Archive for the 'Decanters' Category
When I was little, my entire conception of alcohol was garnered from what I observed on TV and in the movies. I became accustomed to seeing distinguished gentleman pouring each other a drink from decorative whiskey decanters and watching them sip their potent potables on the rocks. This seemed enjoyable to them, so I assumed that alcohol must have a sweet and appealing flavor.
Due to my disillusioned concept of alcohol, I naively thought that I could take my first drink on the rocks and that it would taste great. Needless to say, I was humiliated when I ordered a whiskey on the rocks for my first drink and was forced to spit out my first sip. Since then learning the truth about the acrid taste of most alcohol, I proceed with more caution.
Infamous for its proposed connection with hallucinogens, absinthe has had a long and storied history. But many of the claims that the drink is in any way a narcotic are largely the product of rumors, incorrect information, and botched experiments. In general, absinthe is a distilled and highly alcoholic drink. It is anise-flavored, giving it a characteristic taste that some have equated to black licorice.
The drink is naturally a green color, although some forms of the spirit are colorless. The green color, however, earned the drink one of its many nicknames, la fée verte, which means the green fairy. Historical figures that were said to be devotees of absinthe include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, and others. In modern times, more and more people are realizing that the ill effects of absinthe have been greatly exaggerated. As such, it is making its way back into pop culture, and it’s now somewhat common to see an absinthe fountain at any number of private or commercial parties.