Absinthe, otherwise known as the Green Fairy, is back in Los Angeles after a 96 year ban in the United States.

The ban on absinthe in the US was lifted back in May last year, and since then several brands of the booze have been appearing on liquor store shelves across the country. Now the swanky Bar Noir at the famous Maison 140 Hotel in Beverly Hills has begun “L’Heure Verte” or “The Green Hour”, an hourly absinthe tasting experience.

Visitors to the bar can ask for a glass of Le Tourment Vert, prepared in the traditional French style. The absinthe is poured into a glass and a cube of sugar is placed over the glass on a special slotted spoon specially made for this purpose. Ice cold water is then dripped over the sugar from an authentic absinthe water fountain and allowed to dissolve into the alcohol. Once the sugar is dissolved the drink is stirred with the spoon and served.

Absinthe has a colourful history, shrouded by myths and stories. Some of the world’s most revered writers and artists were said to be absinthe aficionados, Van Gogh, Wilde, Toulouse - Lautrec, Picasso, and Hemingway have all been linked to the Green Fairy. The drink conjures up images of a bohemian Paris in the late 19th century where it was popularised in the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret bar, the drink was personified in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge by Kylie Minogue.

The drink is also surrounded by scandal, it’s main ingredient wormwood is said to contain hallucinogenic properties. The drink was labeled a psychotropic beverage and blamed for driving people into murderous rages. On the flip side it was also blamed on mass desertions during the First World War.

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To try out absinthe for yourself, without having to go to Beverly Hills, you can just try your luck in our prize draw to win your own bottle of absinthe complete with two glasses, sugar and slotted spoons. Just follow this link. The Morningstarr* Absinthe Competition

Filed under: Alcohol, Offbeat News by Earl Morningstarr Copyright © 2008 The Morningstarr*

A mature student in Swansea choked to death on five fairy cakes according to a coroner’s report released today.

34 year old Adam Deeley originally from Birmingham was living in Swansea whilst he studied graphic design, and worked part time at the Monkey Bar. On 22nd February this year, whilst off duty, Deeley joined in a cake eating competition being held at the bar. In a confident attempt to win the competition he duly stuffed five of the cakes into his mouth.

Mr Deeley began to choke on the cakes and was led to the toilets by a colleague who attempted to Heimlich the victim.

Unfortunately Mr Deeley, who was only one and a half times over the drink drive limit at the time, passed out and hit his head on the toilet. An ambulance was called to the scene but paramedics failed to resuscitate Mr Deeley who had gone into cardiac arrest.

A post-mortem revealed the cause of death to be choking on fairy cakes jammed in the upper and lower respiratory tract.

The coroner gave a verdict of misadventure.

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Filed under: Alcohol, Death, Offbeat News by Earl Morningstarr Copyright © 2008 The Morningstarr*

Japanese brewery Sapporo is planning the world’s first “Space Beer” produced from barley grown from grain once stored on the International Space Station.

The project isn’t a commercial venture at this point, Sapporo insist their research is intended to prepare them for a time when people spend lots of free time in outer space and will be requiring an alcoholic beverage to help them unwind as they cross the starr*s.

Sapporo’s research is being assisted by a former member of a Russian space project team, who worked on developing methods of space agriculture.

Biologist Manabu Sugimoto, from Okayama University, tells us that barley is ideal for space agriculture.

“Barley can grow in relatively tough environments, such as high and low temperatures, and is rich in fibre and nutrients”

“In the future, we may reach a point where humans will spend an extended period of time in space and must grow food to sustain ourselves,” Sugimoto said.

But as everyone knows, thirst is a much more important survival factor than hunger so developing beer is the logical step to make.

“In the long run, we hope our space research will be not just about producing food, but about enjoying food and relaxing,” Sugimoto said.

Space travel and alcohol, a safe combination?

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Filed under: Alcohol, Offbeat News, Space by Earl Morningstarr Copyright © 2008 The Morningstarr*