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absinthe
(ăb'sinth), an
emerald-green liqueur distilled from wormwood and other aromatics,
including angelica root, sweet-flag root, star anise, and dittany, which
have been macerated and steeped in alcohol. It was invented in the 1790s
by a Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a Frenchman who lived in Switzerland, and the
liqueur became enormously popular, particularly in late-19th-century
Paris. Genuine absinthe is 70% to 80% alcohol. Because it caused harmful
neurological effects (due to the presence of thujone, a toxic chemical in
wormwood), absinthe was banned in many countries; where it still is
available it is no longer as toxic as it once was.
Is absinthe legal?It really depends where you are. Currently,
absinthe containing thujone for human consumption is illegal in some
countries, namely Switzerland. In the United States, absinthe is not a
controlled substance, but it's sale in bars and liqour stores is banned.
It is however legal to possess in the United States. In most of Europe,
absinthe may be sold as long as it remains under a certain amount of
thujone. In Canada,
absinthe is completely legal, and on sale in some
liquor stores.
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Who was influenced by Absinthe?Almost all the best creative minds were. Oscar Wilde and Paul Marie Verlaine, for instance, had two things in common. They were both heavy Absinthe drinkers. Oscar Wilde once wrote : Absinthe has a wonderful green colour. A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset? Ernest Hemingway wrote "For Whom the Bell Tolls" under the influence of Absinthe. How do you serve absinthe?There are two popular methods to doing this, both require the use of an absinthe spoon, which is a large spoon with open slots in it, allowing liquid to pass through. In a pinch, a large fork can work as well.
Method One: Louching
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