The Absinthe Ritual

Why is there a ritual?

Wormwood, the primary herbal ingredient in absinthe, is quite bitter. To increase the palatability of absinthe, especially for the sugar-loving Victorians, it needed to be sweetened. Yet sugar does not mix readily with alcohol. These two facts gave rise to the invention of the absinthe ritual. 

A long, flat slotted spoon was created for this purpose. The spoons typically featured a small indentation on the handle to help secure its seat on the glass rim.

In the 19th century, as well as in the 21st, absinthe distillers would frequently create a spoon with their company logo on it for promotional purposes. Antique absinthe spoons are now highly prized by collectors.

A sugar cube, or two or three, was then placed on the slotted portion and ice cold water was slowly dripped through the sugar cube, dissolving the sugar into the absinthe.

The Louche

As the water mixes with the absinthe, a famous transformation takes place. The clear green liquor becomes cloudy and the drink takes on its legendary opalescence.  This process is called “louching.”  (pronounced: looshing) This change is caused by the water releasing the natural oils present in the herbs of the absinthe.

Some brands of absinthe are artificially colored and will have a darker green louche.

When the glass is filled and the sugar is fully dissolved, the absinthe is ready to drink. The ratio of absinthe to water is traditionally 1:5. The water can simply be poured into the glass, but a nice method to accomplish the process is to use an absinthe fountain.

Absinthe fountains dispense ice water from tiny spigots which can be made to gently drip the water into the sugar cubes to allow the maximum dissolution. 

Cafes serving absinthe during its Belle Epoque heyday often featured large fountains with multiple spigots on their bars. This would allow their patrons to accomplish the absinthe ritual while still conversing with friends.

The History of Absinthe

What is Absinthe?

Absinthe is a distilled spirit containing herbs, most notably wormwood.  Wormwood is the common name for Artemisia absinthium and has been used as a folk medicine for centuries. The ancient Greeks infused their wine with wormwood to treat rheumatism and anemia.

The ancient Romans thought it cured everything from fever to bad breath. Chinese texts dating from the first century B.C.E. indicated they used it to treat malaria.

The word itself seems to date to Middle English: wormwode—"wode" being an early word for “cure.” The bitter-tasting herb was used to treat intestinal parasites, thus the term “wormwood” evolved.

The first true absinthe

Modern absinthe can be traced to a French doctor living in the Swiss border town of Couvet. In the last decade of the 18th Century, Dr. Pierre Ordinaire distilled a liquor and infused it with the herbs wormwood, anise, and fennel.  According to a promotional brochure published by Pernod Fils in 1896, the good doctor used his “elixir” to treat a variety of ailments. After his death, his recipe continued to be produced in the village until it came to be owned by Henri-Louis Pernod who produced the first commercial absinthe at Pontarlier, France, in 1805.

He built a factory for the distillation of absinthe and was the first to sell it as a beverage rather than medicine. His sons took over the business after his death (hence the modern company name of Pernod Fils) and absinthe grew in popularity throughout the 19th Century.

The Belle Epoque 

In the 1870’s, misfortune struck the French winemaking industry.  The vineyards were all but wiped out by root blight. Wine became scarce and costly for the next thirty years. Absinthe consumption soared during this period. In cafes, its cost was half the price of whiskey and only slightly higher than beer.

During this first heyday, absinthe was the drink of choice by the artistic and literary set frequenting Parisian cafes. By the 1890’s, the drink had outgrown its cult status and was enjoyed by millions of imbibers. Five o’clock became known as l’heure verte—the green hour, when countless Parisians headed for the cafes of Montmartre to drink their favorite aperitif.

The Old Absinthe House, New Orleans, LA

In America, New Orleans was a popular spot for absinthe consumption. The Old Absinthe House was first built in the French Quarter in the early part of the Nineteenth Century and by the 1870’s was serving absinthe. Three large fountains sat on the bar to dispense ice water for preparation of the drink in the classic French manner.

The ban

The temperance furor of the early 20th Century began a campaign in numerous countries to ban absinthe. All sorts of charges were leveled against wormwood, most based on little, if any, actual science. Rather than the cure-all the ancients claimed, temperance advocates insisted absinthe could cause madness, epilepsy, even tuberculosis. That absinthe could have any ill effects over and above those caused by its alcoholic properties—and, in point of fact, absinthe does carry a very high alcohol content, typically 55-66%—were never proven, then or since.

Nevertheless, the United States made the sale of alcoholic products containing wormwood illegal in 1912. This prohibition remained in effect for ninety-five years.

The modern era

Oscar Wilde

The fact that wormwood contains thujone, a chemical cousin of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, set off modern speculation that absinthe had psychotropic capabilities. This rumor was bolstered by remarks attributed to Oscar Wilde, in which he  claimed than after drinking absinthe one night he began to hallucinate, imagining a field of tulips in the bar as he left it.

Again, scant scientific evidence supports this claim of hallucinogenic properties. Thujone has been shown to cause seizures in mice after they were given massive doses of the substance. Modern wormwood levels are regulated and no one could drink enough absinthe to suffer any adverse effects from the thujone content—alcohol poisoning being a far greater threat if absinthe were imbibed in such large quantities.

In 2007, the U.S. lifted its ban on products containing wormwood and a new age of absinthe drinking in America began.

Absinthe Superieure

Last night, I took my absinthe drinking to a new plane entirely by sampling Jade's Nouvelle Orleans. This absinthe cost roughly twice as much as I am used to paying, so I wondered if it would be worth the added expense.


Oh, my--yes, it was. I have never tasted an absinthe so light, so smooth, so delicious and seductive. From the first delicate scent to the last sip, the experience was nothing short of divine.


This absinthe is created in France by New Orleans native T.A. Breaux who pioneered research into creating a true absinthe similar to those produced prior to the banning of absinthe in France, the U. S., and numerous other countries, in the early part of the Twentieth Century.


Breaux was a chemist who purchased a pre-ban bottle of absinthe from an estate sale in Europe. He subjected it to intense chemical analysis in order to re-create the original flavor in a modern product.

Nouvelle Orleans Absinthe Superieure

He claims this method is superior to those of other distillers who simply use the 19th-century recipes in that the types of herbs called for in those recipes may have changed over the intervening hundred years. The distillation method uses grapes as its alcohol base and, according to the Jade website: "Jade Liqueurs' absinthes are crafted entirely by hand, and enjoy the unique privilege of being distilled in original 1,150L copper bain marie alembics that were acquired directly from perhaps the most famous original absinthe distillery in Pontarlier, France approximately one hundred years ago." 

Available on Amazon

Jade produces several absinthes, but the"Nouvelle Orleans" was created to celebrate absinthe's American heritage in New Orleans, specifically at the Old Absinthe House, which was built in 1806 and had an "Absinthe room" at least by the 1870's. "L'esprit du Vieux Carré" is well-served by this delicious absinthe.

And, yes, I had a second glass. 
Without regret...I am happy to report.

Steamcon II--Personal Reflections

Shamelessly showing off my new leather corset

The best part about attending Steamcon II, in Seattle last weekend, was learning that at least 2,000 others share my madness. This affliction, however, is so euphoric, we don't seek a cure. 


For three days, the halls of the Seatac Airport Hilton and Marriott were thronging with airship pirates, mad scientists, time travelers, intrepid adventurers, and countless other exceedingly well-dressed individuals with affiliations unknown.

Kevin Steil, Airship Ambassador

Among the best dressed was Kevin Steil, the Airship Ambassador, who conducted an hour-long interview with myself (and many others throughout the weekend) for his excellent Steampunk blog. also called Airship Ambassador.

On Friday, I moderated a panel on "Becoming a Writer" with authors Caitlin Kittredge and Jay Lake. We tried to give budding writers as much encouragement and reference points as possible. Jay was nominated for a Steamcon Airship Award this year, celebrating extraordinary achievement and contribution to the Steampunk community. 


Caitlin, at the tender age of 26, is already a publishing veteran with several paranormal series to her credit, and a new Steampunk YA series called The Iron Codex debuting in February from Random House with the first title, "The Iron Thorn."

Gail Carriger, David Malki! and me

Saturday included a panel on "Researching the Victorian Era" with bestselling Parasol Protectorate author Gail Carriger and Wondermark comic artist David Malki! (and, yes, he spells his name with an exclamation point.) 


Gail Carriger's academic background as an archeologist gave her research tips an added ring of authenticity. Her witty novels, Soulless, Changeless, and Blameless, are a Steampunk series not to be missed, and her livejournal blog is among the most amusing on the 'Net.


Davis Malki!'s Wondermark comic is a true original. He shared with us the intensive research he puts into his art. Please visit Wondermark --an entertaining foray into a Victorian world you won't soon forget.

Everyday Steampunk

"Everyday Steampunk" was my final panel of the day. My fellow panelists were Clockworks webcomic artist Shawn Gaston and artist Anthony Jon Hicks of Tinplate Studios.

Me with Shawn Gaston and Tony Hicks

In addition to drawing the unique and entertaining Clockworks, Shawn also DJs a Steampunk night at an absinthe bar in his home city of St. Louis.


Tony Hicks sells wildly original art on Etsy.com. Please stop by his shop to view his fascinating "Anomalies." They are disturbing and irresistible. 


And then the Green Hour,  L'heure Verte, arrived...

At six o'clock in the evening, a group began to assemble to hear your humble author hold forth on her favorite topic: Absinthe. 


I expected an audience of around 25-30 and was overwhelmed to see in excess of 150 onlookers fill our little "salon". 


Had I imagined a crowd this size, I would have placed the absinthe-inspired art of Manet, Degas, Picasso, and Van Gogh up on the big screen. 

Signing copies of THE SECOND GLASS OF ABSINTHE

After describing the cultural history of Absinthe and its place in Belle Epoch cafe society, I demonstrated the time-honored method preparing Absinthe. I worry that the audience members sitting farther back could not see the lovely louching process first hand.  (Note to self: MUST add a big screen to all future presentations.)


The many fans of the notorious Green Fairy asked interesting questions and shared their own experiences. A drawing was held to give away door prizes: Three absinthe spoons, each accompanied with a copy of my own: "The Second Glass of Absinthe."


In my next post, I will detail my general experiences as a Steamcon attendee as opposed to a presenter, with many more photos to come. Stay tuned...

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee will be represented at Steamcon II

My Steampunk ball gown just arrived and I am so thrilled. It proves that a girl never gets too old to play Dress Up. I plan to wear this little number not only to the Saturday night concert at Steamcon, but also to my Absinthe presentation which occurs at 6pm that evening. It is green, after all.


I am secretly grateful to the entire Steampunk community for hosting all these wonderful excuses to dress with the elegance of a bygone era.


One item I am planning to wear with my various Steampunk ensembles is a cherished gift from a longtime friend and mentor, Dale L. Walker. I first met Dale when he edited my three novels at Tor/Forge. He is not only an excellent editor, but an award-winning writer of American history and an authority on the life and works of Jack London.

His many books include Bear Flag Rising, Pacific Destiny, and the very intriguing saga of Mary Edwards Walker (no relation) who served as a physician during the Civil War.


Dale, knowing my love of Victoriana, recently sent me an 1897 medal commemorating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. I hope to host a visit from him here at The Victorian West in the coming weeks.

Preparing for Steamcon...or where is my steamer trunk when I need it?

So much to do!

Steamcon II is just two weeks from tomorrow. Yikes, time to start packing. And packing for a Steampunk convention is a no small undertaking. Still, the cares and labors, not to mention the excess baggage fees, will all be worth it, of that much I am certain.


Your author will be appearing on the program this year. Last year, I was but a humble neophyte and dazzled rubber-necker, nearly overwhelmed by the the sights and sounds of this delightful and innovative subculture that has enchanted me from the first moment I beheld a picture of a Jake Von Slatt steampunked computer.

I don't remember where I saw it.  It must have been featured on Boingboing, but I have since become a regular visitor to Mr. Von Slatt's amazing website, The Steampunk Workshop. He will be a guest of honor at the forthcoming Steamcon, along with numerous other artists, makers and modders.  I will have the privilege of moderating a panel entitled, "Everyday Steampunk" with artists Shawn Gaston and Anthony Jon Hicks.


I am glad to be the moderator because I have many more questions than answers and am relying on my fellow panelists to expound on the Steampunk philosphy of living.  How are people bringing it into their everyday lives and what can Steampunk culture teach mainstream culture? I spoke to this topic briefly in an early post on this site called "Living Steampunk,"  in which I shared a picture of my beloved Steampunk house near Boulder, Colorado.

Kevin Steil, aka Airship Ambassador

I will be interviewed by Kevin Steil, whose website and blog, The Airship Ambassador is a fabulous resource for anyone wanting up-to-date information on all things Steampunk.


Kevin will be busy that weekend interviewing a vast array of authors and artists, united in their love of Steampunk. Cherie Priest, Gail Carriger, Paul Guinan, Mike Pershon, Caitlin Kittredge, and many, many more.


In addition to speaking on Everyday Steampunk, I have also been asked to hold forth on "Becoming a Writer," (a topic I still wish I knew something about) and "Researching the Victorian Era," (an activity I have spent countless hours engaged in over the last two decades, but about which I still wish I knew more).


The presentation I am most excited about will be--regular followers of this blog can already guess this--sharing my obsession with Absinthe:  Its history, its mystique, its ritual, not to mention all the artists and poets inspired by it. Which leads me back to my original topic:  How to pack for a Steampunk adventure?

My first challenge is packing the absinthe fountain.  It is huge and weights nearly a ton.  Okay, I am exaggerating, but it is breakable and awkward to pack.


Of course, I own a smaller absinthe fountain (what self-respecting absinthteur doesn't own more than one?) and though it is lighter and easier to find a space for, it is much more breakable and not nearly as pretty.  And pretty is IMPORTANT. I would even hazard to say, pretty is crucial to the world of Steampunk aesthetic.

At least the absinthe spoons are easy to pack.  I plan to give them away as door prizes along with free copies of The Second Glass of Absinthe.


Not to suggest that The Second Glass of Absinthe is a Steampunk novel (though I would be proud to bestow that designation). I like to think of my two most recent Victorian West novels as Steampunk-adjacent. Both Second Glass  and Séance in Sepia are mystery novels set in Victorian-era America and both deal with the world of the Victorian occult.  The supernatural is hinted at in both books but makes itself known in ways too subtle for either novel to jump the aisles between mystery and fantasy.


Alas, I am reaching the end of this post and have not yet begun to address the crucial topic of fashion.  Stay tuned...

Free Books and Absinthe Spoons--A Halloween Drawing!

Halloween is my favorite time of year.  To celebrate, I am giving away three copies of THE SECOND GLASS OF ABSINTHE, each accompanied by its own absinthe spoon! (If you don't drink absinthe, you can always use the spoon as a bookmark.)

Entering the drawing is simple:  Just send me a message here on my blog, or through my website:
www.michelleblack.com
between now and October 31, 2010. (Contest restricted to U.S. addresses only.)

If you would like to know more about THE SECOND GLASS OF ABSINTHE or the Absinthe ritual, check out my earlier post: The Second Glass of Absinthe Returns.

   All the entries will be placed in my absinthe fountain--which will be dry and empty for the occasion--and three winners' names will be pulled out. Once the fountain has performed its contest duties, it will resume the dispensing of ice water for my post-Halloween sip of absinthe.

I will contact the three winners on November 1 to obtain their mailing addresses.
(Rest assured, your email addresses will not be shared or used for any other purpose.)

Good Luck!

A beautiful bookstore; a day spent among friends...plus Absinthe!

On Saturday, September 4th, the Kansas City chapter of Sisters in Crime and the I Love A Mystery Bookstore hosted an Absinthe Party to celebrate the paperback release of The Second Glass of Absinthe.

I hope all in attendance had as much fun as I did. In addition to showing some of the absinthe-inspired works of art created by Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, and Picasso, I demonstrated the absinthe ritual and handed out little samples of the Green Muse to anyone curious about whether the fabled libation might enhance their creativity (as those 19th Century artists and poets claimed).

Happy Pub Day

Today is the official publication day of the paperback version of "The Second Glass of Absinthe," but I am also excited to announce that the first Eden Murdoch novel, "An Uncommon Enemy," is also debuting this week as a Kindle edition.  
Buy it here for just $2.99.
You can read the first chapter on my website.


I have often been asked whether the character of Eden Murdoch was a real person, given that many characters in the novel did exist--Custer, Sheridan, Black Kettle. 


The answer is technically, no, she is a fictional creation, but she was inspired by two separate events. Custer mentioned in his field report, filed the morning after the battle, that they found the body of a white woman in Black Kettle's camp. He did not identify her and never mentioned her again, though he wrote extensively of the Washita Battle in later years.

The identity of this mystery woman has never been solved by scholars, but it must be assumed that it was not the body of another white captive, Clara Blinn, who was found a week later in another location. Despite this lack of documentation, General Sherman, Sheridan's superior, used it as conclusive proof that Custer struck a hostile camp, when he testified before Congress on the matter.
My novel poses the question, what if that woman had been found alive, and what if she did not tell the story the Army longed for her to tell? What if she instead gave an articulate report of the battle from the Cheyenne point of view?
Eden's character was inspired by the story of another white captive, Cynthia Ann Parker, a woman "captured twice," as Eden was. Parker was captured by the Comanches, lived among them, married into the tribe, and lived there for more than two decades before being "recaptured" by the Army and forced to return to white civilization against her will. She was never able to see her children again, one of whom grew up to be the great Comanche chief, Quannah Parker.

We're Going to Party Like It's 1899!

A date has just been set for an Absinthe Party to celebrate the paperback release of THE SECOND GLASS OF ABSINTHE.


The setting will be the beautiful I LOVE A MYSTERY BOOKSTORE in Mission, Kansas.  If you are a book lover, no visit to Kansas City would be complete without a stop--nay, a pilgrimage--to this wonderful store.  Styled like a Victorian library "with a twist," this shop reminds us all how delightful and special an independent bookstore can be.  Biblio-heaven!


On September 4, 2010, at 11:00am, the local chapter of Sisters in Crime will allow your humble author to hold forth on the mystical history of absinthe and demonstrate the absinthe drinking ritual.  Everyone (over 21, that is) will be given the opportunity to sample the fabled libation.  Now some might suggest that 11a.m. is a tad early in the day to be imbibing this highly alcoholic beverage, but in the immortal words of Jimmy Buffett, "It's five o'clock somewhere," right?


And just what is involved in the Absinthe Ritual?  My character, Kit Randall, describes his version in the opening pages of "SECOND GLASS":

"His thoughts returned to that bizarre absinthe dream. Why did it refuse to leave him? What had really happened here last night? In his only solid memory he had "watched the clouds come out." That was his euphemism for gazing at the slow, tantalizing process by which one prepares to drink the liqueur the French called la fée verte, the Green Fairy.

The light emerald liquid was dripped through sugar cubes that sat perched atop a slotted spoon. Icy water was then added which rendered a spectacular transformation. The clear green absinthe blossomed into a milky opalescence and was ready to sip.

He recalled settling back deep into the sea of sofa cushions in Lucinda's bohemian-inspired second parlor and staring up at the famous Eye Dazzler rug hanging on the wall. He loved to watch the bright zig-zagging pattern come alive. A thousand triangles danced before his eyes in a carefully terraced lockstep, vibrating red black white, red white black, hypnotizing him as it always did."


Absinthe spoons will be given as door prizes, so come indulge in delicious decadence and mysterious camraderie! We're going to party like it's 1899!

Tale of Two Covers

This coming August, my publisher, Macmillan, will release my historical mystery novel, THE SECOND GLASS OF ABSINTHE, in paperback. The cover design is markedly different between the original hardcover and the new, mass market paperback. In different ways, I like them both.

The older version, shown at left, is special in that it incorporated important elements of the novel. The painting of the woman holding the parrot is a real painting described in the book, only incorporated into the story in a fictional way. The painting is supposed to represent a portrait of the widowed heiress, Lucinda Ridenour, owner of the Eye Dazzler mine.

The absinthe bottle is colored too darkly emerald green to be “real” absinthe, which is a lighter, almost peridot, but, in the cover designer’s defense, absinthe was still illegal in the United States when the first cover was designed, so perhaps the artist did not know what real absinthe looked like. A forgivable mistake.

The “label” on the bottle shows a contemporary illustration of the town of Leadville, Colorado, the setting of the novel. This picture first appeared in Frank Leslie‘s Illustrated News in 1879, the year before the time of the novel, but clearly showing the “city in the clouds” at its busy, raucous best, which the novels details in some length.

The new cover also highlights the absinthe theme, but this time using an absinthe glass with a spoon and lump of sugar as its centerpiece. The color of the absinthe filling the glass is more accurately represented this time around, but absinthe has since been legalized and available at most larger liquor stores in the U.S..

The background again highlights a beautiful, sexy woman, who looks like trouble (that is, I am assuming the artist intended this woman to be Lucinda, rather than the novel’s amateur sleuth, Eden Murdoch, who has an exotic past of her own--detailed in the two prior novels, AN UNCOMMON ENEMY and ABSINTHE’s prequel, SOLOMON SPRING--but has never aspired to become a femme fatale.)

Which is my favorite? I love them both. The cover art is considered to be a major element in the marketing of the book, so I guess the most successful cover is one that entices the most potential readers to try the book. Only time will tell...

Living Steampunk

What is a Steampunk lifestyle? What is Steampunk generally? Not really an easy question to answer. Brass Goggles begins the discussion with the statement:
“Steampunk is a genre of fiction set somewhere in the 1800’s during the Victorian Era. The fictional part comes in that technology has gone a bit skewed – though the exact methods vary, generally steam-powered devices that would have been impossible or unfeasible at the time are found to exist.”

A good starting place, but I would hazard to add: all that and so much more. Steampunk has blossomed into a full-throttle aesthetic movement bringing a Victorian design sensibility into everyday objects and fashions and now even has its own musical genre.

Pictured here is my new house in Boulder County, Colorado. It is situated in a community of new houses built with Victorian or early 20th-century Arts and Crafts antecedents. In short, it is a neighborhood either caught in a time warp or presciently proto-Steampunk.

Where do Steampunks congregate to share their love of this (probably baffling to outsiders) love of all things neo-Victorian? Gatherings are occurring all over the map. Last October, your intrepid author and her ever-reliable and adventurous spouse, spent an enjoyable weekend in Seattle at the inaugural Steamcon convention, an event set to return November 19-21, 2010.

The big question for an author of fiction: are my novels Steampunk? Only the most recent, The Second Glass of Absinthe, would technically fall near that definition. It is a Victorian mystery novel that plays with elements of the Victorian occult, but given its lack of more pronounced urban fantasy elements, I would have to say that is does not qualify unless the constantly evolving definitions of this genre were expanded.

My current work-in-progress, however, may come closer to the mark. It, too, is a mystery set in 1875, but its primary theme--spirit photography--represents the ultimate nexus of the twin Victorian obsession: technology and the occult.

To be continued...

The Second Glass of Absinthe Returns

My third Eden Murdoch novel is being released in paperback this coming August. And with a brand new cover!

Since Absinthe plays a role in the story--set in 1880 Leadville, Colorado, I am often asked how I became interested in it.

I first learned of it a long time ago while reading a biography of Oscar Wilde. It was said to be his favorite libation and that he was particularly fond of the ritual that went with drinking it. I enjoyed one of his quotes on absinthe so much I based my title (and, in some ways, the story itself) on it:

"After the first glass [of absinthe] you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."

Absinthe was popular among the artists and writers of the 19th Century and is particularly associated with the Belle Epoch café society in Paris. Its legendary fans included Degas, Van Gogh, Rimbaud, Verlaine, Picasso, and of course, Wilde.

Hemingway also drank absinthe. My favorite quote from him is, "Got tight last night on absinthe. Did knife tricks."

The Absinthe Drinking Ritual

The herbal ingredient called wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is very bitter, so the liqueur needed sweetening in order to be palatable. Sugar does not readily mix with alcohol, so the absinthe ritual was born.

A sugar cube was placed on a slotted spoon over the glass containing a shot of clear peridot green absinthe. When icy water was drizzled through the sugar to melt it, it begins to "louche." That is, the clear liqueur becomes cloudy and palest jade in color. This signals it is ready to drink. My main character in the book calls this ritual "watching the clouds come out."