Absinthe..... cure fans chosen elixir !!

Started by melly, February 02, 2008, 09:06:33

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melly

YOO HOOOO..  over here!!! here I am....I've brought the conversation about absinthe over here, as suggested in the other thread... now, It's a hallucinagenic drink..is that correct??  and what is it like? vodka, gin.... ??  and when it's mixed the "French way" what's that?? and what do u usally mix it with??
got me intruiged this has!! I'm going to look for it next time I go into a bottle shop here... I won't buy any, I don't need anything else to mess with MY head,   :smth048   but am interested to find out if it's available here...hmmmm... :smth017
" Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain "...

Steve

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

Absinthe is, or can be deadly.
It was outlawed in Europe until not too long ago.
It's a bit of a hooo hah to do it tradtionally, but it goes along the lines of:
Pour into a glass (as if it were a regular spirit).
Then there is a special spoon yhat sits on top of the glass.
Onto that place a sugar cube & pour ice cold water over the cube so that it dissolves into the drink.
I have seen people pour the absinthe over the sugar & then set it alight to caramelise it, but when you have had enough to drink that you want absinthe, then i wouldn't advise it.
Personally, I like mine with a splash of water or neat. I'm not a sugar person (sweet enough you see).

Cheers
Steve
I know tomorrow's going to taste like cake
http://www.balatonfured.hu/en_index.php

scatcat

There is a form of Absinthe available in Aus., but it has not the chemical traditionally found in Abssinthe that was around in the last century... Van Gogh even painted a portrait of an female Absinthe drinker.. in a bar he frequented.. ( remember he cut off an ear, then soon after shot himself in a wheat field!!) it was supposed to create hallucinations, and very deadly to drink longterm.

known as the "Green Fairy"
http://absinth.com/

history here:
http://absinth.com/links/history.html

is it a drug? here:
http://absinth.com/links/faq.html

all you need to know here:
http://www.rotten.com/library/crime/drugs/absinthe/

:o :smth009
Seventeen seconds
A measure of life

Steve

I seem to remember that it was popular with the french impressionist artists, which would explain why all their pictures look like someone chucked a bucket of water over them  :-D
Cheers
Steve
I know tomorrow's going to taste like cake
http://www.balatonfured.hu/en_index.php

scatcat

Quote from: Steve on February 02, 2008, 14:05:22
I seem to remember that it was popular with the french impressionist artists, which would explain why all their pictures look like someone chucked a bucket of water over them  :-D

watch out what you say about my beloved french impressionists!!  :evil:

I cried when I saw Vincent's self-portrait in the National Gallery... the blue one, titled "Self Portrait" Paris Summer 1887...

http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Painting/2098/Self-Portrait.html


it was radiant and the most beautiful, moving oil painting I have ever seen.. all of his self-portraits ( he often could not afford models) are the most revealing and intimate images. He died poor. His paintings are worth a fortune now.

Wanna have a go at the " Expressionists" like Munch?? now that's trippier!!!   :smth062

here's an excerpt about his health..

"Temporal Lobe Epilepsy"
Van Gogh suffered from seizures which doctors, including Dr. Felix Rey and Dr. Peyron, believed to be caused by temporal lobe epilepsy. Van Gogh was born with a brain lesion that many doctors believe was aggravated by his prolonged use of absinthe causing his epileptic condition. Dr. Gachet, another of Van Gogh's physicians, was thought to have treated his epilepsy with digitalis. This prescription drug can cause one to see in yellow or see yellow spots. This may have been one of the reasons why Van Gogh loved this color.

"Thujone poisoning"
In order to counter act his attacks of epilepsy, anxiety, and depression, Van Gogh drank absinthe, a toxic alcoholic drink popular with many artists at the time. Thujone is the toxin in absinthe. Unfortunately, the Thujone worked against Van Gogh aggravating his epilepsy and manic depression. High doses of thujone can also cause one to see objects in yellow. Various physicians have differing opinions on whether or not this is what caused Van Gogh's affinity with yellow.

"Lead poisoning"
Because Van Gogh used lead based paints there are some who believe he suffered from lead poisoning from nibbling at paint chips. It was also noted by Dr. Peyron that during his attacks Van Gogh tried to poison himself by swallowing paint or drinking kerosene. One of the symptoms of lead poisoning is swelling of the retinas which can cause one to see light in circles like halos around objects. This can be seen in paintings like The Starry Night.

"Digitalis: Toxicity"
Due to the presence of the cardiac glycoside digitoxin, the leaves, flowers and seeds of this plant are all poisonous to humans and some animals and can be fatal if eaten.

Extracted from the leaves, this same compound, whose clinical use was pioneered as digitalis by William Withering, is used as a medication for heart failure. He recognized that it "reduced dropsy", increased urine flow and had a powerful effect on heart. Unlike the purified pharmacological forms, extracts of this plant didn't frequently cause intoxication because they induced nausea and vomiting within minutes of ingestion, preventing the patient from consuming more.

"Wormwood"
The aromatic leaves of many species of Artemisia are medicinal, and some are used for flavouring. Most species have an extremely bitter taste. A. dracunculus (Tarragon) is widely used as a herb, particularly important in French cuisine.

Artemisia absinthium (Absinth Wormwood) was used to repel fleas and moths, and in brewing (wormwood beer, wormwood wine). The aperitif vermouth (derived from the German word Wermut, "wormwood") is a wine flavored with aromatic herbs, but originally with wormwood. The highly potent spirit absinthe, also contains wormwood. Wormwood has been used medicinally as a tonic, stomachic, febrifuge and anthelmintic.




Hence... the strong effect that colours played a part in his paintings. Colours are mood changing.  8)
~edit~: Thuja is a remedy used in homeopathic medicine still today, but toxic in large amounts.

Seventeen seconds
A measure of life

Cure Freak

^^
Van Gogh was not French, but Dutch.
He is my favorite artist.
I creid when I saw his paintings in Metropolitan Museum of Art. They were so moving. Especially,  one of my favorite paintings, Starry  Night. Which I saw at MOMA.
His painting contain so much of himself and his feelings.
I ove him dearly.

scatcat

Quote from: Cure Freak on February 02, 2008, 16:31:10
^^
Van Gogh was not French, but Dutch.


yes, I know this, but he is still an impressionist of that time, so I didn't really correct this..  :oops:  thanks!!  :smth023

Vincent does fit into the French Impressionionists, as well  "Expressionism" , he also dabbled in 'pointalism'..
Seventeen seconds
A measure of life

sues777

Mmmm, absinthe.....I discovered Green Fairy over Christmas and must admit it's well on it's way to becoming a fave drink of mine.

Quote from: melly on February 02, 2008, 09:06:33
and what is it like? vodka, gin.... ?? 

I'm going to look for it next time I go into a bottle shop here... I won't buy any, I don't need anything else to mess with MY head,   :smth048   but am interested to find out if it's available here...hmmmm... :smth017

What's it like?  Hmm, I can't really compare it to vodka or gin, to me it has it's own unique taste.  I'm with Steve and prefer it with water or on it's own over ice, and it's taste is quite harsh(?) - probably due to the high alcohol content (Green Fairy is 60% alcohol) - but it's very pleasant to sip on.

As for it messing with your head..well my brother and I gave it a damn good try but didn't end up seeing any green fairies or any other strange creatures, except for our own somewhat drunken selves!!  :lol:  It just gives me a very, very pleasant buzz  :smth036- quite a different buzz to my beloved vodka.

And melly - it's definitely available in South Aus - I bought it from the local Dan Murphy's when I was visiting my family in Adelaide over Christmas.

The further we go, and older we grow, the more we know the less we show

LuvURobert

Quote from: Cure Freak on February 02, 2008, 16:31:10
^^
Van Gogh was not French, but Dutch.
He is my favorite artist.
I creid when I saw his paintings in Metropolitan Museum of Art. They were so moving. Especially,  one of my favorite paintings, Starry  Night. Which I saw at MOMA.
His painting contain so much of himself and his feelings.
I ove him dearly.


Sorry to get off-topic here as well, but had to tell you, Cure Freak that I love Van Gogh's work, too.  In 2002 I was lucky enough to see the Van Gogh & Gaugin "Studio of the South" exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.  It was the most unbelievable experience and it strangely made me very emotional to the point of tears.  Just to see and hear (rented the earphones, too) the relationship the two had together.  Have to admit this one to me was over the top.  :smth023
"And I shiver and shake
When I think of how you make me hate"

LuvURobert

As for the Absinthe... I'll stay away.  Well, I just remember them drinking it in Moulin Rouge and the Green Fairy (Kylie Minogue) was flying around as they hallucinated.  From what I hear it's rather nasty, and I'm kind of a light weight, so I will stick to what works  :-D or ...  :smth078  Very happy that hasn't happened in many, many years (knock on wood)!  So, no 'tanks!
"And I shiver and shake
When I think of how you make me hate"

japanesebaby

i don't care if i sound bitter like a recovered drug addict or some sort of religious fanatic (which i'm not), but there's nothing glamorous about drugs and alcohol. in the end they'll only make you feel worse (and i'm not talking about mere hangover). they damage your physical health and affect your mental state too. i never really saw a person who benefited from drinking/drugs.
especially young people shouldn't be encouraged to drink. there's something wrong in our society because it almost forces people to try these things and makes you look like some stiffnecked "say no to fun" kind of person if you don't drink/take drugs. there's often a huge pressure on young people and they get involved only in order to look for sheer acceptance - and that's somehow really distorted.

about absinth - yes i've tried it when i was younger, it almost got me into hospital. that was not a glamorous experience so i cannot recommend it to anyone. but sadly, some people always want to try something that someone else has specifically not recommended. i don't know what wrong with us because we always do it...

and i don't believe the common myth that absinth (or any other kind of alcohol/drugs) would make people somehow more creative, more receptive to their art so to speak, that it's somehow "artistic" to take those things. it's an illusion, i know that by experience. people just think they are more creative and have somehow enhanced skills when they are drunk or high - but the results are just like with anything else you do drunk/high: you look/listen to your own "drunk achievements" the day after... and you mostly feel ashamed. with art you know you can do so much better when you're sober. art is 2% inspiration and 98% about hard work and discipline, and not about writing down your "happy" hallucinogenic trips or something like that.
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine

sues777

I completely agree nobody should be encouraged to drink..I'm sorry if it may have sounded like I was encouraging anyone to try absinthe, I wasn't, I was merely talking of my own experiences with it.

I'm sorry if I sound defensive but, my brother and I are both "older" and look out for each other when we're drinking together, as is also the case when I'm out with my friends.....I would never, ever try and talk someone into doing something they didn't want to do...
The further we go, and older we grow, the more we know the less we show

scatcat

Quote from: sues777 on February 05, 2008, 12:21:16
I completely agree nobody should be encouraged to drink..I'm sorry if it may have sounded like I was encouraging anyone to try absinthe, I wasn't, I was merely talking of my own experiences with it.

I'm sorry if I sound defensive but, my brother and I are both "older" and look out for each other when we're drinking together, as is also the case when I'm out with my friends.....I would never, ever try and talk someone into doing something they didn't want to do...


no problems sues777   :smth023
I was merely pointing out the differences between what was traditionally known as absinthe, and what is available now.
BTW... it is not available in AUS ( the original ).. only available in the 'powder'.. (i.e. the thuja/chemical compound) ..which is illegal.
I have very strong feelings about this.
Seventeen seconds
A measure of life

melly

seeing as though it was me who started this thread, out of interest as I kept reading about it in other threads, thanks for all the info everyone... It kinda sounds pretty dangerous stuff, and I hope by having this thread it hasn't made people want to try it...especially the younger ones... and now because I am commenting on it, thanking for the information, it will bring the topic back up to the top of the list... may I request one of the mods take this particular topic off? Delete it?  I had no idea what absinthe was, and by putting under the heading I did, I feel pretty bad about having it in the forum..
:oops:
" Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain "...

Carnage Visor

 :smth011

TSK, TSK, TSK...

I do not condone the drinking of harmful alcoholic beverages!

You should all be ashamed of yourselves for setting such a BAD example for younger members!
:eek:


;) I'm just kidding! 

But seriously, what's all the hubbub? Why is this the "Cure elixer"? What has caused all the commotion over this drink? Can I drink a Cure elixer NOT made from alcohol, or must I miss out on the fun simply because I am under the age? Huh? HUH? HUH?  :P

:-D

I hope you all know I'm just playing with you, y'all know I love you!  8)
Take care!