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How to drink absinthe. Video
Absinthe, the “green fairy” of famous artists and poets, has a legendary history. In the XNUMXth century, the “bohemian drink” was banned for sale in many countries because of its hallucinogenic and poisonous properties. In the XNUMXst century, the recipe was refined and absinthe returned to store shelves, restaurants and bars.
How to drink absinthe correctly?
Absinthe would have been invented in Switzerland as a herbal drink that can cope with some diseases. The Pernod family acquired the “healing” recipe at the end of the XNUMXth century, but the industrial production of absinthe in France was established only at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. The French military were the first to appreciate the searing bitter drink during the war in Algeria. They were given this herbal tincture in a food ration. It was believed that absinthe disinfects bacteria-infested local drinking water. Returning to their homeland, many soldiers could not get rid of their addiction to absinthe.
Absinthe owes its legendary burst of popularity to a tiny aphid – phylloxera, it was she who struck the famous French vineyards in the early 70s of the XIX century and reigned there for 25 years. Wine prices rose inexpressibly and the middle class, bourgeois and bohemians, began to look for more affordable drinks. The choice fell on absinthe. Soon he had his own drinking ritual, his fanatical admirers and even his own “green time” – as the Parisians began to call the interval from 5 to 7 pm, when all the cafes were overflowing with people wanting to get a glass of emerald drink. Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas and Maupassant, Picasso and Van Gogh – all these celebrities drank absinthe, considering it stimulating creativity, giving an extraordinary emotional and mental experience. At the same time, the first rumors about the mortal danger of the drink appeared. In 1910, the production and use of absinthe was banned at home, in Switzerland, in 1912 the drink was banned in America, and in 1915 the cult of France, which gave rise to it, also renounced absinthe. Almost a hundred years later, the interest in the drink did not fade away and it was returned to the market.
According to one version, Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear, being at the mercy of hallucinations caused by absinthe
Absinthe is a strong liquor based on aromatic herbs. Hyssop, lemon balm, angelica give an indescribable bouquet to the drink, and chlorophyll – an amazing emerald shade with blue-green tints. But the main component that determines the characteristic burning taste of absinthe is wormwood. It is impossible to make absinthe without her, it is to her that he owes his unusual taste and even its name, because absinthe in translation from French is simply “wormwood”. Absinthe also got its uneasy reputation because of it. Thujon, a substance contained in the plant, has a strong hallucinogenic effect, in certain doses it becomes deadly poisonous. So why is absinthe available again? It’s all about concentration. Initially, during the sublimation of absinthe, the concentration of thujone in it was about 260 mg / kg, in modern versions the maximum allowed content is 35 mg / kg.
Since there is no single law for all countries, some brands of absinthe (King of Spirits Gold, Logan 100) are produced in the Czech Republic, containing up to 100 mg / kg of thujone. In large doses, such a drink can become dangerous.
How to choose the “right” absinthe
The best liqueur is made with natural herbs and therefore does not contain artificial colors or flavors. A good drink has a pleasant pale green color or (if a special variety of wormwood is used) a dull orange, red. Too harsh, lollipop shade indicates multiple unnatural additives. If you are lucky enough to buy vintage absinthe, then it can be of a beautiful, rich amber color, but we do not advise you to drink such a rarity if there is no chemist nearby who can accurately determine the concentration of thujone in the drink.
How to drink absinthe correctly?
The very method of using absinthe correctly can be easily repeated at home. Almost every home has cold boiled water and sugar. You just need to mix granulated sugar with cold water, after all, this is not the first time for you to prepare such a syrup, and pour it into a cognac or any other deep glass or even a glass with absinthe.
Reproducing the same ritual is somewhat more difficult, because you will need: – 30 ml of absinthe; – 150 ml of ice water; – 1 piece of refined sugar; – a special glass for absinthe; – a special spoon for absinthe; – a jug.
Pour absinthe into a transparent pot-bellied glass, put a special spoon with holes on it, put a piece of sugar on it. Pour water into a jug and carefully, drop by drop, pour it over the sugar, watching as the emerald green drink slowly twitches with an opal haze. You can even film this process so that you can later show your friends how you summoned the “absinthe green fairy.”