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Page 9 of 15
On Fire and Absinthe
At no time in the history of absinthe, until the late 1990's, has the
“Czech Method” of lighting absinthe-soaked sugar on fire—recently
popularized in the movies From Hell, Moulin Rouge, and Alfie—ever been
used. This is a modern innovation and a pointless abuse of good
absinthe. Aside from spectacle, it has no effect whatsoever except
possibly that of introducing a burnt-marshmallow taste to the absinthe thus
obscuring the delicate herbal nuances and ruining its flavor.
No one
who knows anything about absinthe and its history would use this
method. Compare it to shaking a bottle of champagne. Given the
high-proof nature of the liquor it can also be very
dangerous, resulting in a cracked or broken glass, injury and
accidental fire.
It's probable that the “Czech method” was borrowed from the Café
Royale, a traditional coffee drink where a brandy or cognac-soaked
sugar lump is ignited in a spoon before adding it to the coffee. This
was depicted in 1887 by the American painter, Irving Ramsey Wiles in
his painting, The Loiterers. Several years ago the painting was mistaken (and
mis-titled) as portraying a couple drinking absinthe.
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