Archive for August, 2007

Absinthe: The new drink round the corner!

Saturday, August 25th, 2007

Absinthe will be anew drink for many. After being out of public view for more than half a century, the absinthe drink has staged a comeback. Use of absinthe has again been legalized in many countries. For connoisseurs, absinthe is another way to appreciate liquor. There may be different reasons to take alcoholic drinks like Absinthe.

Why people love to drink

Many are the loves that prompt people to drink. Most people drink it to de- stress. They take alcohol to relax and chill out. It helps in working out your worries and taking pent up emotions out of the body. It also helps in loosening of the body and can prevent your body from being stiff.

Many people enjoy taking alcohol with their friends or colleagues. Meeting with friends can become an excuse or a way to enjoy the company of friends and colleagues. The setting can be any. The occasion could be weekend evenings at bars with friends or a social party.

You would find it ideal to take a drink after work. It helps the body to relax and unwind. After a tired day’s work an evening at the bar can rejuvenate your spirits. It can take away work related stress from the body. By visiting a bar after office hours most people find a way to leave all their worries and tensions there. Since it also makes them relaxed, they are also able to face the family with a cheerful smile. This way they prevent accumulated stress from spilling over to their homes and affecting other members of the family.

Some doctors even recommend taking it in moderation. When taken in moderation it is seen to have many positive benefits to our health.

Absinthe: the new drink of the block

Absinthe is the latest type of drink to hit bars. You must have already seen them or heard a lot of them. Actually it has quite a long history of consumption. In between it was banned for a few decades.

Absinthe is a strong alcoholic drink. Absinthe is a drink made out herbs like wormwood by steeping them in ethyl alcohol. The drink is ready after the steep is distilled.

It was made famous owing to the hallucinogenic properties attributed to the herb. Many famous artistes like painters Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso and writers like Ernest Hemingway popularized the drink by depicting it in their work.

Absinthe: Gives you a taste unlike anything else!

Friday, August 24th, 2007

Absinthe has returned to existence. After being absent for a century, the absinthe drink is back afresh. Like other alcoholic drinks, absinthe as a drink is a much maligned lot. Many of social ills affecting the turn of the century was attributed to absinthe. Absinthe was caught unawares when a ban was thrust on the drink in early 20th century.

Early aspersion attached to the drink

Absinthe has had some bad reputation sticking to it. It was said to cause a variety of bad effects. Before it was banned, the drink was complained of as causing convulsions, hallucinations and even death. Certain effects can be attributed to the high percentage of alcohol in the drink. The effects of genuine absinthe are almost the same as that of drinking any other alcohol, only stronger.

A large share of the blame has to be placed on the way some people produced the drink. There is a time honored way of making the drink. But instead of following this tradition, some people diverted from it and started experimenting with its recipe. They began adding substances on their own to the drink without caring for the consequences. Some of these substances proved to be toxic and proved dangerous for anybody who took it. Drinking such absinthe in large quantities brought unanticipated misery.

Drinkers started getting convulsions. Many people died after taking it. Others were subjected to hallucinations and maniacal behaviour. The drink was altogether deemed unfit and dangerous for health and banned from society.

Revival of absinthe

Medical science was at a fledgling state in 1900’s as compared to the modern era. Facilities for testing of chemicals were not as advanced as it is now. The ban was lifted after suggestions that the drink was not as harmful as previously thought. It was thought fit to be taken responsibly. Some changes have been made to the original recipe of the drink.

The drink is not as alcoholic as it was before. Earlier alcohol levels were as high as 75%. It has been considerably reduced as a measure of making it more safe to drink. Stills the effects of the drink are stronger than most drinks.

It is commonly believed that the effects of drinking absinthe is unlike the effects of drinking other alcoholic drinks. This has to be because absinthe is essentially made from herbs. Many herbs like wormwood, anise, fennel and hyssop go into the making of the drink. These herbs lend their taste and aromatic qualities to the drink. This makes the drink special and unlike any other. Even a small portion of the drink is enough for it to start taking effect.