![]() Such names as Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Hemingway, and even Frank Sinatra were known to indulge the stuff, particularly at the New Orleans Absinthe Room. This also had the effect of absinthe becoming a ‘drink of the masses,’ as well as the spirit of choice for bohemians and artists. Given the ‘hero status’ of these former soldiers, and the sheer number of them, the taste for absinthe spread throughout the French public like…well, like the viral disease it was once intended to treat.īy the 1860s, the drink was so popular among the patrons of bistros, cafes, cabarets, and various saloon-type bars, the establishments that typified the lives of the French middle and lower classes, that 5PM was dubbed the ‘Green Hour.’ The hour when people would typically start saturating themselves with vials of this green beverage. Indeed, rather than leave behind their malarial remedy upon being discharged, literal ‘legions’ of former French soldiers, upon returning to civilian life, continued consuming absinthe, creating a demand for the stuff on the civilian market. ![]() ![]() However, an odd thing happened with ‘absinthe as medicine.’ The French soldiers – and there were a lot of them – began to prefer their absinthe over any other spirit. That disease was malaria, and absinthe found enormous popularity in the 1840s as a malarial tonic among the French military which, at the time, was suffering more deaths due to malaria than to enemy fire.Īnd that’s saying something given the conflicts the French were involved during the first half of the 19th century.Īs such, the mere word ‘absinthe’ was at one time a macabre utterance, conjuring images of fevers, hallucinations, seizures, and death. I’m probably not working any wonders for those misconceptions I mentioned earlier, but bear with me. But where did this all start? Let’s explore.Ībsinth’s history begins with a lethal disease, a disease typified by fevered convulsions and hallucinations, a disease so terrible and agonizing that it would see its patients all but literally ‘waste away’ before they died, often having lost their minds in the process. This reputation or mystique is one that many absinth makers and marketers freely embrace. ![]() Picture Faust raising a glass of cristal, or Nine Inch Nails riffing about how ouzo is “The Perfect Drug.” Somehow, featuring pastis in any of the above just wouldn’t have the same impact. So, why the mystique surrounding absinth as opposed to something like arak? Why has absinth featured so prominently in horror and paranormal romance novels as the preferred drink of wizards, warlocks, and ‘the esoteric types?’ Why the cameos in lyrics and music videos ranging from Cradle of Filth’s “Absinthe With Faust,” where it was Faust’s drink of choice, to Nine Inch Nails’ shock-rock era hit “The Perfect Drug?” And that’s just the tip of the pop-culture iceberg surrounding absinth. Viewed in this light, absinth’s combination of anise, wormwood, and ethanol is, truthfully, no more or less ‘peculiar’ than, say, sambuca’s combination of anise, elderflower, and ethanol. Pastis, sambuca, ouzo, raki, cristal, and arak, are just a (very) small sampling of the region’s many, many incarnations of anis-flavored alcoholic beverages. In that regard, absinthe found favor in a region – the Mediterranean coast – that has, historically, indulged a positively unquenchable thirst for anise-flavored ethanol. Though developed in Switzerland, absinthe was popularized in France, particularly Southern France. Orangecello, Madison Ave.At its core, absinth is simply an anise-based liqueur. Vikre Spruce Gin, Vikre Herbal Liqueur, lemon juice, cranberry rosemary shrub Gamle Ode Celebration Aquavit, strawberry lavender jam, Tattersall Orange Crema, lemon juiceīallotin Chocolate Mint whiskey, crème de menthe, heavy cream Looking for beer and wine? We've got an extensive menu that changes almost daily (too much to keep up with here)! Stop in to see what tried-and-true favorites we've got, as well as a new favorite we might have!įar North Roknar Rye, cider maple syrup, orange bitters, cardamom bitters, absinthe rinse
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |