Darlings, we have talked previously about absinthe, a spirit louche, mysterious and lovely. I stumbled upon the documentary film Absinthe recently, an exploration of the dark and turbulent history of absinthe:
“There is a tremendous fascination with absinthe, yet few truly know its rich history. The film traces absinthe’s arc: from its birth in Switzerland in 1787, through its rise in the chic cafés of Belle Époque Paris, to its prohibition, and its recent worldwide revival. Absinthe’s story is put in high relief through interviews with leading historians, authors, distillers, antiques collectors, and fanatics. The cult beverage of bohemian artists is back in fashion; the documentary Absinthe clarifies the legend.”
If this complex story piques your interest, the documentary is currently available on Netflix Instant, AOD, and Hulu.
Related Links:
– My Robe is the Color of Despair: National Absinthe Day
– Five Spooky Treats for Halloween
Categories: Food & Drink, Netflix Instant
The Year of Halloween 
I have a cookout this weekend at my friends house and he has been talking about trying it for years I think I will see if I can find a bottle, my only question is Eva, where the hell do you buy sugar cubes 😉
Most fancy liquor stores will sell them, but honestly, it’s easier and cheaper to go to your grocery store (or WalMart) and look in the baking section. There’s still enough tea-drinking ladies that most places stock little pink boxes of sugar cubes from C&H with the rest of the sugars.
🙂
Very cool. Looks like I have something to check out! And the way that French fella described the feeling the drink gives you is pretty accurate.
Steve, as always, I would be interested to hear what you think of the film.
Nice, I love a good documentary! I, however, finally tried absinthe earlier this year and *hated* it. It was entirely sad-making.
It can be rather overpowering, Mistylayne, particularly if you don’t like the flavor of black licorice. However, it can be more palatable as one ingredient in a more complex cocktail. I am personally quite a fan of the Corpse Reviver No. 2 – it’s very bright and citrus-y, with just a bit of licorice flavor.
The Corps Reviver #2
3/4 ounce London Dry Gin
3/4 ounce Grand Marnier
3/4 ounce Cocchi Americano Aperitivo (I have started finding this at some BevMo and Total Wine stores)
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
7 drops absinthe
Shake the contents vigorously with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a brandied or maraschino cherry.
I’ll have to try that. Thanks! 🙂 For me it tasted incredibly minty and I’m not a fan of mint.
Did you drink it straight or did you do it right?
Very interesting documentary
In some ways, the history behind its demonization is the most fascinting thing about absinthe.
I’ll have to check that documentary out. My experiences with absinthe have been uneventful but I’ve always been intrigued by it.
There is definitely a bit of sensationalism regarding its effects at the beginning of the film, but overall it is a fascinating subject.
Interesting. I just saw the cover for this one on Netflix a few days ago. Definitely piqued my curiosity. And the Corpse Reviver sounds like just that 🙂
I’ll have to look around, but I’ll be shocked if I can find absinthe in our small southern Utah liquor store. Of course, Las Vegas is just two and a half short hours away. If anyplace has it…
Most well-stocked liquor stores will have something – I agree that Utah is probably unlikely to have anything that qualifies as “well stocked.” 🙂
If you do cross over into Nevada, look for Total Wine and More in Las Vegas/Summerlin. They have a very large, reasonably priced selection of spirits. Lucid Absinthe is a good absinthe to start with, in terms of cost and quality.