The green fairy

We have always loved to indulge in the latest fad, be it clothing or entertainment. But what about fashions in beverage?

In the late 18th century a beverage was developed in Neuchâtel that would gain both immense popularity and notoriety: absinthe. In the late 19th century, during the Belle Époque, it became the beverage of choice, notably among artists. Van Gogh, Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec, among others, made this drink a fashion statement. To make it more palatable, water was added (à la Pernod or Ricard) to cut its high alcohol content, and a sugar cube would be used to cut its unsweetened taste. A ritual glass, spoon, and water dispenser became part of absinthe service.

Absinthe is a distillation of the essential oils of anise, fennel, and tarragon—along with the plant that made it infamous, wormwood. A member of the daisy family, wormwood contains thujone, a chemical that has a mild mindaltering effect best described as “clarity of thought.” (Today thujone is used in such overthe- counter products as Vick’s Vapo Rub.) Despite the hype about the potency of absinthe, you’re more likely to die from alcohol poisoning than from its mind-bending effects. (The same could be said for over-indulgence in any liquor.)

Under strict controls, absinthe is today experiencing a modest worldwide revival. The hottest new comeback for this classic hallucinogenic is the rebirth of the Sazerac cocktail*. (Along with the Old Fashioned, the Sazerac was among America’s first original cocktails.) The Sazerac was created in New Orleans in 1850, and reflects its birthplace by blending elements from Europe, America and the Caribbean.

INGREDIENTS
1 sugar cube 2 1/2 ounces fine rye whisky or bourbon 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters absinthe lemon peel In an Old Fashioned glass (not a mixing glass, it’s part of the ritual), muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water. Add several ice cubes, the rye whisky and the Peychaud’s bitters.

Stir well and strain into a second, chilled, Old Fashioned glass washed with a few drops of absinthe (no substitute really works, but you can try either a mix of Pernod and green Chartreuse, or Absente). Garnish with a twist of lemon peel.

*In 1806, “the cocktail,” was defined by a newspaper, in an editorial response to a letter from a subscriber, inquiring about the meaning of “Cock-tail.”

As I make it a point never to publish anything (under my editorial head) but which I can explain, I shall not hesitate to gratify the curiosity of my inquisitive correspondent: Cock tail, then is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters it is vulgarly called a bittered sling, and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said also, to be of great use to a democratic candidate: because, a person having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow any thing else.

(The Balance, Columbian repository newspaper from Hudson, New York. May 13th 1806)