Loves them teeny tiny wormwood seeds
Published on May 20th, 2010 Join the conversation »
New batch of wormwood seeds arrived today!
I’m still tending the wormwood plant from last year, but I thought I’d try a new batch of seeds. Going to add plants to our front hedgerow if they grow. We’ll see if they like the Cornwall climate.
Absinthe the alleged aphrodisiac
Published on May 18th, 2010 Leave your comment (2 so far) »
The opening paragraph of “FRANCE: End of a Dynasty” Time Magazine, Monday September 2, 1940
War has not been kind to the descendants of Henri-Louis Pernod, that Frenchman who in 1797 gave to the world the aperitif known as absinthe. Henri-Louis used the formula of a Dr. Ordinaire, who was celebrated up & down the Alps for cures effected with mountain herbs. One of these herbs was wormwood, an excellent stomachic, which by the time of World War I had also acquired a reputation as an aphrodisiac, thereby helping to enrich the firm of Pernod Fils, leading manufacturer of absinthe. In 1914 the publisher of a small Paris newspaper started a campaign to prohibit absinthe, based on the popular beliefs that: 1) wormwood is an aphrodisiac; 2) continued use of aphrodisiacs produces impotence; 3) France is a nation of absinthe sippers; 4) therefore France as a nation is becoming impotent. Frenchmen’s mortal fear of impotence, coupled with war hysteria and a falling birth rate, put the campaign over with a bang.
I’ve heard of “beer goggles” and “whiskey dick”…
Looks like absinthe should have its own little phrase. 
In the Absinthe, 1914
Published on May 9th, 2010 Join the conversation »
New York Public Library
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Mad scientist DIY absinthe blending
Published on April 29th, 2010 Leave your comment (1 so far) »
We all do it– buy a bottle of absinthe that sits behind the others, always the last kid to be picked to play under the fountain. I have a few, and when I do drink them, they tend to be after that first glass of what I was really craving (whichever that is that particular evening). It’s easy to keep drinking the front row and ignore the back, but what if…
What if you could give those less-loved bottles a chance to mingle with the favourites? Absinthe tends to be a more pure drink, less of a cocktail for traditional-style imbibers, but there’s no reason you can’t play mad scientist once in awhile. I am a blender. There, I said it. I know there are others out there (I’ve seen you on absinthe forums – Hi!) and it’s not as blasphemous as one might think. I’m drinking a home-blended absinthe right now.
My two this evening? The gruff and potent Deva Absenta mixed with Clandestine. Crazy, I know, but it works. The mouthfeel is that powdery, velvety wormwood softness and the flavour is better than many brands I’ve had on their own. I used equal parts of each absinthe and my typical 3 – 4 parts water. This is one combination that will get my Deva off the back row more often.
So, don’t just stick unsuspecting guests with your less precious absinthes, blend it up, baby!
Back on track
Published on April 6th, 2010 Comments Off
Goodness me! It’s been too long, hasn’t it.
AbsintheHour is not forgotten; we were very busy finding a new place to live and Neil had a surgery to get through. All is well and we’re settled into a new house in Cornwall and ramping up activity on the things we had to set aside for a bit.
The shop (Absinthe-Shop.com) is doing well and although economic times have affected us all, I’m pleased to say that as a brand new shop, we’re making positive steps forward. We’ve also been quietly adding more and more products and I’ll be adding even more before long. I had wanted to get a newsletter out last month, but moving house and tending to the recovering Neil put the newsletter on pause. It’ll go out this month.
Also in shop news, there is a 10% discount going on for the month of April. I released the coupon code on MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, but if you didn’t catch it yet, here’s the scoop:
Beginning on the 1st of April and ending on the 30th of April 2010, the code will be good for 10% off the regular price of absinthe and accessories, excluding items already on special offer. To get money off your cart, enter the code in the box on the My Cart page before you hit the Checkout. It’s that easy!
The code: springtime10
Coupon codes are good for one order per Absinthe-Shop customer only, so make it a good one to maximise your savings.
The photo above features two glasses of François Guy being louched with the help of an Antique II fountain. It’s the first time I’ve filled up the fountain in the new house. We’re no longer living out of boxes and I was pleased that my packing skills seemed to protect all the glassware.
That’s all for now. Be back again soon. Promise!
