The Great absinthe experiment: Part II, "Here we go"

I did a lot of experimenting, by the time I was 21, and had 'written off' most of what I'd tried. For whatever reason, the only illegal thing that held any appeal was pot. Anything chemical simply wasn't up my alley, and was just a waste of time, money, and opportunity. A typical redneck, I love my beer, and can do some serious damage to a bottle of single-male scotch, but I'm not really a drinker (I think I mentioned, previously, that I get hung-over at the drop of a hat?). For the most part, I outgrew that wild side and became a semblance of a responsible adult.

I'd spent more than 20 years dabbling and researching folk medicine and herb lore; I'd learned to garden and could brag quite the 'tea patch'. Food can be medicine, I'd learned, and I wielded it at every opportunity. The computer age merely saw my research efforts get easier, because I wasn't obligated to regular trips to the library any more. And yet that curiosity about salvia, and absinthe, lingered.... wasn't I getting too old for that sort of crap? A forty-five year old, experimenting?

I found myself, one Saturday night, face to face with a bottle of absinthe.... the time had finally arrived that I could try this mythical liquor., a birthday gift from The Hubster. Our daughter was away for the night, we were home alone together goofing off: it seemed wisest to 'dabble' when we were home alone. The gold label affixed a clear bottle of lime-jello-colored liquid gave the bottle the appearance of a perfume.; one whiff, however made sure that notion was quickly dispelled.

The bottle had come with sugar cubes, a glass, and a special spoon.... I'd read what to do with all of that, and went about following the instructions to fix myself a 'shnort. I used a shot-glass to measure out 2 ounces. I set the slotted spoon across the top of the glass, set 2 sugar-cubes atop it, and slowly poured the absinthe over the sugar cubes and into the glass. Using a lighter, I light the sugar cubes afire, until they caramelized; 2 ounces of water was then poured over the caramelized sugar cubes and into the glass.

OK, I was ready... and promptly burnt my lips when I attempted to sip from the glass: the top of it was blazing hot from the blue-flame act I'd performed caramelizing the sugar cubes. That obligated me to wait a few minutes for the top of the glass to cool, I admit I was little annoyed at myself for not seeing that happenstance in advance. After distracting myself in the kitchen for a bit, I returned to the now-cooled glass, and nonchalantly tossed a mouthful back.

Yuck. Warm booze, with a bite to it (and a healthy bite, I may add). The licorice flavor was kind of nice, but my toes and guts were on fire, my mouth felt like I'd gargled with isopropyl alcohol, and there was something about the temperature that was just, well, WRONG. That may be the 'traditional way' of fixing a drink of absinthe, but no one has ever used the word “traditional” where I'm concerned: tradition wasn't going to limit my experiment so quickly. I tossed a few ice cubes into the glass, put it into the freezer, and went off to occupy myself for an hour. My reasoning was that maybe it was like crappy scotch: enough water and ice, and you can choke it down. I just knew I wasn't wasting booze and pouring it out, and certainly not a birthday present from my husband.

A while later, I retrieved the drink from the freezer, and took a sip of it. OK, not so much of a bite, but wowsers, was that bitter. Adding more table sugar made it palatable. The licorice flavor was actually nice, not quite as 'in your face' as say, sambuca or ouzo. And despite all that I'd read and seen, the liquor didn't turn cloudy when water was added: it remained clear. I took another, bigger swig from the glass, and the water-like liquid was easily swallowed .... it was sort of like a licorice-tasting water, really, and quite refreshing. Arguing with myself that it was in the name of knowledge, I made short work of that drink, and consumed it in less than a half an hour.

I sat down to await the effects of the absinthe, wondering what descriptions like “mild psychelic properties” and “lucid drunk” translated to, as regards my impending experiences(s). Forty minutes later, I detected a glow that I recognized as the effects of 3 ceasar drinks: I had a buzz on, but nada as regards psychedelic experiences, or any cerebral effects. It was a decent buzz, I most definitely had a glow on, but nothing a half-sack of beer couldn't produce over a few hours of good convo.

Well, I was home alone with my hubby, and if I wound up hungover, I deserved it. I went back to the kitchen, measured out another 2 ounces of absinthe, added a tablespoon of sugar, added 4 oz of water and a few ice cubes.... and sat down at my computer.

END PART TWO
Mich's Mumbles © 2011