The Absinthe fairy was used on Absinthe label and posters. The film Moulin Rouge was focused on the french Bohemian culture of Montmartre in Paris where the Green Fairy Absinthe was the favorite drink of artists and writers.
Absinthe Fairy Followers
Famous devotees of La Fee Verte, the Green Fairy, were Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Gauguin, Oscar Wilde and Ernest Hemingway who created his own Absinthe cocktail “Death in the Afternoon” - a mix of Absinthe and champagne. Writers and artists claimed that they developed their inspiration with the help of Absinthe and several pieces of art of the time feature Absinthe or Absinthe drinkers. The Belle Epoque period of history is known as the hey day for Absinthe.
The herbs and essential oils are used in the preparation of Absinthe. The basic ingredient of it is the herb wormwood, an extract from the plant wormwood or artemisia absinthium. Absinthe gets it characteristic bitter taste from wormwood and it's anise flavor from herbs.
Thujone, a chemical found in wormwood oil, was thought to be psychoactive and to give psychedelic effects, cause hallucinations and eventually insanity. Absinthe was banned by prohibition campaigners ammunition in France because of the loose characters of the drinkers in Montmartre. The buying or selling of Absinthe was banned. It was banned in many other countries also. The Green Fairy was always sold in Spain, Portugal, the UK and the Czech Republic.
Absinthe Fairy and Prohibition
During the prohibition period, distilleries, such as the Pernod Fils distillery, started producing Absinthe substitutes such as Pernod Pastis to market to the people who were missing the anise flavor of Absinthe. The another substitute of Absinthe was Ricard.
In many countries bootleg absinthe was still distilled and sold which proves that the knowledge with respect to distillation of Absinthe has never been lost.
Although Absinthe was made legal in many countries in the 1990s but in Switzerland it was legalized in 2005. You can now buy Absinthe and Absinthe essence kits online along with Absinthiana such as glasses, spoons and fountains. The Absinthe preparation ritual is enhanced if it is drunk in a special antique or replica glass with a proper spoon.
According to the researches Absinthe only contained small amounts of thujone that was just as safe as drinking other strong spirits. Absinthe was never designed to drink neat though having high alcohol content. It should be mixed with iced water which allows you to enjoy La Louche – the clouding that happens when the water mixes with the alcohol.
Numerous websites are there from which one can get real wormwood Absinthe and essences to make his own bottled Absinthe.com.
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