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Absinthe, Art, Authors, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Creativity, Inspiration, Literary Places, little green fairy, Paris, Poetry, The Green Fairy, travel, Writers, Writing
For Mother’s Day, I was given the gift of “the Green Fairy.” That’s right. My husband bought me a beautiful bottle of authentic French Grande Absenthe, complete with a gorgeous traditional absinthe spoon and a box of sugar cubes, to make the drink that apparently summons the little mystical green muse of the Belle Epoque.
Truth be told, I am not a drinker. Red wine is my limit, and that, only with food. But I’ve been long intrigued by the allure of absinth in the lives of many writers and artists. I’m not at all sure I’ll even like this metamorphic green elixir — licorice flavor and I are not on speaking terms — but I figure trying it once has some historical and cultural value, and since I’ve only recently discovered that the heroine of my novel will at some point be given a soporific blue potion by the story’s villain, I suppose there is some literary value, as well.
It was in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, by Francis Ford Coppola, that the beauty of the absinthe ritual first caught my eye. This scene is simply gorgeous…and Gary Oldman talking about the little green fairy’s mischievous impulses makes it that much more appealing.
It appears that, similar to ouzo, the absinthe changes from a clear emerald green color to an opalescent fairy green when mixed with water. The recipe for my French absinthe is one of the oldest traditional recipes from the south of France. From the box:
In the late 19th century during the Belle Epoque era in Paris, the renowned Absinthe 
culture was at its height of infamy. To evoke this glorious time, Grande Absente, Absinthe Originale recalls one of the oldest traditional Absinthe recipes from the south of France. Hand crafted in Forcalquier, located in the Alps of Haute Provence, Grande Absente is made exclusively with the highest quality spirits and botanicals including a full measure of the legendary botanical Wormwood, also known as Artemesia Absinthium. Grande Absente is 138 proof so please drink with extreme caution!
To make the drink is a refined and simple elegance and ritual enhanced the enjoyment of drinking absinthe in the last century. Simply pour 2 oz absinthe into a glass. Place the absinthe spoon across the top and position a sugar cube on the spoon. Slowly dissolve the sugar cube with 3 oz. cold water. Stir and enjoy.
Photo credit: Eric Litton
The verdict?
Hard to say…..it’s quite syrupy — the legs on this stuff would put a nice, rich red wine to shame — and you can really smell the anise even if the glass is removed a bit. Lots of fumes! The color looks a bit like Mountain Dew, but it turns opalescent as you add the sugar and water, and this was truly lovely. (Note: The pictures above don’t do the color justice at all.) The drink is strong, and very sweet, better up front on the tongue than taken towards the back. I sipped tiny bits and was overwhelmed a bit by how sweet it was. I am amazed that people could sit and drink this stuff so seriously in the Belle Epoque and beyond. The recommended portion is way, way too much for this lightweight. I recommend cutting that in half and sharing it with a good friend….or two. The ritual is quite beautiful and I have never had any other drink that comes close to this sort of “event”. That alone seems enough to warrant the popular “Green Hours” held in cafes in Europe when absinthe was in its prime. It seems to me quite a lot of work to “summon the muse”, if that is in fact what enough of it might do to any random soul……I think I’d rather just sit down and write, without the green fairy’s help. When all is said and done, this writer won’t be trading in her glasses of red wine for trips to the local absinthe bar anytime soon. But I’m glad to say I’ve tried it, and I’m none the worse for wear.
Cheers!
Sounds like a drink best served with close friends – cheers.
I agree absolutely!
Oh brave one, i am here to congratulate you on the other side of that mythical green gate
Good for you, Angela…and cheers.
So, should I sneak a little in along with the brownies and wine when we finally take that retreat?
Thanks for coming by, Kathryn.
Okay, just a little…So what if we get kicked out of the retreat
That’s my girl!
The worst hangover of my life was drinking too much Ouzo on the Greek island of Corfu. I don’t know if I was visited by any fairies, but I wasn’t right for about three days. I think I’ll pass on the mythical green gate. If I’m not mistaken, the original recipe for Absinthe had an opium base which would make your visit from the green fairy even more productive. Cheers!
Hmmmm…I can think of worse things than having a little too much of the national beverage of choice while visiting the nation in question.
I’ve heard all kinds of things about the absinthe, but it seems the traditional recipe is pretty standard — a whole lot of botanicals, in addition to the wormwood. But it really didn’t have any noticeable effect I could see on me. Of course, I only had wee little sips…… It’s 138 proof. I imagine drinking much of anything that high octane would do a number on you.
Thanks for coming over, Mark!
You need to bring that to our writing group meeting. Wouldn’t that be fun? Except maybe Mark only gets a teeny-tiny sip (ouzo drunkard, indeed) …. ; )
Seriously, though, I know this is a HUGE writer-y moment for you, all that famed and notorious absinthe is your! Bwahahaha!
I’m green (as absinthe) with jealousy, but a “happy, rockin’ excited for you” sort of jealous.
Hmmmm….not sure about bringing it to the meeting…..we might get flak from “Taco”.
But I’ll for sure share some with you!
No, no, I was kidding. It’s all yours, honey.
Hi Angela – I seem to recall that some of the greatest ‘artists’ of the past relied on the Green Fairy for enlightenment… completely off their faces of course!
It’s true….it reminds me of the prevalent opium use in the 19th century. Not the same thing at all, I know. But there were those opium devotees who swore the drug inspired them to access hidden places in their psyches and imaginations. It seems to be too much trouble to have a potion as a “go-to” for enlightenment. I’d rather just do the work and encounter the challenges, etc. head on, rather than alter my consciousness with a substance in the hopes it will help me do something extraordinary. I want to be present to the work and the process. I can’t speak from experience, though, because I had no surreal encounters with the muse from my tete-a-tete with the absinthe. Perhaps it’s something one has to work up to? I’m not the target market, however.
Thanks for coming by, Sally. I’m looking forward to reading more of your work and to chatting now and again. Take care!
Hi Angela. Because I really love your blog I want to nominate you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Check out http://versatilebloggeraward.wordpress.com/ for info.
Thank you very much, Sally. I am honored.
My daughter tried Absinthe while in Venice. She described it as swallowing a blow torch and then belching it up the next morning.
Venice can make anything taste better, methinks….
I didn’t get the blow torch — maybe she tried it straight? The water and sugar mellow it a lot.
Thanks for stopping by, Robin, and taking the time to comment.
Maybe it was the combination of a lot of alcohol consumed prior to the Absinthe.
I drink/eat ANYTHING while in Venice.