« Christian Hosoi | Skateboarding legend | Main | Persepolis | Academy Award Nominee for Best Animated Feature »
Absinthe | the forbidden liquor is back
The Green Fairy is back. Not a new Disney character, the Green Fairy refers to the mysterious liquor ABSINTHE, which has enjoyed a revival in the U.S. after a nearly century-long ban. Absinthe, an anise-flavoured alcohol, is notorious for its supposedly hallucinogenic effects rumoured to have caused an "epidemic of psychosis in France in the later 1800s--most infamously, leading Vincent van Gogh to cut off his ear."
Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic (45-93%) spirit that gets its green hue from wormwood, an herb that contains the chemical thujone, which is reputed to cause hallucinations. It originated as a health elixir, but by 1915 it was banned in a number of countries, including the U.S. Skeptics say Absinthe's effects were hyped by artists, but research has shown that thujone causes the brain to block the neurotransmitter that controls nerve impulses: "It makes the brain zap around really fast," says Jad Adams, author of the book Hideous Absinthe. "Like when you have a really strong cup of coffee."
In the U.S., Absinthe can only be sold if it's thujone-free...but the B.C. government has no limits on thujone content, so in Vancouver one can find Hill's Absinth, Czech Absinth s.r.o., Elie-Arnaud Denoix, Pernod, Absente, Versinthe and, in limited release, La Fee Absinthe. Recently, Vernon-based Okanagan Spirits was allowed to distill a traditional style of absinthe called Taboo. This is Canada's only authentic Absinthe, made using a traditional European recipe.
SOURCES: Absinthe Is Back by Carolyn Sayre @ www.time.com | Trying to Clear Absinthe's Reputation by Harold McGree @ www.nytimes.com | Photo source from here
Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche. The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to "blossom" and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise.
How to properly Absinthe...the Absinthe ritual:
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.schemamag.ca/mt/mt-tb.cgi/584
Subscribe to our Feed
About this post
Posted by TamikoJanuary 24, 2008 at 12:24 AM
Comments (0)
Permalink
Tags
(16)
(1)
(1)
(6)
(39)
(4)
(1)
(1)
(5)
(5)
(15)
(1)
(3)
(1)
(4)
(1)
(7)
(4)
(36)
(52)
(26)
(14)
(7)
(39)
(1)
(4)
(6)
(3)
(9)
(54)
(44)
(1)
(80)
(8)
(41)
(30)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(7)
(1)
(10)
(30)
(2)
(1)
(2)
(28)
(1)
(2)
(38)
(1)
(22)
(1)
(32)
(1)
(2)
(4)
(22)
(21)
(22)
(19)
(10)
(1)
(10)
(34)
(35)
Recent Posts
Jennifer Thym, Director of LUMINA Web Series | Vancouver | November 4, 2009
America's Next Top Model takes blackface to a whole new level
Oliberté | This Is the Real Africa
VIWF 2009: The Tightrope & Building Blocks
A Family Fugue & An Almost Fatal Attraction at the VIWF 2009!
Phil Yu in review at iWriteAboutMe.com | Vancouver
Bollywood Film Star Rahul Bose in Vancouver: FREE SHOW!
Fresh Media Event | Saturday, October 24, 2009
Advertisement
Archives
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
Advertisement