An analysis of century-old bottles of absinthe — the kind once quaffed by the likes of van Gogh and Picasso to enhance their creativity — may end the controversy over what ingredient caused the green liqueur’s supposed mind-altering effects .

The culprit seems plain and simple: The century-old absinthe contained about 70 percent alcohol, giving it a 140-proof kick. In comparison, most gins, vodkas and whiskeys are just 80- to 100-proof.

In recent years, the psychedelic nature of absinthe has been hotly debated. Absinthe was notorious among 19th-century and early 20th-century bohemian artists as “the Green Fairy” that expanded the mind. After it became infamous for madness and toxic side effects among drinkers, it was widely banned.

The modern scientific consensus is that absinthe’s reputation could simply be traced back to alcoholism, or perhaps toxic compounds that leaked in during faulty distillation.

Full Story: Live Science

(via The Daily Grail)

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Absinthe Lollipops.

(thanks Bill!)

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So did Mansinthe have what it takes to be a premium absinthe? According to the tasters, the answer is, sadly, no. The No. 1 problem was the aroma, which some verbally compared to sewage water or swamp mud, but with the exception of a lone taster, the panel felt it wasn’t really worth wading through the odor to get to mediocre flavor anyway. Sorry, M.M.

Full Story: Epicurious.

(via Coilhouse).

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Hmmm…This is making me rethink about what beverage I’m bringing to the family’s holiday dinner. Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder?

“Green is the new black. That would be the pearly green of absinthe, the legendary liquor said to have made Vincent Van Gogh decide that cutting off his ear was an idea whose time had come. Ernest Hemingway called it “liquid alchemy,” Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec allegedly carried a supply in a hollow cane and French poet Paul Verlaine cursed it as his ruin. On Friday, for the first time since 1912, U.S.-made absinthe was sold with hopes that it will become the cult drink of the season. Hundreds dodged work, stood in a long, madness-inducing line and forked over $75 for a bottle of absinthe at St. George Spirits, a boutique firm that is launching a campaign to market the liquor.”

(via The Chicago Tribune)

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Mansinthe (web site in German).

Purchase (Not yet available).

(via Notes from Somewhere Bizarre)

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The absinthe revival, which has been on the move for more than a decade, just took a leap forward.

For years, American aficionados of the banned beverage that inspired such artists as Vincent Van Gogh and Marilyn Manson, have made do with quasi-legally imported European brands or, worse yet, near-substitutes made without wormwood, the critical ingredient that gives absinthe its distinctive, biting taste.

Full Story: Wired.

Hmmm… I’m not really buying the “low thujone” theory but this article’s worth a read.

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Wired Magazine has a long article on absinthe: The Mystery of the Green Menace.

I was planning on giving this recipe a try sometime soon. It sounds like it’s the one a friend of mine tried a few years ago, which was actually pretty good.

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This light drink is distilled from cereal alcohol, pure spring water, sugar and handful of hemp seeds of the Cannabis sativa L. variety (better known as the Beniko species). Even more artistic and distinctive than the worm at the bottom of the tequila bottle, each Cannabis Vodka comes with a handful of marijuana seeds at the bottom of the bottle. This product is legal to purchase in all countries and ships worldwide to all regions except Australia.”
Link (via Weird Pixie)

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