DC’d: Absinthe and other stories

After six months of busy-ness—moving to DC, unpacking ALL my boxes, building yet more Ikea furniture (I have bought and sold their furniture since 1995, which given that I have moved about once every two years (two times across the Atlantic)  that means I have built atleast 7 houses worth of stuff) learning new street names, finding more consulting work (to pay the rent), and of course planting my balcony (which meant hauling 6 HUGE bags of dirt up to the 11th floor) I am ready to share the details of my new DC adventures in urban gardening,

cooking, taste testing, foraging, resto-ranting, etc. etc.

So, we begin, with ABSINTHE.

Absinthe, as some of you may know, is the infamous  ”La Fee Verte”  of  1797 Franco-Swiss origin (the Jura)—that was outlawed in 1915.  (The following is from, http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/History.html)

“ Absinthe takes its name from Artemisia absinthium, the botanical name for the bitter herb wormwood, known in French as ‘Grande absinthe’. This ingredient of the liquor absinthe also contains the molecule thujone, which supposedly accounts for its alleged mind-altering properties. Wormwood infusions had been known as a medicine as far back as Greek times however it was not until around 1792 that the alcoholic elixir was supposedly created. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Switzerland, distilled the wormwood plant in alcohol with anise, hyssop, lemon balm, and other local herbs. According to popular legend, Ordinaire actually obtained his recipe from the local Henriod sisters, who had been making an ‘elixir d’absynthe’ to treat illnesses for years.The tonic, quite powerful at around 72% alcohol, was locally heralded as a medical cure-all. The recipe was in turn passed on to a Major Dubied, whose son-in-law was Henri-Louis Pernod. Whatever the truth behind its origins, absinthe stopped being a local curiosity and started on its route to becoming an international phenomenon in 1797 with the foundation of their distillery in Couvet, Switzerland. In 1805, the famous Pernod Fils distillery expanded and opened in Pontarlier, France to avoid customs taxes between Switzerland and France. By 1905, there were hundreds of distilleries in all corners of France producing absinthe, with over 40 distilleries operating across the Swiss border.

Originally, absinthe gained its popularity from its use in North Africa during the French campaigns of the 1840s as a disease preventative and water purifier. The French soldiers brought their taste for the herbal beverage back to the cafés of Paris. Here it became a fashionable drink of the bourgeoisie, so much so that the time between 5.00 pm and 7.00 pm became known as “l’heure verte” (the Green Hour), and absinthe soon became the most popular aperitif in France. From the mid 19th century onwards absinthe became associated with bohemian Paris and featured frequently in the paintings of such artists as Manet, Van Gogh and Picasso. When they were not painting it, they were drinking it in large quantities, joined by contemporary poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine – who practically made a career out of it.
Absinthe production grew so much that it became cheaper than wine.
Between 1876 and 1900 the annual consumption in France had rocketed from 1,000,000 litres to 21,000,000 litres. It is no exaggeration to compare the impact of banning absinthe to the effect that the banning of Scotch whisky would have on Scotland.

So, if absinthe was so popular, why was it banned? There were a number of reasons. It got caught up in the temperance movement that was sweeping Europe at the beginning of the 20th century and became the scapegoat for all alcohol; findings were published showing that thujone was a neurotoxin in extremely large quantities (albeit more than was found in even 150 glasses of absinthe!) which caused convulsions and death in laboratory animals. Pressure also came from the wine producers who saw its popularity as a threat to their sales, which had been badly hit by the spread of the phylloxera louse that destroyed most of France’s vineyards by 1890. Another nail was driven in the coffin with the lurid ‘Absinthe Murder’ which took place in Switzerland in 1905 when one monsieur Lanfray shot his entire family after drinking absinthe. The fact that he had also consumed several litres of wine and a considerable amount of brandy was overlooked by the prohibitionists and by 1910 absinthe was banned in Switzerland.

Curiously enough, the French government passed a decree over 15 years ago (Décret n° 88-1024 du 2 novembre 1988) that in effect, re-legalized absinthe under a modified name (‘spiriteux’ or ‘amer aux plantes d’absinthe’) which must follow certain labeling guidelines and the final product, a chemical analysis. A break-through for legal absinthe in modern France, but apparently no one was informed about the law until more than 10 years later! These regulations have since been adopted in the most part by the European Union.”

(To read more check out:http://www.feeverte.net/)

So, now, back to DC—as people are beginning to realize—it is back on the shelves and ready again for the masses.  In my quest to try the “real thing” I  had hauled a bottle of Kubler (“distillee au Val-de-Travers”—near Neuchatel)—back across the Atlantic (yet again) after having learned that the original recipe (wormwood and all) was available.  I hadn’t opened it though as I needed a social gathering and it is taking time to find fellow absinthe drinkers.

So when I got a “Groupon” for an Absinthe tasting at small, cozy and very cool little “cocktail parlour” called “Wisdom”, I signed up immediately.    It was wealth worth it.   Wisdom’s owner, Erik, is a great host and very knowledgeable about his liquors, liqueurs and mixology skills—and absinthe is one of his strong points—-Widsom has about 8 different kinds—each with its own unique story—and flavoring.   My favorites—which we had in a “classic” manner—beautiful spoons, sugar cubes and ice water—were from Philly (!!!) and France (mais oui!) and then the favorites were made into magical cocktails…the names of which you will have to discover when you go and try them….(there has to be some mystery in the quest….)

Some images:

(Bar site: http://www.dcwisdom.com/) and reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/wisdom-washington

Now of course, as I do in my posts—I would like to hear of people’s absinthe adventures—where?  What is your favorite?  And, of course is is “different” than other spirits?

Do tell your “green fairy” tales…….

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