|
|
||
|
Absinthe, origins can be traced back to Switzerland in the 1700's, it became the drink "du jour" in the 19ths century France after the phylloxera epidemic wipe out many of Frances vineyards (1 ). Dr. Pierre Ordinaire an exiled Frenchmen in Switzerland published the first recipe for absinthe in 1792 (2 ). In the late 1880's the French wine industry demonized absinthe by claiming it made people crazy. In the early 1900's US federal officials joined the anti absinthe movement and banned it (3 ). This demonization can be seen in a story of a man who killed his entire family while under its influence, this spurred a ban in Switzerland on July 5, 1908 (4 ). Though its been demonized as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug no evidence has ever been presented that is more dangerous than any other liquor (5 ). Now absinthe is "legal" again. I used quotes because any absinthe sold legally in the USA must be "thujone free". This means it is declared free of Thujone, the source of the alleged hallucinations (6 ). The term "thujone-free" if it contains less than 10 part per million of thujone (7 ). The alcohol content of absinthe is high, its 138 proof (69 percent) and many recommend you dilute it with water anywhere from three to six parts of water for each part absinthe (8 ). Fans Viridian Spirits president Jared Gurfein said "Properly made absinthe doesn't have any sugar in it. The herbs have a natural sweetness," and added "If you add sugar, which is part of the traditional French ritual, it is a sweet drink." You add sugar by placing a sugar cube on a slotted spoon over a glass and pouring ice water on it till the sugar cube disappears (9 ). absinthe fans include Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Rimbaud and Aleister Crowley, to name a few (10 ).
|
||
Absinthe