Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Absinthe - A User's Guide

Absinthe Robette. Lithograph by Henri Privat-Livemont, 1896Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit derived from the herb "grande wormwood", Artemisia absinthium. It originated in Switzerland, but was popularized by bohemian artists like Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Wilde. By 1915, absinthe was banned in the United States and much of Europe due to claims against thujone, a naturally occurring chemical in wormwood. Unfortunately, the negative claims against the drink, aside from being up to 75% ABV, did not hold up when analyzed. Absinthe was allowed back into the United States in 2007 and there are presently over 200 brands of absinthe worldwide. Follow the green fairy...

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Where do I go from here?

It's been a while since I posted last. I'm not a very prolific blogger. There's actually a very good reason for that. I have a day job. Which is a good thing, really, since I would never make any money writing like this. In any event, I do have a few things I'll be trying out on this blog in the months to come. Click through the page view generator to see what I've got planned.