Ever since Speedy first heard about Absinthe many years ago, he’s been curious about it. And the fact that it is banned in some countries made him even more curious.
Absinthe? Yes, the spirit (not liqueur because it isn’t bottled with sugar) that reputedly made men commit violent crimes. Some said it caused hallucinations worse than one gets from LSD. All exaggerations, of course. Any alcohol can cause inebriation and clouding of the mind if taken in large quantities. What isn’t exaggerated is the high alcohol content of Absinthe which can be anywhere from 45% to 74%.
There are many tales about Absinthe, many associated with “Bohemian” artists, each tale more colorful than the last. Some say it was originally a medicine, a cure for malaria, and there’s even one claim that it was given as medicine to children with a dose of honey to make it drinkable. For a long time, Absinthe was something we talked about with friends over dinner. An object of curiosity that generated interest and elicited shocked reactions depending on who we were talking to.
Then, last year, a few days before my birthday, I mentioned Absinthe on Twitter and on Facebook. Speedy, who was downstairs, read my post. He came up to my study with a bottle of Absinthe, two glasses, the absinthe spoon and sugar. I didn’t even know we had a bottle of Absinthe in the house.
Traditionally, a spoon is placed over the glass, a sugar cube is placed on the spoon and iced water is poured ever so slowly on the sugar so that it melts and the sweetened water falls into the Absinthe in the glass. The clear Absinthe turns cloudy — the process called “blossoming” which releases the flavors of the anise, fennel and star anise in it.
But that day that Speedy brought up the bottle of Absinthe to my study, we didn’t have sugar cubes. Did that stop us from christening the bottle of Absinthe? Of course not.
Speedy poured Absinthe into glasses…
… put some table sugar on the Absinthe spoon…
… poured iced water over the sugar…
… and voila!
Did I hallucinate?
No.
What happened?
I had an adrenalin rush. I wrote. Fast and furious. Curious, really, since most alcoholic drinks are depressants.
Three months later, we had a party in the house with Speedy’s siblings and their families as guests, and the star of the party was three bottles of Absinthe. In addition to the food, the margarita, the mojito, the beer and the wine, of course. It turned out that Speedy’s brothers were just as curious as he once was. Now that we’ve all tried it, we can safely say that the tales have been much too exaggerated. No hallucinations, no violence, no debauchery. If you know how to drink and you know when to stop. Of course.
And that was the last time I drank Absinthe. Speedy hasn’t bought a new bottle. Darn expensive stuff. 
ive been so curious about this drink too.. i havent had the opportunity to try it yet.. this post multiplies my curiosity 10 fold ehhehe
It’s different. With such high alcohol content, it isn’t bitter. But the smell of spices is rather strong.
eh ang taas kaya ng tolerance ng mga yun sa alcohol hahaha
Kaya masaya, di ba? Instead of hallucinating and getting violent, they were spilling their guts out hahahaha
There’s a good anime about wine you might like to watch (or read if you manage to get the manga) it. BARTENDER ang title. It’s seinen (for mature but not pornographic). It’s informative because it gives trivia about wine and stuff and even gives the recipe of the featured drink in the episode, like Grasshopper, Bijou, Amber Dream, Daiquiri, Pastis, Gin & Tonic, and lots more (in the case of the manga).
Highly recommended.
For more on Bartender, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartender_%28manga%29
Was it ever telecast in the Philippines? The links in the footnotes point to pages in Japanese.
Nope, it wasn’t. I think meron siya sa torrents at sa youtube. Eto po naman yung link sa online manga niya:
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/bartender/v01/c001/1.html
Chapter 1, it’s in English.
I’ve heard of absinthe before and when I took my first shot way back in my freshman days in high school, my heart was pounding loud in my chest. The tall tales have gotten to me way before the alcohol did.
Surprisingly, it was like good. Like a new spark inside me. And that was that. Perhaps I’d spare some of my vodka money for a bottle to be enjoyed this summer.
Btw, absinthe was featured in the film “Euro Trip” and the whole sequence gave life to the tall tales associated with it.
Wow, I’m very much intrigued. But of course I won’t and I can’t drink that. I’m allergic to alcoholic beverage, I think. Because when I drank alcohol before, what happened to me is that I can’t breathe, my body is itchy and reddish.
Anyway, how much would that cost, Ms. Connie?
Around P1,500.00
Is is readily available? Where can I get the one with the mutinous looking child on the box?
Some supermarkets sell Absinthe. The bigger ones.
I’m not much of a drinker Tita Connie, but your post did remind me of this new beer my friends would love to try:
http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article.php?id=214
It’s called Tactical Nuclear Penguin, and it has an ABV of 32% – the makers claim it’s the strongest beer in the world at the moment.
I guess the reason why it did’nt live to it’s reputation is, since it was already legalized, the alcohol content or whatever ingredient it contains is already altered, they don’t make it the way they use to. And there are brands of Absinthe that’s better than the others. I tried it too, but was very disapointed cause it taste like mouthwash and too much anise…Maybe I should try other brands too and try to find the one who will live to it’s expectations…
I’ve never tried Absinthe before but a 45% to 74% alcohol is down my alley LOL. I’m a whiskey kind of guy (80 proof or 40% alcohol) but I’ll give it a shot. I tried Ouzo before but the anise in it turned me off.
I’ve never tried this before but you’ve got me curious. The strongest one out there that I’m aware of is Bacardi 151 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacardi_151.
The mistake is to take this pure. Which many enjoy and regret.
Rocky, try the brand with the mutinous looking child on the box.
bertN, yep, most people are turned off by the strong spicy smell. But the lack of bitterness is something so good.
peterb, hmmm… I wonder if Bacardi 151 will be good for mixing mojito…
I first read about Absinthe in one of Peter Mayle’s books on Provence. Then last year, I found a P70 book at BOOKSALES called ABSINTHE: A Sip of Seduction and bought it. A very fascinating read.
That’s a great find. It sells for $22 in Amazon.
My cousin brought back a bottle of the real deal from Prague. What’s available in most countries is altered a bit given the fact that it’s banned and all that.It’s sort of like the vodka we get here, it’s good but nothing compared to what you can get in Russia. What can I say, it was a trippy night
Can I come for a visit, err, drink?
anytime, Con, anytime!
Yey!