I don't often do reviews of products here. Mostly because the things I seem to get offered aren't things that I have any interest in (or that I think you'd want to read about). However, when I was offered the chance to sample some absinthe by the Absinthe-Shop I thought I'd give it a go.
I've tried absinthe a fair few times in my life. The first time was at our local student pub when I lived in Nottingham. I like to pretend the absinthe is the reason I don't remember getting home that night but, in reality, it's probably the 12 cheeky vimtos I'd had previously. The second time I tried absinthe was in Prague. Now that was some vicious alcohol. I bought a bottle home for my boyfriend at the time, P. We developed a penchant for drinking absinthe and cloudy lemonade before a night out. I think I really can blame that for the nights I don't remember getting home.
I was sent a bottle of Lemercier Absinthe 72 (yes, the 72 stands for 72% proof) and asked to drink it in the 'traditional way'. Which basically means pouring water through a sugar cube which is sitting atop an absinthe spoon. The water dissolves and mixes into the absinthe below, which changes the translucency of the drink, forming a louche.
My Dad's hands, I swear. I don't have giant man hands
You're supposed to use a sugar cube but, given that I don't live in a posh tearoom, granulated sugar on a teaspoon was my alternative. Although it does make it look rather like me and my Dad were prepping some smack. Which is nice. But it worked! And I drank it. And now I'm a little bit tipsy. I think adding the sugar to it actually makes it quite drinkable, despite the potent nature of absinthe. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a little lie down...
*If anyone would like to treat themselves to a little dalliance with the Green Fairy then the lovely folks over at Absinthe-Shop.com are offering a 10% discount until 30th June 2010 with the use of the code FMBLUV10.
