Absinthe: much ado about nothing
By Owen Morris in Booze
Friday, May. 8 2009 @ 10:30AM
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Problem is, it never did. The real late-19th century stuff -- the Van Gogh-chopping-off-his-ear stuff -- contained barely a trace of thujone, not nearly enough to make a person go crazy. Researchers experimenting on old Absinthe bottles and using old recipes came to the conclusion that the thujone stays in the pot during the distillation process.
So like Kiss without makeup or any George Lucas movie after 1990, it's more about hype and mystery than actual flavor. (Yes, I've tried "real" absinthe. It's harsh and very alcoholic-tasting.)
But that hasn't stopped Virgin America from advertising that it's the first airline to serve absinthe.
Specifically, Virgin is serving tourment, a small-batch French absinthe.
"It seems only fitting that the first airline to carry our absinthe is Virgin America, a brand that is synonymous with creativity and innovation. We realize that this may be the first opportunity for passengers to try absinthe on a plane," says Minott Wessinger of Le Tourment Vert.
Here's where logic breaks down. Absinthe became infamous because of effects that included hallucinations, fits of panic and acts of terrible violence -- exactly the sort of attitudes you'd want to avoid having on an airplane.
But hey, if you really want to try absinthe and don't mind paying the exorbitant cost... just beware, you're more likely to feel ripped off than mind-bent.
"It seems only fitting that the first airline to carry our absinthe is Virgin America, a brand that is synonymous with creativity and innovation. We realize that this may be the first opportunity for passengers to try absinthe on a plane," says Minott Wessinger of Le Tourment Vert.
Here's where logic breaks down. Absinthe became infamous because of effects that included hallucinations, fits of panic and acts of terrible violence -- exactly the sort of attitudes you'd want to avoid having on an airplane.
But hey, if you really want to try absinthe and don't mind paying the exorbitant cost... just beware, you're more likely to feel ripped off than mind-bent.
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