Absinthe without leave

As a collector and consumer of single-malt whiskeys I rarely turn my taste-buds to other drinks. I know what I prefer and I stick with it. But one drink, Absinthe, has always intrigued me. I first came across it when I read that it was the preferred drink of Oscar Wilde, of whom I have a life-long fascination. I have since learnt that Wilde shared that proclivity (as well as some others) with Zola, Hemmingway, Verlaine, Modigliani, van Gogh, Twain and, perhaps most infamously, Aleister Crowley.
Absinthe is purported to be a hallucinogen, though this effect may be more accurately attributed to the mind-blowing (literally) 70% alcohol by volume (ABV) that Absinthe can get up to; a single-malt by comparison is somewhere around 40—50%.  It is true though that it contains the chemical compound thujone which is considered both addictive and dangerous leading to Absinthe being banned in Europe and the United States for a time. The anise-flavoured spirit is however back on the market and can be bought in New Zealand, though not in Mataura where it is banned.
I have never tried it and perhaps never will. As I said at the outset I have my preferences, and my proclivities, unlike Wilde’s, don’t extend to experimenting.  But if you are tempted, one of the favourite ways to drink it is to place a sugar cube over a slotted spoon and pour water over the cube and into the Absinthe. The resulting liquid would be sweetened and turn cloudy. Be warned however: you do so at your own risk. Absinthe has been described thus:
“It (Absinthe) makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces the future of the country.”
Bit like Hamilton really.

De Profundis

Win or lose at conclusion it can now be said that the America’s Cup racing and the performance of Emirates Team New Zealand are nothing short of sublime. The first seven races have made for riveting viewing and been great fun to watch, if a little anxiously at times. It would be churlish, I think, to be critical of the regatta. However, some are. And that’s not unexpected. The hoary old criticisms of the America’s Cup being a rich man’s sport and disgraceful use of taxpayers’ funds are again being trotted out. To me, that’s fine. People are allowed their opinion and no doubt in their opinion they are heart-felt opinions. But they are not new nor are they profound. They have been around for every regatta in which Team New Zealand has competed. Is that a problem? Not really. To me it’s just annoying that these critics make these statements with a certain smugness that they are saying something profound. There is nothing profound about them.  In fact if this regatta is lacking anything it is just that…profundity. For example, Martin Tasker’s repeated (five times) exclamation in race two that “we have a boat race.” That, I would have thought self-evident. What I think he meant to say was that we had a real competition on the water. Which we had. But he didn’t. And then there are the equally evident “it’s early days yet” and “we have a long way to go.” I can’t argue that these statements aren’t intended to manage expectations or they aren’t accurate. But we all know that the regatta has a long way to go (less now) before Dean Barker can hold the Auld Mug aloft, so it is vaguely patronising to be told so…repeatedly. But none of this and none of the critics should or will tarnish what is an exciting event and time for New Zealand. And there is the crux of this Fryday. If you are going to moan and groan about The America’s Cup go for it. Just accept that there is a lot to enjoy, to celebrate and to be proud of what is going on here and in San Francisco.  And that is exactly what most of the rest of us are doing.

The Whores on Seventh Avenue

I have a friend who said he once shared a limousine with these two. They barely spoke to each other and, to his mind, there was palatable dislike between the two. I have a relative in Christchurch  who for a time hosted them both. Briefly. In the end one went to Queenstown the other to North Island. They simply didn't want to be together. But when they were together they created great music such as this. For those who know the original recorded version well, note the extra verse; the lyrics are so perfect you have to wonder why that verse was left out.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xqxxwk_simon-and-garfunkel-the-boxer_music