Absinthe, how NOT to drink it-video

Absinthe. Isn’t that the stuff that caused Van Gogh to cut off his ear?

Poor absinthe is actually the victim of a smear campaign begun by temperance advocates in the 1880’s and it has never fully recovered. Absinthe doesn’t cause hallucinations as the popular misconception goes, rather, it is thought that the absinthe of the 1800’s was made with poisonous chemicals to give it it’s famous greenish hue, or green fairy as it was often called, which may have caused those absinthe drinkers to think that sunflowers were talking to them or whatever it was they imagined. Absinthe’s allure was further deepened by it’s association with bohemian artists and writers of the late 1800’s to early 20th century and their belief that it heightened their artistic sensibilities. It might also have something to do with the high alcohol content, clocking in at between 50 -75% alcohol, it’s no wonder it has to be diluted with water and sugar.

Lately, absinthe is enjoying a revival and I came across an organic absinthe at the recent London Real Food Fest. Interestingly, absinthe was never banned in the UK because it never gained popularity here, unlike the Continent where at one point, over 36 million litresΒ  a year were being consumed by the French alone. Biosinthe is made with all organically certified herbs as well as being distilled from organic wine. The distillery is situated in the Rhineland-Palatinate and made by Master Distiller, Fedor Back. Biosinthe is 60% proof, pretty potent stuff. If you want a quick lesson in how to prepare absinthe and how NOT to drink it, check out the video. I survived and no, sadly, no sunflowers talked to me on the way home….

11 Comments

  1. So, if you down it in one go, how overwhelming will it be I wonder? I think I’ll just sip for now.

  2. BrixChick_Liza /

    Well, if he is going to offer you absinthe in a shotglass, what does he expect? It’s great to see so many new brands on the market. I went in and stood in line in the rain on Superbowl Sunday at St. George Distillery to get my bottles a few years back because the first batch sold out so fast. Now it is much easier to access the louche!

    • My sentiments exactly, giving me something in a shot glass and then I’m supposed to sip it? I don’t think so! πŸ˜‰ I did score a little kit and have the slotted spoons so I must try some again, this time at home.

  3. “You’re meant to SIP it…” πŸ™‚ Informative and funny… Thanks!

    • LOL, glad you found it informative, I had a lot of fun just trying it but I think Steve really did think I was going fall over!

  4. Thanks for sharing the video – that was pretty funny! He should have warned you to sip instead of shooting it back like that πŸ™‚ I do know that “real” Absinthe is available in europe, but it is expensive and time consuming to get it over to north america….having said that, I am going to try the organic, kit based absinthe first. If I enjoy the experience, I know my curiosity will get the better of me and I’ll be wanting to go for the stuff with the wormwood in it πŸ˜‰

    Chris Rich

    • I ‘m pretty sure that the organic absinthe is made with wormwood but will have to double check on that. As for me, I’ve got my absinthe kit, just waiting for a rainy afternoon to drink it, which living in London, should be in the next few hours πŸ˜€

  5. Love it! Sip it?? What was he talking about!

  6. Nice… and having tried a few absinthes, I reckon your technique it is spot on Denise. Who the hell want to ‘savour’ the stuff?
    Now, I’d always thought it was the wormwood content that got blamed for the hallucinations?

    • See that’s what they wanted you to think. Lots of misinformation out there regarding poor absinthe. Nowadays, thought everything as you know is regulated the hell out of here in Europe so I’m sure there is no way you would get hallucinations from commercially produced absinthe. Now the stuff that comes out of the farmer’s cellar might be a different story!

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