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This drink is probably the most popular in certain circles, circles of the so-called bohemia. The French called it the “Green Fairy”, sometimes you can hear the name “Green Witch”, but for us it is simply absinthe. So, what is this drink, how to drink absinthe correctly, how not to drink it? Let’s figure it out.
I must say right away that I am not a fan of absinthe for the simple reason that I have not had a chance to drink a good, high-quality drink prepared according to a traditional recipe. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ve also been drinking surrogates, ala Xenta, Van Gogh, Vincent, or Czech Hill’s, the taste of which many experts have classified as “disgusting.” But there are still factories in the world where the preparation of absinthe is equated with a sacrament. But where can you find their products? Unfortunately, it is simply not freely available.
Victor Oliva, Absinthe Drinker
The sacrament of preparation of absinthe and its consumption
For those who are not in the know: absinthe is a strong alcoholic drink (strength from 55 to 85%), obtained by distilling an infusion of herbs into alcohol. This is the catch – in modern realities, the drink is prepared by adding extracts of herbs and essential oils to purified alcohol (such absinthe in a close circle of absinthe is called “castrated”). All the noise and da din around the “green fairy” is associated with thujone, which, as it were, is the main component that separates absinthe from the mass of other alcoholic beverages (like juniper in gin or agave in tequila). It is he, as the story and Wikipedia say, that causes hallucinations and a state of altered consciousness.
Vincent Van Gogh, “Still Life with Absinthe”
There is an opinion that Van Gogh and other talented personalities drew inspiration from the bottom of the glass, which before the arrival of the muse was filled with absinthe. Thujone is contained in bitter wormwood (lat. Artemísia absínthium), which gave the name to the drink. The classic recipe involves soaking wormwood in alcohol, but according to the law, this cannot be done – only in warm water, which contradicts the classics and the process of extracting that very thujone.
In many European countries, the content of thujone in absinthe is strictly stipulated by law – no more than 10 mg / kg, but not everyone observes the laws: in the Swiss La Bleue you will find 60 mg / kg, and in the Czech King of Spirits it is all 100 mg. The best absinthe is prepared at home – this is an indisputable fact!
However, don’t dwell on it. In fact, the main thing in absinthe is not wormwood, although it sets the main direction of taste. Let me remind you that in addition to Artemísia absínthium, anise, fennel, calamus, mint, mellis, white ash, angelica, licorice, coriander, chamomile, parsley and veronica can also be added to absinthe.
This composition makes the drink emerald green due to the chlorophyll contained in the leaves of plants. It is known to break down in the light, so the drink is traditionally bottled in darkened bottles (Xentu doesn’t seem to care). In modern realities, dyes are added to absinthe. That is why you should not pay attention to its color, because black (infused on the root of wormwood), red (with the addition of pomegranate extract), yellow (by the way, it can be a sign of real absinthe, because chlorophyll turns yellow when decomposed) the color of the drink can be obtained in as a result of adding another “E-shki” to it.
Methods of drinking absinthe in different countries
What do we know about absinthe? Its strength is not due to the French addiction to drunkenness or love for “hot”. Alcohol plays the role of a preservative here – it retains essential oils (40% is not enough), which dissolve in it. Hence, drinking absinthe in its pure form is strongly discouraged – this does not make sense, because the drink will be bitter and strong, and the taste will not be full. True, no one forbids doing this, because the drink is still considered an aperitif and has a good effect on appetite (! Drink absinthe in its pure form only in small portions, 30 ml each).
It’s like with Coca-Cola – it would never occur to anyone to drink its concentrate, but you can do it, but whether you need it is up to you. Otherwise, all methods come down to diluting the drink, releasing essential oils and masking wormwood bitterness. I have identified four main ways to drink the “green fairy”.
In some bars and museums, special containers have been preserved for bohemian serving of absinthe for several people at once.
French (classical)
In fact, this is the only correct way to use the “Green Fairy”. Pour a small portion of the drink (30-50 ml) into a glass, put a special absinthe spoon (with holes) on top, and a piece of refined sugar on it, that is, a sugar cube (you can cane, brown). Before drinking absinthe, pour cold, ice-cold water over sugar until the drink begins to turn cloudy (it is recommended to add 3-5 parts of water to one part of absinthe) – the French call this effect “Louche” (cloudy).
This is due to the fact that diluted alcohol ceases to retain essential oils and they form an emulsion with water, precipitate and begin to “flavor”. There is also an opinion that water activates thujone in this way, but there is no scientific confirmation of this. Outwardly, the situation resembles the story of whiskey, when the Scots drink it diluted with water – it makes the taste fuller.
Czech (with ignition)
Absinthe is poured into a small glass, an absinthe spoon is placed on top, and a piece of sugar soaked in the drink is placed on top of it. Sugar is set on fire and waited until it caramelizes, that is, it melts, turns into caramel and seeps into absinthe. Then the contents of the glass should be diluted with water to taste and drink. This method can hardly be called classic – it is most likely a tribute to fashion and modern bar culture.
The burning temperature of alcohol is very high, so not every glass can withstand. Choose glasses with thick walls that can withstand high temperatures without bursting. Be careful when lighting the drink – it is highly flammable and difficult to extinguish.
Russian (with sugar syrup)
I don’t know why it is called the Russian way, but that is how it is called in all literary sources (perhaps this is due to the tradition of the hussars to cook zhzhenka in a similar way). The syrup is prepared in advance: you need to dilute sugar in water to taste, and then add the resulting syrup to absinthe (again to taste) and drink. Also, pure absinthe can first be set on fire, and then extinguished and poured into a glass of syrup.
Extreme (sambuca analogy)
This is how absinthe is often served in nightclubs. We need rocks, that is, a glass with thick straight walls, a cognac glass, a napkin and a straw. Sprite is poured into rocks, and absinthe is poured into cognac. The cognac glass is placed on the rocks, the absinthe is set on fire, after which the cognac needs to be scrolled so that the drink and the glass are heated evenly. After that, the absinthe is poured into the sprite and the rock is covered with a cognac glass – the flame goes out. Before this, you need to prepare a napkin, in the center of which you need to make a hole and thread the short part of the tube there.
After the flame is extinguished, the brandy must be placed upside down on a straw. Drink absinthe with sprite and breathe in the vapors left in the cognac through a straw or vice versa. In general, watch this video better (although the Americans have everything, not like people):
Silent sugar can also be poured into cognac and distributed along the walls, after which the ritual described above should be performed, only the rocks should be left empty. Without a sprite, hot absinthe is drunk very hard, so this method is more suitable for real extreme people. I consider such frills superfluous.
Other ways to drink absinthe, epilogue
- with citrus and pineapple juices;
- in cocktails (Hiroshima and B-53);
- with ice cream or frappe (whipped ice);
- with a slice of lemon.
Edgar Degas, “Absinthe”
What else is there to add? Essential oils in absinthe mask its strength – because of this, you can go overboard. The hangover will be brutal – no doubt about it. There were also cases when, after absinthe, which did not contain thujone (in fact, a pathetic likeness), people experienced a hallucinogenic effect. Culturologist Phil Baker in his book “Absinthe” explains this effect by the influence of secondary factors: the atmosphere, the ritual of use, the individual tolerance of individual components. This once again confirms that absinthe should be drunk correctly.
I hope the article was useful to you. Now you know how to drink absinthe correctly and how not to do it. It remains only to tell you how to make this drink at home.