User talk:Ari x/Drunken playground

Bohemian style Absinth

'Absinthe Drinker' by Viktor Oliva

Often called Bohemian-style, Czech-style, anise-free absinthe or just absinth (without the 'e'), it is best described as a wormwood bitters and is produced mainly in the Czech Republic where it gets its Bohemian and Czech designations, although not all absinthe from the czech republic is Bohemian style. It contains little to no anise, fennel or other herbs normally found in traditional absinthe that was popular in the 19th century, and is often more bitter from chemicals such as absinthin. Often the only similarities with its traditional counterpart is the use of wormwood and a high alcohol content; for all intents and purposes, it should be considered a completely different product. In some cases, Bohemian-style absinths are not processed by distillation, but are rather high-proof alcohol which has been cold-mixed with herbal extracts and artificial coloring.

Contemporary Czech producers claim absinth has been produced in the Czech Republic since the 1920s, but there is no independent evidence to support these claims. Since there are currently few legal definitions for absinthe(NOTE 1) producers have taken advantage of its romantic 19th century associations and psychoactive reputation to market their products under a similar name. Many Bohemian-style producers heavily market thujone content, exploiting the many myths and half truths that surround thujone even though none of these types of absinth appear to contain enough thujone to cause any noticeable effect.(NOTE 2)

Bohemian-style absinth lacks many of the oils in absinthe that create the louche , and a modern ritual involving fire was created to take this into account. In this ritual, absinth is added to a glass and a sugar cube on a spoon is placed over it. The sugar cube is soaked in absinth then set on fire. The cube is then dropped into the absinth setting it on fire, and water is added until the fire goes out, normally a 1:1 ratio. The crumbling sugar can provide a minor simulation of the louche seen in traditional absinthe, and the lower water ratio enhances effects of the high-strength alcohol.

It is sometimes claimed that this ritual is old and traditional; however, this is false. This method of preparing absinth was in fact first used observed by Czech manufacturers in the late 1990s (NOTE 3) and incorporated into its history as the classic method, which has been accepted by many as historical fact, largely because this method has filtered its way into several contemporary movies . Amongst many of the more traditional absinthe enthusiasts, this method of preparing absinthe is looked down upon, and it can negatively affect the flavor of traditional absinthe.

There are a few Czech products that claim to have levels of thujone, which would make them illegal to sell in Europe, as well as the rest of the world . Some of the most expensive Czech products go to the extent of macerating wormwood in the bottle quite similar to an absinthe kit. There is no historical basis for a high thujone level.

Notes

(Will be removed when added into the article)

1: If needed I am unsure of how to show the lack of law beyond the fact no legal definition can be found in most/all EU countries, unlike products like Scotch or Cognac, etc.

2: Talked about/sourced in later section and thujone article.

Given that some of these products also claim aphrodisiac benefits, should these also be considered? See http://blog.experiencecurve.com/archives/marketing-absinthe-as-the-date-rape-drink and http://www.absinthesupply.com/wallpaper.html Alanmoss 16:34, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

3: This is possibly one of the "unreliable sources" as it's a forum, however in this case Alan Moss was officially posting as the marketing director of LaFee (who is the UK destributor and connection for two Bohemian style brands (LaFee bohemian and Hills) )

I'm not sure that I am the best source on this. All I say is that "we have no evidence that the Bohemian fire ritual existed before the 1990’s. George Rowley lived in Prague in the early 1990’s and did not observe this then; it was only in 1998 that he and his partners observed the burning ritual in a bar in Prague for the first time." Using my lack of evidence as something that "explains the origins" seems a step too far to me. Alanmoss 16:22, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

A: In some cases sources are just one example.

B: Some sources are also just examples of accurate information and will most likely be changed as I dislike linking to any vendor sales page from any company if it can be prevented. Some are duplicates that will be merged into one reference.