Absinthe
Bits & Pieces
The "Bits & Pieces" section is intended for random snippets of information which don't fit
easily elsewhere and/or which have been newly added, but not yet carefully categorized.
easily elsewhere and/or which have been newly added, but not yet carefully categorized.
- A "Traditional" Czech MethodOne submitter (JT) writes: "There's another 'traditional' way of drinking [Absinthe] there [in the Czech Republic]: Take a tequila-shot glass, teaspoon filled with normal sugar and a lighter. Fill the glass and hold the spoon over the glass so you 'spill' a little onto the sugar. Light the sugar and wait for start forming caramel, drop it in the glass, stir, and consume immediately."
- "Absinthe" etymologyAccording to Padosch et. al, the word "absinthe" is probably derived from the Greek word apsinthion, meaning undrinkable.
- LoucheWhen water is slowly added to absinthe, it forms a "louche", transmuting rapidly from a vibrant emerald green to a milky opal green color. This occurs because oils in the anise and fennel are soluble in alcohol but not in water. When water is added, the semi-opaque oils separate out.
- An Amercan "Green Hour"?When absinthe import restrictions were eased in 2007, the United States quickly became a major importer of absinthe. On Jul 20, 2008, the Sunday Herald reported that in the first 6 months of 2008, "of the 167,000 litres of absinthe made in Switzerland, 140,000 were sold to the US." (see article)