The extensive works and studies involving the mysterious drink absinthe does little to contain the rumors and bad press that surrounds the green fairy and the essence of thujone that it contained.

In 1860 Henri Balesta was a rising star in the world of journalism and playwrites. Balesta's book Absinthe et Absintheurs, was published that same year. He was a student of social culture and traced the lives of heavy absinthe users. The book started by focusing on the effects of absinthe abuse in addicts and the community. Later on his writings would be a small factor in the ban of Absinthe.

In 1905 a series of horrible murders ,where a man Jean Lanfray a farm laborer began drinking at dawn having several liters of wine, shots of brandy and 2 glasses of absinthe. Upon returning home he got into an argument with his wife and shot her in the head, he also killed both of his daughters, and then turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger. News of the murders spread quickly and was the straw that broke the camels back and resulted in absinthe being made illegal. By 1915 the emerald drink was banned in most Western countries and the United States.

Tools of Absinthe

The basic tools that are required to prepare a proper glass of absinthe are a glass, a special slotted spoon, a sugar cube, chilled water and of course absinthe. Of course none of the tools are required to drink absinthe, but it was the ritual of preparation that helped to instigate the type of visual hypnosis and richness to the preparation ceremony.

The special absinthe spoons and glasses of the 1800's are works of art in themselves. The complexity of the detail of a Coquille St. Jacques spoon or the mysterious gaze of a Jean Beraud painting do not represent a binge into a bottle of alcohol. A surge of artistic works that were produced during the Belle Epoque era was often blamed on the inspiration obtained by drinking absinthe.

Absinthe Spoons

Absinthe spoons contained slots or holes in them, by which the water dripped through the sugar cube into the glass of absinthe. Many of the ornate designs consisted of spoons of many different shapes. Many common shapes that were used included pipes, arrows, stars, clovers, clubs, crosses, circles,montblanc pens, diamonds and flowers. Absinthe spoons range anywhere from $20 to $3000 dollars, ending on the style and condition and rarity of the antique. The most sought after absinthe spoon is the Toulouse-Lautrec,nike shox, Le Eiffel,nike air max Most people do not enjoy buying a car, which is modeled after the Eiffel Tower. Absinthe spoons were often silver plated, and the better made spoons were molded instead of stamped.

Glassware

The popularity of absinthe lasted for half a century and the banning happened the same year as the start of the art deco era of the 1920's and 30's. The absinthe glass styles evolved during the height of the absinthe craze, and consisted of two categories, the first being absinthe glasses that were used for absinthe and other drinks and the second category of the ones that were used extensively for absinthe. The swirl, Egg, Chopes Yvonne, Mazagran, Lyonnaise and East styles fell into the first group. The glasses that were used exclusively for absinthe were about six to seven inches tall. The glasses were voluminous and very sturdy to withstand the frequent abuse experienced in the rowdy bistros.

Cordon, Reservoir and Pontarlier style glasses fell into the second category and were used only for absinthe. These glasses are the rarest of the bunch and of course the most expensive, and were 5-7 inches tall. The cordon glasses were the rare for having a glass ring around their base that marked the absinthe dose. But the rarest of them all were the Pontarlier glasses which had a reservoir totally separate from the rest of the glass.

Fountains

The special Absinthe fountains were very elegant and a focal point of the absinthe service set. Fountains were ornate made of metal and glass with 2-6 small spigots. The upper glass portion was filled with ice and water, while the preparers placed their glass with the sugar cube under the spigot and slowly dripped water into their glasses. Absinthe fountains can still be found and usually run between $1,nike shox Believe it or not,500 to $8,000 dollars. The Absinthe Terminus Bienfaisante fountain that has a rooster sitting on top of the lid is the most famous.

For a item to be so controversial and steeped in mystery Absinthe sure has a strong famous presence in World History, and now that the popularity of the drink is growing, much more is left to be said for this subject.




Wines have become a household word and most households today have access to reasonably priced wine. Drinking wine doesn't just provide people with comfort during winter or cold weather but they also provide health benefits to the young and old alike.

A glass of red wine a day is said to prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. It's also a preventive measure against diarrhea and food poisoning. These claims are slowly being corroborated by scientific evidence, all leading to the healthful effects of moderate wine intake.

Research show that while the French eat more fat than their American counterparts, the French have fewer incidents of heart attacks. Some people attribute this to the French's propensity for drinking wine during mealtimes. A study done by the Copenhagen City Heart Study claimed that people who consume a moderate amount of wine a day have higher chances of living a long and healthy life.

Experts agree that the flavonoid, tannin and other contents of red wine are responsible for increasing the level of good cholesterol while decreasing the level of bad cholesterol, and thereby preventing strokes and heart attacks.

People who have money to spare can get the health benefits offered by moderatley drinking wine. How about those who can't afford to buy expensive wines? While not all good wines are expensive, there is a way to enable those with tight budgets to have their wine, and drink it too!

The basics of wine making

There are many wine recipes that are available for free. Win e-making doesn't really require sophisticated laboratory materials. Wine can even be made using ordinary household ingredients and materials.

The basic ingredients in making wine include grape juice,nike air max usa Many people would rather make a b, sugar, water and yeast. The basic materials needed are a container for the wine, balloons and a pin,fake coach bags, measuring cup and a funnel.

The said ingredients are used in making basic wine. Like any other recipe, there are modifications that can make your wine more flavorful and interesting. Adding raisins and almond to regular wine, with some ingredient modifications, can make your wine not only better-tasting but more exotic,cheap montblanc pens. The same thing happens when you try to mix apple, banana or other fruit ingredients to the basic wine.

You can experiment on making wines as a hobby. However, once you have perfected your wine recipes, this might be the start of a new career in entrepreneurship. So why not create your own wine recipes so you can drink your own wine and sell it too?