Chasing the Green Fairy

Absinthe has been a taboo beverage for a long time. It was once thought that if you were to consume absinthe you would go crazy, hallucinate and hurt yourself or others. I am writing this blog to tell you these statements about Absinthe are bullshit! I drank alot of Absinthe in Prague. I did not go crazy! I did not see any green fairy, I did not hurt myself or anyone else. It is a great tasting beverage with a long history, and the various ways to drink it can be a social activity. A little background on absinthe:

•  Absinthe is described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage, flavored from herbs.
• It is anise flavored (liquorice)
• It originated in Switzerland, but was made famous by Parisian artists and writers.
• Van Gogh was know to consume Absinthe 
• A chemical found is absinthe called thujone was blamed for its alleged "addictive psychoactive" properties
• By 1915 Absinthe was banned in the United States and most European countries.
• In the 1990s countries in the EU began to reauthorize the manufacture and sale of Absinthe
• By 2008 nearly 200 brands
• The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street hosted people such as Mark Twain, Franklin Roosevelt, and Oscar Wilde.

In Prague, there was a bar (who's name escapes me right now) that many times a day held an "Absinthe introduction" class. In this class we were introduced to the history of Absinthe, as discussed above, and the various ways to drink it, that was the fun part. Absinthe can be consumed in many different ways. Obviously you can drink it straight, which I would not recommend. It tastes like Jagermeister on steroids. If you live where it snows, it would be a great drink to warm your soul!!!!

The other way to drink absinthe is the "French method." This is done by using a slotted spoon, an ice cube, and cold water. I know this sounds like some Macgyver type shit, but I assure it is so easy a trained monkey could do it. You place the sugar cube on the slotted spoon, hold the spoon over the glass of absinthe, and slowly pour the cold water over the sugar causing it to dissolve, and run into the shot of absinthe. This was the best tasting way to do it. It turned the bright green liquid into a green opaque, almost cloudy liquid. It lessened the strong alcohol taste and sweetened it. Though a little time consuming, it is my favorite method.

Then there is the last method. The I am cool, and living on the edge method. It is called "the Bohemian method." Its popular is primarily due to the use of fire. Like the French method, a sugar cube is placed on a slotted spoon over a glass containing one shot of absinthe. The difference is that the sugar is pre-soaked in alcohol, usually more absinthe, and then set ablaze. The flaming sugar cube is then dropped into the glass igniting the absinthe. Finally, a shot glass full of water is added to douse the flames. This method tends to produce a stronger drink than the French method. This method required a beer chaser for me!!

A variant of "The Bohemian Method" is to allow the fire to burn itself out. This variant, called "Cooking the Absinthe" or "Flaming Green Fairy," removes much but not all of the alcohol. This one looks awesome, but it is for those with a soft stomach.

Through out my time in Prague, I probably consumed a liter of Absinthe. At no time did I hallucinate, hurt myself or others, nor did I go crazy. The chemical thujone, that was blamed for alleged hallucinations in the early 1900s was actually found to be present in Absinthe from the time in very small quantities, and scientists have stated that the allegations about Absinthe made back then were false. Just another example of the government depriving people of something amazing, not because it will kill you, but simply because they were afraid of it. I strongly advise you to try absinthe. It is available in the United States. For it to be sold in the US is has to be Thujone free, so if you doubt my statements about hallucinations, you do not have to worry, because there would be no chance of that if you find it in the USA.