Alex si Andreea mi-au facut ieri un cadou deosebit. De vreo luna (de cand am baut prima oara), m-am declarat fan al absintului. Un fel de intoarcere in vremurile cand absintul era considerata bautura alcoolica ce te conducea pe drumul spre "demonul verde", si o bautura casual a cafenelelor si bistrourilor franceze de sfarsit de secol 19 inceput de secol 20, consumat cu precadere de artistii si scriitori parizieni.
Printre consumatorii consacrati ai "Green fairy" se numarau si Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde si Aleister Crowley.
"Absintul este o băutură alcoolică tare, de obicei 70 grade, de culoare verzuie, preparată din frunzele unei specii de pelin (Artemisia absinthium), anason, angelică şi alte plante aromate. Este un excitant al secreţiei gastrice, deoarece conţine substante amare (absintină). În doze mari este toxic.
Deoarece s-a constatat că în urma consumului de absint creşte agresivitatea, putând duce până la crimă, si se poate ajunge chiar la o stare de nebunie, producţia şi consumul de absint au fost interzise în Belgia (1905), Elveţia (1908), Statele Unite ale Americii (1912), Italia (1913), Franţa (1915) şi Germania (1923)." wikipedia
Pablo Picasso - "Absinthe Drinker"The “ritual” (preparation) Preparing absinthe the traditional way.
"Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted to a ratio between 3:1 and 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel, and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. “opaque” or “shady”, IPA [luʃ]). The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to “blossom” and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise.
Originally a waiter would serve a dose of absinthe, ice water in a carafe, and sugar separately, and the drinker would prepare it to his preference. With increased popularity, the absinthe fountain, a large jar of ice water on a base with spigots, came into use. It allowed a number of drinks to be prepared at once, and with a hands-free drip, patrons were able to socialize while louching a glass.
Although many bars served absinthe in standard glasses, a number of glasses were specifically made for absinthe. These had a dose line, bulge, or bubble in the lower portion denoting how much absinthe should be poured in. One “dose” of absinthe is around 1 ounce (30 ml), and most glasses used this as the standard, with some drinkers using as much as 1 1/2 ounces (45 ml).
In addition to being drunk with water poured over sugar, absinthe was a common cocktail ingredient in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and continues to be a popular ingredient today. One of the most famous of these is Ernest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon” cocktail, a concoction he contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes. His directions are as follows: “Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly.” wikipedia - absinthe
Viktor Oliva - "Absinthe Drinker"
