View Full Version : In Paris, the drink that drove Van Gogh mad
In Paris, the drink that drove Van Gogh mad
http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20131003-in-paris-the-drink-that-drove-van-gogh-mad
"Famed for turning the cafes of Montmartre into a haven for booze-addled artists, the story of absinthe – and its current revival in Paris — is as thick and cloudy as the drink itself......"
Nice little video clip for this morning.
Oldrotorhead
12-07-2013, 09:49
I've been in that store in Paris and have the unopened bottle still here after about 5 years. I don't like the taste much.
Team Sergeant
12-07-2013, 10:06
While in culinary college I did a paper on absinthe. The alcohol is not the problem its the wormwood used in its production. Imagine if you added some magic mushrooms to your every day tequila...... most countries now realize this and the production is returning minus the wormwood.
ghp95134
12-07-2013, 13:28
....Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder .....
[couldn't resist ...]
I got hammered once on real-deal absinthe courtesy of a restaurant-owner friend who collects the stuff. Sort of a speedy drunk but no little green men. Monster and vodka is more mind-altering IMO.
Divemaster
12-08-2013, 01:34
In Paris, the drink that drove Van Gogh mad
http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20131003-in-paris-the-drink-that-drove-van-gogh-mad
"Famed for turning the cafes of Montmartre into a haven for booze-addled artists, the story of absinthe – and its current revival in Paris — is as thick and cloudy as the drink itself......"
Nice little video clip for this morning.
I'll be in Paris next June, after attending the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Do they still have "original" absinthe there? In our home bar we've had a bottle of the legal for US stuff that after seven years is only half gone. That is indeed a statement of what we think of it. Just another liquor. At least the version we can get here.
Oldrotorhead
12-08-2013, 08:27
I'll be in Paris next June, after attending the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Do they still have "original" absinthe there? In our home bar we've had a bottle of the legal for US stuff that after seven years is only half gone. That is indeed a statement of what we think of it. Just another liquor. At least the version we can get here.
The store shown in the first post has everything related to this stuff. IIRC there were a lot of different bottles. If you are interested that would be the place to start. In the Third Arr. if I remember correctly.
Team Sergeant
12-08-2013, 08:29
I'll be in Paris next June, after attending the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Do they still have "original" absinthe there? In our home bar we've had a bottle of the legal for US stuff that after seven years is only half gone. That is indeed a statement of what we think of it. Just another liquor. At least the version we can get here.
No in fact they were one of the first to ban it. I'm sure they have it now as most "civilized" countries do but minus the wormwood.
I have a very small bottle that I use for a rack of lamb recipe that I do once in a while, other then that I think it tastes like crap.
Team Sergeant
12-08-2013, 10:33
I have a very small bottle that I use for a rack of lamb recipe that I do once in a while, other then that I think it tastes like crap.
LOL, do you know how it is classically consumed? You pour it over a spoon with a cube of sugar...... I'll stick to beer...;)
Yep! I even bought the fancy spoon to do it, But I'm with you I'll stick to Beer and Jack.
Golf1echo
12-08-2013, 13:20
I'll be in Paris next June, after attending the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. Do they still have "original" absinthe there? In our home bar we've had a bottle of the legal for US stuff that after seven years is only half gone. That is indeed a statement of what we think of it. Just another liquor. At least the version we can get here.
The BBC video in the first post at just beyond the one minute mark, if I understand correctly indicates you can drink the same versions they drank in the early 19th century... I may have misinterpreted that?
Team Sergeant
12-08-2013, 14:09
The BBC video in the first post at just beyond the one minute mark, if I understand correctly indicates you can drink the same versions they drank in the early 19th century... I may have misinterpreted that?
Read about thujone concentrations in the drink. Proper distillation is the key to making the product. And we now have ways to measure the amounts of thujone in the drink.
Garden variety sage and sage oil contain thujone, the green fairy juice in absinthe. Sage oil can contain 50% thujone. "Fake" absinthe is made by mixing Pernod, Everclear, and sage oil in proper proportions. Supposed to have a pretty authentic taste.
Real-deal absinthe smells like sage from the thujone and licorice from anise. The stuff I had was 140 proof, came in a ceramic crock, and was supposedly from a small undocumented distillery. Thujone can cause convulsions but simultaneous ethanol administration protects you from that effect interestingly enough.
Obviously, I learned more than I needed to know about absinthe that night.
Golf1echo
12-08-2013, 19:06
While in culinary college I did a paper on absinthe. The alcohol is not the problem its the wormwood used in its production. Imagine if you added some magic mushrooms to your every day tequila...... most countries now realize this and the production is returning minus the wormwood.
For your next paper, if you need a study partner-"Send me". Maybe we could do one on Breannivi'n og Ha'karl?:)
Read about thujone concentrations in the drink. Proper distillation is the key to making the product. And we now have ways to measure the amounts of thujone in the drink.
Ok, yes I am tracking you now, thanks
Divemaster
12-09-2013, 00:42
LOL, do you know how it is classically consumed? You pour it over a spoon with a cube of sugar...... I'll stick to beer...;)
Yep. Pour it over the sugar cube then set the sugar on fire and let it melt into the glass before drinking. I too shall stick to beer.