Absinthe Time – Czech Absinthe Bar

 

Absinthe Time
Kremencova 5, Prague 1
Phone: +420 222 516 300

Every thursday from 20:00 they have live jazz…and here is their absinthe menu:

 

Absinthe STAROPLZENECKY (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l.)

Absinthe RED L’Or (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthium 1792 GREEN (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthium 1792 RED (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe Bitter Bairnsfather, SEBOR (55% alc., Thujon 32 mg/l)

Absinthe Bitter Extra Anise, SEBOR (55% alc., Thujon 32 mg/l)

Absinthe HILLS (70% alc., Thujon 4 mg/l)

Absinthe Le Fee Hypno (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe REALITY, SEBOR (60% alc., Thujon 26 mg/l)

Absinthe FRUKO (60% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe FRUKO (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe STAROREZNA DEVIL(red) (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe STAROREZNA (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe ZELENA MUZA (72% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe ZELENA MUZA ART (72% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe 35 (70% alc., Thujon 35 mg/l)

Absinthe KING OF SPIRITS (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe La Boheme Original (70% alc., Thujon 10 mg/l)

Absinthe La Boheme Bitter Spirit (60% alc., Thujon 35 mg/l)

One Night in Praha?

Absinthe on Fire?

The Loiterers, 1887
Oil on canvas
18 X 24 inches

Source: http://www.godelfineart.com/artists/wiles_absinthe.htm

This particular work dates from 1887 and it has been suggested that the subjects are the artist himself and his wife May. The couple, who were married in 1887, is shown drinking absinthe, an activity best known from the images of the French artists Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. The liqueur, which is extremely bitter and exceptionally potent, is traditionally poured through a lump of sugar on a specially slotted spoon and mixed with water. This creates what is called the louche, a milky white effect that occurs when compounds in the liqueur precipitate out of the absinthe-water solution. While probably painted in New York City, Wiles’ Absinthe Drinkers reveals a direct link between the French and American Impressionists.

Czech Mardi Gras!

Masopust is the February festival in the Czech Republic that most resembles Mardi Gras. This is a time of drinking: loads of roast pork (cooked on open spits), washed down with cold beer (“pivo”) and plenty of other drinks like absinthe.

This party — which literally means something like “going without meat” — is marked by the use of masks and outlandish fancy dress. It is a time of indulgence and excess prior to the 40-day fast; it is believed it is pre-christian in origin. The mask-wearing likely represents the spirits of the dead (who apparently walk about at this time of year); there is a suggestion of sun worship, too. Devils, chimney sweeps and a host of animal figures make up the parade including a horse that collects doughnuts and an array of mad creatures from your worst nightmares.

This is one time of the year when you don’t need to drink absinthe to see the green fairy in the Czech Republic.

Czech Phrase: “Kdo sa nenají ve fašank, bude hladovět po celý rok” means “If you don’t eat during Masopust you’ll be hungry for the rest of the year”

Rare Bohemians in Washington DC

 

Rare Bohemians! Czech out this Michael Jackson impersonator! (Note the grandma – babicka – complete with arm on hip and look of gentle disbelief.) All part of the fun of Czech cinema. Here are the details:

 

Wild Bees (Divoke vcely)

Tuesday, February 13, 8 pm: Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015 Tickets: Purchase at the box office 30 min. before a show.

http://www.theavalon.org/

 

Wild Bees

 

A dark, satirical look inside a Moravian village yields a beehive of trouble. Shy 18-year-old Kaja lives with his grandmother and philosophizing father. Kaja’s main occupation in life is secretly admiring the girl of his dreams: Bozka, a wild-child who peddles sausages in the local village. When Kaja’s prodigal brother arrives from Prague for a visit, long stagnant relationships begin to stir. [2001, directed by Bohdan Slama, 94 min., in Czech with English subtitles]

 

Presented films are part of the RARE BOHEMIANS touring series produced by Irena Kovarova in cooperation with the Czech Film Center, Prague. Additional support provided by Czech Centres.

Absinthium 1792: Just add water!

 

Absinthium 1792 is a good Czech absinthe that louches! Now, what does that mean? The louche or la louche is the term for the milky opal colouration that occurs in absinthe when water is added. This is one of the ways by which absintheurs – the “experts” – judge the drink by the standards of the 19th century. It should be noted that not all Czech absinthe will louche, but this particular colourful electric-green drink does just that. According to one reviewer: “The louche is very nice. It builds up from the bottom, slightly turbulent and it gets nice and thick” (i) Also, Absinthium 1792 has a excellent anise flavour, which, again, is not a noted quality of most Bohemian absinthes.

Absinthium means “without sweetness” and you should add sugar via a slotted absinthe spoon to taste. Unlike Paul Veraline, the 19th century French poet, I take mine without. The distiller of Absinthium 1792 is Trul s.r.o based in Mikulovice, Moravia. Mikulovice is a settlement dating back to 1263; it lies right on the Czech-Polish border and was raised to the status of a town as late as 1990. Trul is also renowned for another herbal drink: the Jeseníky Priessnitz liquor. This is the drink of the of the “water doctor”, the famous Czech folk doctor Vincenz Priessnitz who championed the use of the hydrotherapy and the spa.

Water is an important constituent of traditional absinthe drinking and the Czech Republic is blessed with an abundant supply of great mineral waters. No visit to the Czech Republic would be complete without trying an absinthe and a visit to Karlovy Vary, the stunning spa town renowned for its mineral springs and a home to yet another Czech herbal liquer, Becherovka. In fact, the Czech republic is bursting with undiscovered drinks if you know where to look; many of them date back to the days of the Austro-Hungarian empire and beyond.

Absinthium 1792, named after the year absinthe was born, is recommended.

Czech Word or Phrase of the day: “Bez peněz do hospody nelez” is a piece of helpful advice! It means do not go to the pub without any money!

(i) http://www.feeverte.net/