National Absinthe Day 2022
 |
The LA scene lent itself to herb, blow, ludes, other pills, and of course ... Absinthe.
The paraphernalia involved in the ritualistic aspect of exotic sugar cubes, spoons, water drips, glasses, saucers made for an experience that was a bit on the frou frou side from my perspective. I personally would prefer a straight shot — slam it and maybe chase it.
This never happened in my experience however.
It is said to be some dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen of Swiss origin becoming popular in the early 20th century France. It was particularly favored by artists and writers.
Aka “the green fairy” which is likely a reference to both the color and the buzz copped by some who imbibed regularly with it's licorice like flavor and bouquet.
Absinthe has an experience surrounded in the mystique of bohemian culture and I personally feel that that the trace amounts of a chemical compound called thujone is likely contributory to the adverse medicinal claims of it's detractors.
National Absinthe Day is observed each year on March 5th — although I cannot state the nationality marking this day.
It has been my experience that those in my circle of friends know little to nothing about it at all.
It was banned for a while in western Europe and the United States, but as we now know, that stupidity which is the government is quick to involve itself in matters it neither knows about nor is competent to judge.
Notable individuals known to drink Absinthe include:
Charles Baudelaire the French Poet
George Gordon, Lord Byron the English Poet and Peer
Aleister Crowley the nastiest human being to ever live
Vincent van Gogh the artist
Ernest Hemingway the author
James Joyce the Irish Novelist
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec the French painter and print maker
Amedeo Modigliani the Italian painter and sculptor
Pablo Picasso the Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer
Edgar Allan Poe the American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic
Marcel Proust the French novelist, critic, and essayist
Arthur Rimbaud the French poet
Oscar Wilde the Irish poet and playwright
among others ...
Absinthe has not been proven more dangerous than other spirits. Studies have shown that absinthe's psychoactive properties have been exaggerated and are precisely those of alcohol consumption.