Old Absinthe House-- WTF?!

OF ALL PLACES, the Old Absinthe House (no link deserved) should know better than to perform the "fire ritual." It's as bad as going to the Pilsner Urquell brewerey and having them insist on you doing a beer bong, or maybe ordering a Chateau Lafite Rothschild at Taillevent and having it served in a pimp cup mixed with Orangina. It seems all I can do is be that asshole who points out that people are doing it wrong. I wonder what's worse-- being converted to a daiquiri bar or submitting to the crapsinthe sham?

Sazerac

Sazerac Cocktail History at the What's Cooking America makes little notice of the absinthe, discussing the history involving Peychaud. As I read it, "patent medicine" usually involved some drug (opioid, coca extract) we can't accurately replicate:

The Sazerac cocktail is to New Orleans what the margarita is to the southwest. It is reported to be the first cocktail every invented (at least in the United States). Antoine Amadie Peychaud, a Creole apothecary, is given the credit for first inventing the Sazerac cocktail in the 1830s. In 1795, he immigrated to New Orleans from the West Indies and opened a drugstore called Pharmacie Peychaud. Like many "chemists" of his day, he sold his own patent medicine; Peychaud's Bitters, a proprietary mix of aromatic bitters said to relive his clients' ailments. His medical toddy soon became very popular and friends gathered regularly to sample his late-night drinks.

Also see Liqueurs de France's note on the Sazerac, specifically the "Cognac Sazerac-de-Forge."

Suckers....

In New Orleans recently, I wandered into a bar next to the cathedral, attracted by the large "WE HAVE ABSINTHE!" sign. When I asked what they had, I was poured a glass of Absente (ouch) in which a spoon was dipped and lit (double ouch) as I wheezed "wait". No point making a stink, and it was a delicious enough pastis, but I couldn't leave without explaing to the (very uninterested) bartender that it wasn't, in fact, absinthe.

Seems like folks get suckered a lot by "people in the know" who stand to gain from either deception or ignorance. It was interesting to read an article this morning about a bar in Orlando which appears as well to serve Absente as "absinthe," sans qualifiers or shame.

Appropriate (and timely) to see the new Absinthe Suckers tribe started by Alan.

About Absinthe in New Orleans

Old Absinthe House, New Orleans, LA

Gumbopages article about the history of absinthe in New Orleans, linking to the "Good to the Last Drip" cover story article (12/17/02) in the Gambit Weekly.

Times-Picayune Article

New Orleans Times-Picayune: "ABSINTHE MINDED" (July 21, 2006): some background before Ted Breaux' discussion and tasting in the Tales of the Cocktail festival.