Thursday, June 01, 2006
Absinthe
I returned last Friday to sultry central Virginia after spending about ten days in Zurich working in connection with a large conference for professionals in the global asset management industry, ie pension fund managers, securities analysts, managers of private wealth, etc. As TH has noted in the past, I am a notorious late adopter on the technological front and own no digital camera, and so cannot share any Zurich pics, but for those who have not been there I recommend it. It is a clean, charming, and very walkable town on the banks of a beautiful lake that laps at the foot of the Alps.
In addition to lots of good chocolate, one can now return from Switzerland with a bottle of absinthe, a liquor that was banned in Europe from 1904 to 2002, and is still illegal to sell in the US. Wikpedia:
I have enough trouble resisting the nice bottles of fine scotch and Kentucky bourbon that the state of Virginia stocks at the local liquor outlets. If you show me a bottle and tell me its been banned for a century, remains illegal in the states, and may have been responsible for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear, my money is on the counter. I was able to bring a bottle home with no problems. I have not tried it but will do so at some point. Perhaps I'll follow up with a review if I haven't chewed my fingers off in a bout of madness.
Of course returning home with this new interest, I find it takes the usual 2 second google to find out all you'd want to know about absinthe. I found this site to have some very lovely pictures, and plenty of interesting history as well.
In addition to lots of good chocolate, one can now return from Switzerland with a bottle of absinthe, a liquor that was banned in Europe from 1904 to 2002, and is still illegal to sell in the US. Wikpedia:
Absinthe originated in Switzerland as an elixir, but is more well-known for its popularity in late 19th and early 20th century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers whose romantic associations with the drink still linger in popular culture. In its heyday the most popular brand of absinthe worldwide was Pernod Fils. At the height of this popularity, absinthe was portrayed as a dangerously addictive, psychoactive drug; the chemical thujone was blamed for most of its deleterious effects. By 1915 it was banned in a number of European countries and the United States. Modern evidence shows it to be no more dangerous or psychoactive than ordinary alcohol. A modern-day absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale.
I have enough trouble resisting the nice bottles of fine scotch and Kentucky bourbon that the state of Virginia stocks at the local liquor outlets. If you show me a bottle and tell me its been banned for a century, remains illegal in the states, and may have been responsible for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear, my money is on the counter. I was able to bring a bottle home with no problems. I have not tried it but will do so at some point. Perhaps I'll follow up with a review if I haven't chewed my fingers off in a bout of madness.
Of course returning home with this new interest, I find it takes the usual 2 second google to find out all you'd want to know about absinthe. I found this site to have some very lovely pictures, and plenty of interesting history as well.
2 Comments:
By 
Charlottesvillain, at
Thu Jun 01, 10:02:00 AM:
I don't have it at hand, unfortunately, but it was a local Swiss brand in a very pretty blue box.
By 
, at
Fri Jun 02, 03:48:00 AM:
"I have enough trouble resisting the nice bottles of fine scotch and Kentucky bourbon that the state of Virginia stocks at the local liquor outlets. If you show me a bottle and tell me its been banned for a century, remains illegal in the states, and may have been responsible for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear, my money is on the counter."
Hmmm. I wonder if any ad agencies ever though of that.
