The quest for absinthe in Madrid, part I

My husband told me about a wine shop near his place of work that had absinthe on its shelves.  Today I got there to take a look.  After looking around, I did not see it so I went to talk to the sales man and this is how the conversation went:

Me: Excuse me, do you have any absinthe?

Sales man: Yes, it is over here – goes to a shelf, looks around and says – Oh, I think I sold my last bottle.

Me: Oh.  What brand is it?

S.m. (Surprised): Brand?  It’s the only one that exists.

Me: (Puzzled look) There are about 50 brands of absinthe.

S.m: Oh, really?  This one comes in a slim bottle and it’s green.

Me, thinking to myself: "That is not much help."

S.m. # 2, joining the conversation: We have the one that sells the most.

Me, thinking to myself:  "It’s no wonder it sells well, it’s the only one you have."

S.m. # 1: It’s from Catalonia, that’s all I know.

Me: Well, thank you very much for your help.  Bye.

Note to self, living the shop: Do not come back here for absinthe.

Absinthe Wallpapers

To celebrate the release of their Heritage Verte absinthe, Alandia is offering a beautiful free wallpaper that you can download and enjoy in your own computer. Click here to get it!

New absinthe design up for sale

A new creation for all of you absinthe fans!

This is a new design of absinthe bottle, created after the real absinthe Ridge, made by Joe and Jules Legate, owners of Ridge Distillery. Joe kindly gave me permission to make a miniature of their handcrafted creation - which by the way I recommend wholeheartedly!
The credit for the design of the label goes to no other than Mr. Gwydion Stone himself, absinthe expert, and owner of Marteau Absinthe - you should try that one too! If you are interested at all in absinthe you should visit The Wormwood Society for answers to any question you may have regarding this delicious drink.

Featured!

One of my lovely customers mentions me and my work regarding her Green Fairy Outfit that she wore at the NADWCon2011: Costume Extravaganza. Scroll down to see it! She looks lovely!

Absinthe accessories - Not in Miniature this time!

Sometimes I just need to stop making minis for a while and enjoy a bit of crafting for myself. The Green Fairy has inspired these two accessories:

I did not spend a dime in this necklace - I used some bits and bobs that I had around the house. Actually, it has been years since I used the fairy pendant for the last time. Hopefully it will get a lot more wear now...

I did buy the spoons to make these earrings. Not exactly absinthe spoons, but one can forget about that small detail... They are actually quite long, I hope I don't hurt myself while wearing them!

And also, some Absinthe accessories for my home: The Absinthe Robette vintage add by Privat Livemont:

And to add to my little display, a sugar dish and a French Absinthe ceramic saucer - these were used in French bistros; every time somebody ordered a glass of absinthe the waiter would bring the glass on one of these plates, and at the end of the evening the plates were counted to know the total of the bill:

I'm beginning to have quite a collection of spoons, lol! The bottle is Absinthe Lucid.

And currently waiting on a glass brouiller and a packet of sugar cubes specially made for Absinthe... I'll let you know when they come :)

Absinthe Soap for your miniature scene

Remember that post about my crafting of anise-scented soap? Well, I thought it would be nice if the mini people could have their own boxes of Absinthe soap, so I made them reality:

The box reminds me of the After Eight chocolates - they have been my favorites for a long time... I wanted to give them a decadence/luxurious feeling, just as the mint-flavored chocolate. And the color of the soaps is milky green, like real Absinthe after the louche. It was not intentional, but it is a happy coincidence. They are up for sale in my shop!

First Absinthe Fountain up for sale!

Oh, how I wish it was evening already so I could have a glass of Absinthe!

The first fountain has been listed in my shop! I am waiting on the arrival of some bottles, and then the Absinthe sets will be available again. Hopefully sometime next week :)

I did it! I made it!

Remember some posts ago, when I talked about the Absinthe fountain that I purchased for my real size house? Contar gave me an idea that I desperately wanted to try: to make an absinthe fountain in miniature.

I spent some days thinking about the design, and today it all came together. Since my fountain is completely made of glass, and I can't blow glass from scratch, I took as inspiration the Bonnecaze and Cie N. 2 fountain:

And voila! The miniature absinthe fountain became a reality:

Can you see it on the table, next to the Absinthe set?

This design is definitely going to be on my shop. I hope I will be listing the first absinthe fountain in miniature in a couple of days. Stay tuned!

Drinking Absinthe is going to be a pleasure

Totally off topic, I received today my first absinthe fountain! I am so so excited about it, and I am dying to use it for the first time, along with the absinthe glass - also new!
I'll let you know how it goes...

More Absinthe crafting

But this time not in miniature. This time in real-life size, and for personal use, no less!

Have you ever crafted soap? It's so much fun, and I love to do it. The down side is that I can not craft soap all the time or my cupboards would be full of bars - although family and friends get their share sometimes, at Christmas or Valentine's Day. I confess that I don't know how to do the cold process method, and that I have enough with the melt and pour system. Yes, I know it's not the same, but it works for me. And I love making, displaying and using my own soaps!

Well, having fall in love with the Absinthe scent, I wanted to craft an Absinthe soap - that is, with anise scent. It was easy to find anise oil on eBay; I bought it from Bulk Oils, and it was an easy transaction with a fast shipping. But I was dying to get one of the Victorian Blossom molds:


Isn't it lovely? I found it some time ago in Southern Soapers; I could not resist more, and bought one. And with some clear soap, lime green dye, my new mold and the anise oil, I made this:


The two white thingies inside are a couple of real sugar cubes! Not only it looks beautiful, every time I enter the bathroom I can smell the anise scent in the air...

The Absinthe Tray is finished!

...and up for sale in my shop!

I love how it came out! I thought the tray was going to be too small to hold everything, but it's perfect.

I have been considering talking with Fake Food Decor (in case you don't know him, he makes the most fabulous and realistic fake food in real life size I have ever seen) and ask him to make one just like this for me. I would love to have an Absinthe display in my living room...

Visited by the Green Fairy

This past weekend I tasted my first glass of absinthe.

It was something I was very looking forward to do; I had read so much about this drink that I wanted to try it at least once. But alas, the local shops only had big absinthe bottles (which included an absinthe spoon too), but they were expensive (almost $60), and I did not want to buy them, in case I did not like it - it would have been quite a waste of money.

But this time my husband found a tiny bottle of absinthe - only 3.4 oz, and SO CUTE - for less than $10. I was so so excited, that I even talked about the discovery with my friend and comic-provider Justin. He gave us a tip on the only place in town where to find sugar cubes (he confessed that he loves absinthe as well) and off we went for them. Next morning I hurried over to Michie Tavern to buy an absinthe spoon. Yes, I am aware that all this stuff can be found online, but I wanted it right away. And on Saturday evening we prepared the drink and enjoyed it.

It was quite a shock to find out that the most predominant flavor was of anise. When I was younger, there was always a bottle of anise-anisette "La Castellana" in my grandparents' home; and the taste of absinthe was quite similar.

To commemorate this special moment, I am going to make an "Absinthe" miniature that will be available in my shop in a few days. Even though I have made them in the past, absinthe trays are one of my favorite things to make...