Wormwood from seed, going strong!
Published on November 25th, 2009 Join the conversation »
It’s been awhile since I posted a progress report on growing wormwood from seeds. I started these in August, and as you can see, my little babies are going strong! I’m pleased they’re so hearty, even with cold weather upon us. I keep them indoors, sure, but the window sill gets chilly.
Things I’ve learned: Once you get them started, they are pretty hearty. Even the really slow seedlings have persevered. They like the soil to dry out a bit, then get a good soaking. In between those stages, a misting to the top of the dirt and to all the leaves is perfect. Trim off yellowing leaves. Baby wormwood plants seem to like several hours of sunshine per day, but are forgiving if all you’ve got are clouds for awhile.
I don’t grow a lot of things, and I didn’t expect these to live as long as they have, let alone THRIVE!, but I’m going to call this experiment a success. They’ve endured my guesswork and repotting, chilly weather and still more guesswork. I’d say these are my kind of plants, not only due to their connection with absinthe, but also to their ability to cope with my * ahem * horticultural skills.
Go, wormwoodies, go!
Absinthe-Shop now on Facebook
Published on November 9th, 2009 Leave your comment (1 so far) »
Signed up Absinthe-Shop to Facebook the other day, so if you’re on there, I’d be honoured to have you as a fan. 
Things are looking good for launch this month and I’m down to scrubbing and polishing the little details now. Exciting!
Absinthe chocolates
Published on October 19th, 2009 Leave your comment (2 so far) »
I had all but forgotten this little box of dark chocolate absinthe truffles and decided to open them up tonight.
They’re about a year (or more!) old, so I’m guessing that they would’ve been better fresh, but the dark chocolate was appropriately sharp in flavour and the insides were a little sugar-gritty. That’s probably due to them being a bit old. I didn’t notice anything that struck me specifically of absinthe, but there was a light alcohol flavour.
I may have to order some absinthe chocolates to get a better taste of them in a fresher state.
Preparing for a shoot
Published on October 14th, 2009 Leave your comment (6 so far) »
Just spent the morning shooting 50mm still and HD video for content for both this site and my new business.
Did I say business? Oh! I just realised I haven’t mentioned the business here! Well, the business is an absinthe shop, actually Absinthe-Shop.com and I am rebuilding that existing domain from the bottom up. It was an absinthe retailer before me, but I’ve been called in to make it an even better place to both buy and learn more about absinthe. It’s a huge and wonderful opportunity for me and I’m so thrilled to turn my hobby into a job. I even quit my ‘day-job’ for it and so I’m back to web work through the wonders of eCommerce. It’s all very exciting!
On a side note– if you come here for the information, thank you, and I won’t be using this blog purely as a sales pitch and nothing more. No, I still love to blog about absinthe and will do so here as a separate entity. The work will creep in and I will link to some products here and there, but Absinthe Hour will not turn into the Absinthe-Shop blog. Consider them cousins, but this blog has been around for a couple of years on its own and will continue to do its own thing.
And to bring you up to date with the wormwood…
This is the strongest plant of the bunch, although there is another little pot on the windowsill doing very well. Hooray!
Absinthe Brouilleur Auto-Verseur
Published on September 29th, 2009 Comments Off
Historically, the brouilleur is an alternative to the slotted spoon and the above Auto-Verseur is a replica of the famous Absinthe Oxygénée Cusenier Auto-Verseur mixer. Beneath the water cup at the top is a see-saw mechanism to deliver a controlled drip of water into the absinthe below.
One can put sugarcubes into the cup and then top with water, or as I prefer, a big chunky ice cube to further chill the water before it drips down to the the mechanics.
A delightful and indulgent way to prepare your absinthe louche.
For more information on historic absinthe accessories, I recommend the superb Absinthe Encyclopedia by David Nathan-Maister. Worth every penny.
