Absinthe Blog

Absinthe is a drink that has a lot of mystery, folklore and history all woven into it. From being the most popular drink, absinthe was suddenly banned. From being taken as a medicine, absinthe came to be known as a drink that killed people. Irrespective of all these, absinthe was able to survive through many ups and down and has made it to this century. The ban placed on absinthe has been revoked in many places, including America and people are again enjoying the drink, though with a difference.

Absinthe: A drink that attracts controversy

Absinthe is a drink that is enjoying a revival the world over. It used to be preferred over alcohol at one stage. Then due to uncontrolled production, it had to be banned to curb unscrupulous practices. The drink became hugely popular in the late 19th century. It was initially taken as a prescription for curing stomach ailments. The taste caught the imagination of the public to such an extent that they began consuming it indiscriminately.

As the rage caught on, people began ascribing many magical qualities to it. Particularly amongst artists, it was believed that consuming the liquor was the best therapy to ward off creative blocks. They began using it and also started popularizing it through their work. Through them it became a symbol of a new movement and people began to like being seen drinking it.

The drink became famous for giving hallucinations and reveries. Later it was seen to induce homicidal behavior as well. Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch artist, is said to have cut his ear off under the influence of this drink.

Real nature of Absinthe

The effects of the real absinthe are far from making a person homicidal. A major part of its effects are due to the high alcohol content in the drink. Normal alcohol beverages do not contain high percentage of alcohol. Absinthe contains a minimum 70 per cent of alcohol content. This large percentage of alcohol is responsible for the effects of the drink. As drinking alcohol does not give one hallucinations, so is the same with absinthe.

The rest of the effects of the drink was found to be caused by additives which some manufacturers added to make the drink more popular. It is to stop such unscrupulous use that a ban was placed on the drink across the world.

True absinthe tastes like anise or licorice. It is unlike the taste of other alcohol drinks. A taste for it is developed gradually. After it has been introduced some producers have attempted to reduce the thujone content in the drink further. It faced opposition with regulars who say that it would make it very unlike original absinthe.

Absinthe has been the favored drink for many artists. In absinthe, they saw a rich source of inspirations for their work, which was otherwise hard to find. Drinking Absinthe gave artists like Van Gogh and Picasso the inspiration to create masterpieces that they are famous for. It became so much associated with artists and their work, that drinking absinthe became a fashionable aspect of artistic society. Inspiration which otherwise were beyond their grasp, started flowing with a cup of Absinthe.

Inspirations for art work

Inspiration is the the starting point for any work of art. It is the spark that brings alive an artistic work of creation. It is an image of the work before it has been created. Artists are at the mercy of this often elusive idea. It can give them nightmares because this is the only factor in their work which is beyond their control. It means the difference to them from being productive or being unproductive for days on end. But when it does strike it leads to great works of art.

The intensity of the inspiration has a large part to play in artistic work. The stronger the inspiration, the better the artistic creation. A powerful inspiration gets half the work done. The rest of the work forms itself around the idea or is easy to be conceived from the main idea. Artists seek such inspirations because understandably it reduces half their work load.

But it is quite a challenge to get inspired. Sometimes artists are hard done by it, and can woefully be short of ideas. This is the stuff of nightmares for them; the one thing that they fervently hope never arises in their lives.

Artists seek inspirations in different ways. Some have their muse - a figure whose personal magnetism inspires them to produce works of art. Some artists are more pragmatic in their approach and rely on recreating a benevolent ambience to give inspiration to them. Still others rely on external sources like alcohol, smokes or such like to create a mood which would then give them the idea. In the 19th Century, absinthe was one such drink which was popular with artists of the age.

Helped by Absinthe

Many artists of the 19th century and early twentieth century have credited Absinthe with giving them the necessary inspiration. They regularly patronised bars that served the drink. Reportedly, the drink gave them hallucinations which became the source for their creative sparks.

Artists like Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway took to the drink and sought inspirations from the state of reverie that it brought them to. They credited it for firing their minds and giving them ideas that they later turned into masterpieces. Some even made it the subject of their artistic effort, like Van Gogh, whose ‘Still life with Absinthe’ is famous as a work of art.

Absinthe is an alcoholic beverage enjoyed since 19th century. Cafes often were popular in many place in Europe where absinthe was served. These places were favorite haunts for artists as drinking absinthe was a popular pastime with them. Absinthe was said to stir up their imagination and give them novel ideas that they convert into masterpieces. Absinthe cafes were also the haunts of the common man who saw in these places an opportunity to enjoy discrete moments of happiness.

Cafe-going: A relief to work!

Cafe going has grown to be a part of the urban lifestyle. People find a halt at the cafe after work necessary for a number of reasons. Cafes’ gives people a place to meet after work. Here they are given an opportunity to hangout and discuss work or other things.

Cafes’ offer a nice ambience in which you can do all these. In the evenings, you can expect the place to be lighted up softly. The lights casting tantalizing shadows on the walls can keep one engaged in stolen moments or offer you images to muse over. The soft music playing adds to the mood and acts as a tonic for depressive moods.

In a city, you need places like a cafe. They act as sponges and absorb the shocks that city life brings on. It offers a place where one can free oneself and relax. For this you need a place other than home or the office. At both these places, pending chores will weigh on your mind.

Cafes are therefore built as a contrast to both these settings. It stays in contrast to the most formal atmosphere of the office and tries to become less informal than home. Most importantly, it reminds you of neither place and keeps you away from the worries associated with these places.

Absinthe Cafes: Add to the pleasure!

Absinthe cafe have sprung up ever since many places have made drinking it legal. These cafes offer absinthe and add to the pleasures of going to a cafe. These places are ideal to get the true experience that absinthe connoisseurs often speak about.

All the parts of the absinthe-drinking culture comes alive at these places. The green fairy ritual, the absinthe spoon, all items you must have read about, can be experienced first-hand in these places. And as these places are frequented by connoisseurs, they dare not serve anything but the original absinthe. They cannot afford to serve anything but the original drink prepared using the traditional recipe.