The Return of the Green Fairy

The "green fairy" of the title is a translation of la fée verte, the alternative French name for absinthe, the notorious apéritif and favorite tipple of all those famous painters and writers who lived in France at the turn of the last century.

Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Oscar Wilde…they were all at it!

Originally produced in the mid-eighteenth century, and touted as a restorative and a cure for various digestive and gastro-intestinal disorders (of which the French, it has to be said, have more than their fair share), it was the intervention of Henri-Louis Pernod, who recognised the drink's business potential and started producing it on a commercial scale alongside his more famous apéritif, which really put absinthe on the alcoholic map.

There are certainly some similarities between absinthe and Pernod. They are both aniseed flavored, they both turn cloudy when diluted with water – and they are both extremely adept at rendering you totally legless when consumed in even modest quantities.

During the First World War people began to worry about the social and medical problems associated with absinthe. As well as containing relatively innocuous ingredients such as licorice, aniseed, hyssop, angelica, fennel and star anise, it also contained significant amounts of artemisia absinthia, or wormwood, which was reputed to be psychoactive in small doses and generally to rot your brains!

In 1915 the French government responded to public and medical pressure and banned
production and sale of la fée verte outright (the spoilsports!)

It goes without saying that the outlawing of absinthe only served to increase its notoriety, and it continued to be quite widely available on the clandestine market for years to come. Most of these black market products were of a highly dubious provenance and were, at best, a pale replica of the original drink or, at worst, positively life-threatening.

(It's rumoured that in the late 1930s Ernest Hemingway wrote most of his masterpiece For Whom the Bell Tolls whilst under the influence of the green fairy!)

The ban was lifted some years ago, although it has to be said that genuine absinthe is still not all that easy to find. The best method of locating absinthe (and of reading more about it) is via the Internet. Log on to Google, do a search for "absinthe" (without the quotes) and you'll find over three and a half a million results to occupy your time and curiosity!

There is quite a ritual associated with drinking la fée verte. The traditional method is to pour a measure of absinthe into a glass, place a specially designed perforated spoon over the top of the glass, put one or two sugar cubes into the spoon and slowly pour a quantity of water over the sugar and into the glass.

A more recent development is the use of absinthe in cooking. The UK-based French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli (often described as the sexiest chef in Britain, but I wouldn't really know about that!) has created a number of dishes featuring absinthe. He uses it to flavour risotto, to infuse fish and vegetables, and even makes an absinthe ice cream, which he serves with a carpaccio of fresh pineapple.

But whether you drink it, sniff it, eat it or pour it all over yourself, always remember that absinthe has a very high level of alcohol. Use it in moderation - and never, never drink and drive.

Santé!

Peter Carnes

Cannabis Vodka - A Brand New Vodka With A Cannabis Kick

It was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of mixing vodka with cannabis. This drink is the newest trend that can be found in bars and clubs across Europe and originated in the Czech republic. People over the years have enjoyed mixing the stems and seeds of the cannabis plant with many different recipes including brownies and tea. Now you can enjoy a great quality vodka with a subtle herbal aftertaste in your home.

Cannabis vodka is hard to get and is only sold by a few stores around the world. You have to make sure that you are buying authentic cannabis vodka and not some homemade bootleg version. Many people enjoy brewing their own homemade vodka with stems and seeds but this can be a time consuming process. You can find the real thing online on at absinthe liquor suppliers.

This new vodka hybrid is composed of very simple ingredients. The blend is a 40 percent cereal alcohol with spring water and sugar and is bottled with cannabis sativa seeds. These seeds are more commonly known as the Beniko species. Each one of these seeds contains a small trace amount of THC which is released into the vodka. THC is also very similar on a molecular level to the herb Thujone which is the
psychoactive ingredient in absinthe.

Now I know what you might be asking: "Is this stuff legal to buy and drink?" Their is no need to worry about buying or drinking cannabis vodka because it is completely legal and can be purchased in every country with the exception of Australia. You can absolutely buy this stuff and have it shipped anywhere in the world without any legal consequences.