Absinthe Essay

Without the invention of wine a lot would have changed. Out of all six beverages wine was definitely the ‘fanciest’ and had more significance than any other drinks in my eyes. It had a game, religious and medical values, in addition to its own social status! Now I know that without wine, or in matter of fact any of these 6 drinks the course of not just America’s history but the world’s history wouldn’t be the same. Through the height and fall of each drink history was being made, and along came another drink. From beer to wine and wine to spirits and so on. Now, I can’t help but ask myself what drink will come after Coca-Cola and what history will be

The author wants to show that beverages had a great impact on history. He wants to tell his

Absinthe is an alcoholic drink that is shrouded in mystery and speculation. The addictive and narcotic liquor was created during the 17th century and was popularized by artists and writers alike. The famous author and playwright, Oscar Wilde, exclaimed, “After the first glass of absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After the second you see them as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” The author Ernest Hemingway, included absinthe in many of his writings such as “For Whom The Bell Tolls” and “Death In The Afternoon”. In Hemingway’s short story, “Hills Like White Elephants”, An American man and his unmarried pregnant girlfriend named Jig, order various alcoholic beverages and argue about what seems to be an abortion while waiting for a train to Madrid. Jig drinks a liquor called Anis del Toro and makes the connection that it tastes like licorice and absinthe. The complex situation of the abortion at this time in their relationship is the same bitter taste as absinthe.

The phrase “early A.A.” refers to the early fellowships and meetings held in Akron, Ohio. These meetings took place between 1935 and 1939 when Alcoholics Anonymous was an integral part of “A First Century Christian Fellowship” (Pitman 56). A.A. was the outcome of a meeting between Bill W., a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob S., an Akron surgeon. Both had been hopeless alcoholics (Fingarette 14).

Alcohol consumption was initiated on reservations when traders in the nineteenth century started to offer it to oppressed and depressed Native Americans. Natives represent, in fact, the ethnic group with the highest degree of alcohol consumption in the United States. Confinement on reservations after displacement brought for Native Americans identity conflicts and assimilation problems. This situation promoted the abuse of liquor to mitigate the psychological pain inflicted by the dispossession of the land and enclosure in a limited and controlled space. Both the stereotype of the “Noble Savage” and the “drunken Indian” are recurrent figures in mainstream literature of the US.

Although the evidence is conflicted, I think the weight of authority points to Parisian origins toward the end of World War I and the subsequent popularization of the drink by MacGarry at Bucks Club in London. So, in the absence of hard facts to the contrary, we will go with the captain and his motorcycle.

If there’s a will there’s a way and many people found a will and a way to get alcohol during Prohibition. Many citizens found creative loopholes to still enjoy their liquors even during prohibition. During the first few months even the first year of prohibition, the alcohol that the citizens still had left was not illegal to drink or have, but when they began to run out they had to get crafty if they wanted to keep drinking. Certain types of liquor could still be acquired through a doctor’s medical prescription. “Labels boldly stated that the bottles contents were strictly for medicinal purposes and that other uses were strictly illegal.”(Scott, Robert.) So naturally, people found this as a loophole and exploited it. The amount of “patients” in America that needed this prescription before prohibition nearly doubled after the fact. If it were not for this one loophole,out of many, all of the distilleries remaining for this purpose (which were mainly the only ones left), would have closed and further crippled the already crippled liquor industry, probably to the point of no return. “Over a million gallons a year of “prescription” booze were consumed freely every year.” (Scott,

La Fee Verte translates in English to “The Green Fairy.” It was a French nickname for their drink in the nineteenth century. More than 100 years later, absinthe and Green Fairy are still used interchangeably by absinthe’s

The name “absinthe” comes from the scientific name for its main ingredient Artemisia absinthium, or wormwood. Woodworm flavored wines date back to the Egyptians, who drank it for medicinal purposes as early as 1550 B.C. Ancient Greeks also consumed a woodworm flavored wine that may have been the predecessor of modern absinthe. (History.com) It was not until 1792 where it was first distilled in Switzerland by the French doctor Pierre Ordinaire. For five years the spirit was produced for it's medicinal properties. In fact, French soldiers fighting in Algeria were administered absinthe to prevent malaria and dysentery. (Kitchen Doctor) These men sought out this cure-all in the bars and cafes of Paris, where it had gained a following among bohemians and the bourgeoisie. (Liquor.com) This demand was met with commercial absinthe production when Major Dubied bought the recipe from Dr. Ordinaire and proceeded to manufacture the spirit with his son-in-law, Henri-Louis Pernod, in Val-de-Travers, Switzerland. The venture proved to be profitable and Pernod in 1805 moved to a larger facility in Pontarlier, France. Although Pernod only distilled some 16 liters of absinthe when it first started, it only took a few short years for

(History of Alchemy) For time out of mind the primary drinks being consumed by humans were beer, wine, and cider. All three have a relatively low alcohol content, generally less than 15% by volume. They are made by the process of fermentation. During the medieval period in Europe more pure forms of alcohol were invented by the process of distillation, which concentrates the alcohol and were used for medicinal purposes. These new distilled spirits may contain up to 40% alcohol by volume. (Alcohol Content

As you know I’m on a quest to review every brewery in Florida. Unfortunately, a large portion of the Sunshine State isn’t exactly conducive for a day trip to check out breweries. For example Tallahassee has five breweries, but is a five hour and forty-five minute drive for me. So when one of my favorite Florida breweries invited me up for the 5th Annual Florida Tap Invitational held in our state capitol of Tallahassee I was ecstatic. The Proof Brewing Company started the craft beer craze in Tallahassee when they opened their doors in 2012. A year later the husband and wife team of Byron and Angela Burroughs came up with the brilliant idea to have a festival based solely around Florida breweries. Now that’s a great idea, but to push the

Absinthe is a highly alcoholic distilled spirit, reputed to have psychotropic qualities. In the history of liquors it holds a special place for being one of the most controversial drinks of French history. Yet it wasn’t always that way, for a period in the late 1800’s absinthe was one of the most popular liquors in the western world. Some companies at the height of its popularity produced over 30,000 liters of it a day. American Chemist T. A. Breaux has spent years researching the drink; through his research he has found that the drink originated as a medicine developed as a digestive aide in the late 1700’s (pg.2-3). The drink then rose in popularity after the 1840’s when the French government would dispense rations of the drink to its soldiers fighting in foreign campaigns as a means of purifying unclean water. These soldiers developed a taste for the drink claiming it to be the drink of a true man, due to its strong bitter taste (pg. 4-5). By the late 1870’s it became the most coveted drink, especially among artist and intellectuals who would feature the iconic drink in their works.

Ecstasy is one of the street names for MDMA (the chemical name is N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine). MDMA is an amphetaminelike drug with hallucinogenic properties. People taking the drug get a sense of increased energy, euphoria and a curious feeling of empathy. While we know something about the short-term effects of ecstasy use, we do not have a very good understanding of the long-term effects. The short-term effects of the drug are related to the amount taken. If the dose used is relatively high, there is a danger in the short-term of seizures and heart-rhythm abnormalities. Ecstasy also can cause an increase in body temperature (called hyperthermia). This can cause difficulties if the drug is taken during strenuous exercise

Absolut Vodka is a French-owned brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since March 2008, the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard, having been sold by V&S Group, which is owned by the Swedish government. Absolut is the third largest brand of alcoholic spirits in the world after Bacardi and Smirnoff, and is sold in 126 countries.

Alcestis is a myth that is "the most touching of all the Greek dramas to a modern audience" (Lind 213). It is a tragicomedy by the playwright Euripides and it centers on the king and queen of Thessalia. Admetus, the king, has been fated to die yet, due to his alliance with Apollo, is given the chance to find a replacement. His wife, Alcestis, volunteers for the position claiming that she cannot imagine life without her husband. After Alcestis submits her life, Admetus discovers the pain of loss and even determines that Alcestis is the lucky one in dying.