'll cover Absinthe in Art, Books and Music. Stick around with us, add us to your RSS blog reader, become a frequent visitor and discover what makes absinthe so mystical and inspiring. Every day this week we will introduce new features to outline the basis of this blog, so stay tuned this week!

This week, we'll give you a little history and insight into this poster called "Maurin Quina" painted by the famous Leonetto Cappiello. We've all seen it someplace or other.

Leonetto Cappiello was born in Italy in 1875 and died in France in 1942. He is often called "the father of modern advertising" because of his innovation in poster design. He was the first poster artist to use bold figures popping out of black backgrounds, a startling contrast to posters before Cappiello. As with many great artists, Cappiello had no formal training in art. Over the course of his career Cappiello produced more than 530 advertising posters which surprise and delight the viewer.

The Maurin Quina done by Cappiello showcases a devilish character sneakily de-corking a bottle of Quinine, a fortified wine (think of an herbal red zinfandel and tonic water mix). Painted during the Belle Epoque in 1906, this could be considered one of Cappiello's most famous posters of all. The green devil here evokes la fée verte (the green fairy), the nickname for absinthe. Unfortunately, Absinthe was banned by the French government shortly after Cappiello released this painting.

Ordered some Absinthe

2007-11-17T15:50:00.000-08:00

Today I placed an order for two absinthes now LEGALLY AVAILABLE in the United States. Lucid Superieure and also Kubler 53 Swiss. From what I understand, the reason for the legality, is from these absinthes not having much thujone content like the Czech versions do. The popular Un Emile and Pernod 68 brands of absinthe have anywhere from 6-10 mg/L of thujone which really isnt much considering Czech varieties boost 100 mg/L and taste horrible anyways.

About Lucid:
lucid is formulated by world renowned absinthe expert T.A. Breaux, and is distilled in strict accordance to traditional French methods. lucid is crafted in the historic Combier distillery, founded in 1834 and designed by Gustave Eiffel in the fabled Loire Valley of France. Each bottle of lucid is carefully prepared by skilled craftsmen, using ancient copper absinthe alembics. Unlike most contemporary imitators, lucid is distilled entirely from spirits and European herbs, and uses no artificial additives, oils, or dyes.

About Kubler:
"Kübler Absinthe is the first Swiss absinthe to become commercially available and our customers are in for a real treat. Such was the reputation of its absinthes that during the 19th century ‘Swiss’ was adopted as an indication of the highest quality regardless of whether the absinthe was produced in Switzerland, France or elsewhere ... As with all of Liqueurs de France’s absinthes, Kübler is made in an alembic still following original techniques, using only natural plants, rather than extracts or oils. Kübler Absinthe is finished at 53% abv., in accordance with local traditions ..."

Some Blogs & Recent Absinthe Headlines

2007-11-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

Below is a list of blogs referring to Absinthe and some headlines making the news!

Front Row Blog writes how Absinthe is reaching into Boston bars now that it is legal.

Souldish Blog links up to an interesting New York Times article about Absinthes' return into American culture.

Denver Westworld Blog serves up an absinthe related claymation music video titled "Sippin on Some Sizzurp."

You know the return of Absinthe in the US is big news when even the Good Morning Silicon Valley blog is talking about that same NY Times article.

I came across Liquor Snob talking about how they got screwed buying some Absinthe. Eeek! Be careful out there folks!

Becky over at Mental Floss blog makes a quick note that she might spend her New Years with a bottle of Absinthe. Becky, I say GO FOR IT!

Reveries.com Blog has a nice write up about how absinthe is legal again and two absinthe brands, Lucid and Kubler, are coming into the market now.

MetroMix LA Blog talks about the green fairy with links to two Los Angeles restaurants that now serve Absinthe. As a bonus (ive not yet seen before) they have a photo of an Absinthe Energy Drink called "Fairy Bomb". Even Caroline on Crack talks about it too.

The Green Head has a nice link on their blog for a $400 french absinthe fountain set. Its beautiful. You got to see it.

Even the sexually related Flesh Bot blog (warning, may contain nude images) brings up the mention of absinthe and good times.

The guy that runs the Go Backpacking Blog merges my two fave things... Absinthe and Major League Soccer (theres a MLS cup game this sunday at 9am pacific/12pm eastern)

Eating L.A. blog mentions the Kubler absinthe debuting in LA and also says it will cost $49 a litre. Not bad.

LOWEBROW blog has a link to that great NY Times article.

Check out these cute girls in France on TravelPod blog. Sounds like they had a lot of fun partying!

Jeremie at thisisby.us seems to have found some legal absinthe in Boston.

King of Spirits Absinth

2007-11-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to warn everyone not to bother ever ordering the King of Spirits Absinthe. Regularly, this bottle sells for $200, but I bought this on a sale for $130 way back 7 years ago now. This is a Czech brand and the big lure of this absinthe is the thujone levels, proportedly to be 100 mg/l.

As you can see on the right sidebar of our website in my personal inventory of absinthes, I have only drank about 10% of this disgusting brand. 7 years and only 10%.

It is the worst absinthe I have ever tried, and the most bitter of them all as well.

So please, even if you find this on sale, dont spend the money. Dont buy it. Stick with a brand you love, or one that has been recommended to you. I will be reviewing this in the coming weeks ahead so stick around. Good Luck and Happy drinking!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Yours Truly,

Absinthe Man

A la PERRUCHE Sugar

2007-11-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

One of the main ingredients in properly preparing absinthe whether it be the Parisian style or Bohemian style is sugar and I dont use just any sugar. Why not go French? If you're going to spend $120 for a bottle of absinthe, why use $1 box of sugar cubes from just anywhere? If you have a gourmet grocery store near you, or perhaps WILLIAMS-SONOMA carries this brand, I always like to use "A la Perruche". It is a French pure cane sugar brand that does not have perfectly squared cubes. These are definitely lumps. Im sure this is where our British friends get the "one lump or two?" famous saying. They look like little roughly hewn balls of sugar coming in a variety of shapes and sizes really. You can get a better idea from this photo I took here just a few minutes ago . . .