Absinthe: Who is the "Green Fairy"? (28 photos) Bashny.Net

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Mysterious, intoxicating, passionate, toxic, destructive, delightful, trendy, artful and even mystical ...
Once it is not called this drink.





This green magician - a symbol of contradictions. Absinthe ...



Describing the beginning of the XX century, it is impossible not to mention absinthe! I've been putting off this post, all hoping one day to make friends with the green fairy. After all, their own experiences and feelings will not replace even a thousand words. But it is visible not destiny ...

Let's try to just tell, and of course the show, a time when "Malachite Wanderer" (another nickname of absinthe) conquered the whole world.



In fact, absinthe - a strong tincture of wormwood. Most often, this bitter liqueur has emerald-green absinthe but can also be brown, yellow or even red. The composition of absinthe, in addition to the extract of wormwood, contains extracts of anise, fennel, lemon balm and other herbs. To keep the essential oils in a dissolved form requires a high concentration of alcohol, so absinthe has a fortress up to 70-75%. An important component of this drink is a substance called "thujone". Large quantities of thujone is a powerful hallucinogen and dangerous poison, in small - causing intoxication in many ways different from alcohol. The effect of the consumption of absinthe may be different. Someone wormwood drink gives relaxation, someone charges cheerfulness, someone after drinking tincture include gusts of uncontrollable laughter.



Mysterious, intoxicating, passionate, toxic, destructive, delightful, trendy, artful and mysterious ...
Today, it is difficult to imagine how popular absinthe was at the end of the XIX century. Some enthusiasts believe that the time has overtaken absinthe in France by popularity wine. Absinthe became even one of the symbols of France.



"Green Fairy" fully captured the French bohemians. Among the admirers of absinthe turned out to Vincent Van Gogh, Guy de Maupassant, Arthur Rimbaud, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, Guillaume Apollinaire, Oscar Wilde, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Erich Maria Remarque, and many other representatives of the creative intelligentsia. Writers, painters and poets looking for inspiration in absinthe, and should be noted, it successfully acquires.



Moi, ma gloire n'est qu'une humble absinthe ephemere
Prise en catimini, crainte des trahisons,
Et, si je n'en bois pas plus, c'est pour des raisons.

My glory - a miserable ephemeral absinthe,
Drunk in secret, with the fear of betrayal,
And if I do not drink anymore, I have good reason



"Whiskey and beer - for fools, absinthe - for poets. Absinthe has a magical power, it can destroy or update the past, to cancel or to predict the future "- wrote the English poet Ernest Dawson.

"After the first glass you see things as you wish they were. After the second you see them for what they were not. Finally, you can see them for what they really are, and it's very scary "(Oscar Wilde).



Popularity absinthe also contributed interesting rituals associated with its use. Oh, no, I did not drink absinthe as a normal alcohol - drinking absinthe is the whole magic act. The fact that due to the fact that for the retention of essential oils (thujone) in solution form requires a high concentration of alcohol, absinthe has the strength of up to 70-75%. As you know drink it is not divorced is very difficult, besides absinthe because of the bitter wormwood it was enough (certainly not as insanely bitter as modern absinthe - that sell under the guise of absinthe, but all the same). Therefore, absinthe had to be diluted and mitigated.



There are several ways:

The classic way. Across the glass is put a special spoon (fashionable and stylish accessory - remember rituals) on a spoon - a sugar cube. The icy water poured through the sugar cube until the drink is not turbid (this drop essential oils). Syrup dilutes the absinthe, and makes it sweeter.



The second method is more entertaining - a piece of pre-moistened sugar in absinthe and ignited. After the beaker drop several drops of molten sugar is poured ice water. This method is even more soften the taste of the drink, but carries some danger: in a glass of absinthe can catch fire (this is almost pure alcohol).



The water dissolves the sugar that is mixed with absinthe. Sweet water helps to hide the bitter taste of absinthe. It is believed that the sweet water is a catalyst for action thujone. When water is mixed with absinthe, the drink becomes cloudy and iridescent white color with shades of green and yellow. This effect is known as louche. Turbidity occurs due to the fact that the alcohol is diluted with water is not able to retain the essential oils contained in absinthe and they fall out of it.



Elegant accessories ...



Special glasses ... beautiful ...



...



... And all the romantic touch "Green Fairy» (La Fee Verte) sposobstvova great popularity.



But the great popularity of absinthe, served him a disservice ...
It's been a very strong drink - 70 degrees ...
Of course, it was much easier to banal sleeping, than traditional wine. Paradoxically, the disease phylloxera, destroyed almost all the vineyards in Europe in the early twentieth century, it contributed to a decline of absinthe. Paradoxically -



"A glass of absinthe, which cost 15 centimes, was three times cheaper than bread, and a bottle of wine at a time and could cost a franc." Drunkenness bohemians met with drunkenness workers. In absinthe gained the unity of the people and the intelligentsia. Absinthe comforting small children. A love for absinthe explained emancipation of women - along with short hair and smoking. Accustomed to blame commoners just rapidly ruin oneself by drink ... Accused himself does not drink at all - namely, popular absinthe. Compare with criticism of vodka in Russia - well, not drinking vodka, such as whiskey or brandy. Many would have you changed?

In August 1905, a Swiss farmer Jean Landfrey by drinking a lot of wine, liqueurs, absinthe and other alcohol, shot and killed his entire family. As has been known absentschikom Landfrey, the blame for the incident was blamed on absinthe. This story won first pages of European newspapers. The article said that the farmer was under the influence of absinthe drinking, with the fact that in that day, drank a few bottles of a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, has been ignored.



Nevertheless, the fate of absinthe was solved. In 1907, the Swiss Constitution has introduced a clause prohibiting absinthe.



But finally killed absinthe World - in 1915 banned absinthe in France, largely in search of a scapegoat for the defeat of the army in 1914. Russian general with the beginning of the war introduced the "dry law". Banned absinthe in America. As a result, after a few years the "Green Fairy" was prohibited by law to use in many countries. Poradoksalno, but my favorite «Belle Époque», ended simultaneously with the prohibition of absinthe.



Today absinthe is there seems to be back on the shelves ...
Unfortunately, the fact that today is sold under the name "absinthe" in fact is a simple absinthe.



The sale can be found even drink called absinthe strength 55%. (remember the oils?). Such 'Absinthe' have very little to do with the legendary drink. Wait for any such vivid impressions of 'absinthe' is useless. What good is a drink, so it's easy to drink, compared with vodka.

The European Union, allowing modern "absinthe" virtually deprived drink the most important component - thujone. Now the content of thujone must not exceed 10 mg per liter, whereas in the old days, the content of thujone was 20 times higher - current absinthe in their biochemical composition has the same relation to "the very same absinthe" as the polar bear to the Magellanic Clouds

This is where the fun begins ...

It turns out that insistence absinthe is quite simple, you can do it yourself at home.
I'm ashamed to say, I had long planned a small operation to turn a few harmless herbs in real absinthe in your own kitchen.
But due to some circumstances of life probably is not realistic.
So share with you a recipe for uncomplicated (forced exemplified photos nobody enthusiast network ...)

You do not need a lot of ingredients:



a liter of alcohol (which I hope to take alcohol explains not?)

'60 - Wormwood
'30 - Sage
'50 - Anise
'50 - Fennel
6 g - rhizome

Wormwood thoroughly crushed. All the ingredients are filled into a two-liter plastic bottle. Fill alcohol.



You can then leave the mixture to infuse for a week or two in a warm place. Is it possible to speed up the process of heating the mixture. Squeeze the bottle so that it does not remain free air and twists tightly stoppered. We get a crumpled plastic bottle with a semi-finished product. Put the bottle crumpled into the water, and very hot. (Note: part of the alcohol passes into the gaseous state and the bottle starts to be straightened by an excess of alcohol vapor. And we need to keep a pair of alcohol are not knocked out the cork). The idea is that the heating (not boiling) is to evaporate volatile substances in alcohol. "Hot" is done steeping, at least in the course of 12 hours. "Cold" soaking (normal insisting in a warm place) lasts 1 week (recommended).
No matter what way - whether conventional soaking or heat - but we have a strong herbal infusion. Then the infusion need to overtake.
Yes - since the brew
In fact, it is not as difficult as it may seem. Schemes distillers (moonshine) in abundance. From the most primitive to the most complex. Can buying a copper tube (I hope everyone knows that the tube should be arch having filled up to pre-sand) and finding an old pressure cooker to make such a simple device:



...



The upper hose is supplied from the cold water kitchen faucet, lower tap it in the sink (all connections well germeteziruyutsya breadcrumbs)



Fill in a pressure cooker with a tincture of herbs. Be sure to pour in 450g. water and stirred.

Drip.



First it is necessary to pour 10-20 grams (separate light fractions)

After about 5 hours should instill almost 900 grams of a clear absinthe.

Then it is necessary to paint the absinthe

The bottle is filled distsilyat poltaralitrovuyu.
Lapping (recipe):
2 Years - wormwood
3 Years - sage
5 g - peppermint
5 g - Melissa
5 g - liquorice (licorice root)
Zest of one lemon with
All this in the first part without air locked, shakes and hot water. Staining is witnessed. The drink turned yantarnozelenym. It should be noted that the softness of the taste of absinthe, all methods of cooking, there is only some time later. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare a beverage stand ...

Not a very great effort and expense - and we are holding a real absinthe.

It is necessary to invite good friends ... Ignite sugar and fall into the arms of the magical green fairies, leading a leisurely conversation about the magic La Belle Epoque ...



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