I met the green Lucifer

Today I corked the absinthe.  Until recently, absinthe has been banned all over the world due to some ancient laws nobody bothered to abolish. Basically what this has caused is that the culture for the booze is still in the 1900 level with magic and mystery associated with it and true knowledge in the hands of a few. What little I know now I didn’t know when I bought my bottle, meaning that I was firing blind.  The label said “Rodnik’s Absinthe – aniseed flavoured spirit”. When you see this combination of words, hold on to your wallet. I made my purchase out of ignorance. I didn’t really know anything about absinthes. Not only is this bitter and pretty bad tasting even when mixed with water run through a sugar cube as proper absinthe should be, it also most likely hasn’t got much to do with proper absinthe at all. There is no louche effect (google it) and all in all, I’m not sure what I’ll do with it since it’s not good enough for drinking as it is. I will need to figure out something. I guess what I learned is that one should put serious research into the absinthe brand before buying, because the quality appears to vary hugely.

Depressed of the defeat right at the start of my experiments, I decided to drown my sorrows with Jim Beam whiskey. It’s a really mellow whiskey with a soft flavour, which even hides the strong sting of alcohol found in many other whiskeys. It probably has to do with Jim Beam being bourbon, meaning it’s made from corn, that it tastes so different from the Irish and scotch whiskys. Jim Beam is almost too sweet, but manages to stay within good taste, making it a very good beverage. Even though the price was slightly higher than that of the run of the mill whiskeys, this one was well worth trying!

I need to put some serious research into absinthes, although, judging by my first glances into the few review sites and absinthe forums, it’s a mess out there. Conflicting reviews and prices ranging from 25 euros a litre to 200 euros a litre. My mother also became interested in this, and since she has some work trips around Europe now and then, she is in prime position to import another sample of absinthe. I will unveil the secrets of good absinthe!

-Fatal