Friday, December 07, 2007

la Fee Verte Flies Again

Giving a Whole new meaning to
Hanging of the Greens!
The Belle Epoque Era of France has returned!
Absinthe is legal again in the US, after a 100 year
ban.
Bohemians rejoice!

Seems a small artisan distillery in California,
http://www.stgeorgespirits.com, has been battling
Washington for some time. These guys are
passionate about reviving the ancient art form
of blending spirits. They received the
stamp of approval last week, which was quickly
followed by a celebration of the distillers employees
drinking from the bottle with crazy straws.
Sorry I missed it!
There were a few other labels approved
earlier this year as mentioned in a USA Today
article.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-09-27-absinthe_N.htm
The little green fairy seems to be gaining momentum now.

One of my favorites , Edgar Degas

The Wormwood Plant




Van Gogh

Surely, a new art movement is on the horizon.

Albert Maignan
To learn more about the history of Absinthe you can
visit Liqueurs de France at
http://www.absintheonline.com/
While your there, you can place an order.

How to Serve Absinthe:

The serving of absinthe is something of a ritual,
involving pouring water over lumps of sugar cubes
sitting on slotted spoons. Absinthe was unsweetened and
too bitter for some palates, and the sugar needed to
sweeten it would not dissolve in the liqueur’s 72%
alcohol content.

Step 1: Pour a measure of absinthe into a tall glass.
Step 2: Place a slotted absinthe spoon over the glass

and place a sugar cube on it
Step 3: Slowly pour 4 to 5 parts of iced water over

the sugar and let it drip into the glass.
The absinthe will turn from emerald green
to a milky white.
Step 4: Sip slowly and imagine yourself on a sidewalk

of a Parisian café in Montmartre.
Step 5: Don't forget your sketch pad and colored
pencils, just in case you have one of those
Voilà Visions.
Well I'm going to indulge. It just might be the
inspiration I need to finish "hanging the greens"
and if I get tired of that, I can always visit
http://mrpicassohead.com

Cheers!

5 comments:

Ulla said...

I've had a bottle of Absinthe sitting in my cupboard since a friend brought it back from Portugal last year... This wonderful post (with instructions no less!!!) makes me want to celebrate and open the top! Lovely images...

Unknown said...

OMG..something new on the horizen. Thank you so much for the news and the education. I'm very curious. This is my first but certainly not last visit

Anonymous said...

I am drooling over your pics on the sidebar - everything is so beautiful!

Country French Antiques said...

Thank you all!
It is nice to hear encouraging words!!
You've made my day.

Bebe said...

Hi!
Hmmmm....I'm definitely going to have to try absinthe~favorite of reckless painters and poets! Loved looking at the pictures of your Christmas open house. You have some lovely things!!! Also, enjoyed the history lesson about the fete de St. Nicolas~you also post such interesting things!
Amicalement, Bebe :)