Former residents of the French Quarter probably miss Mardi Gras more than anything else about the city. With the majestic celebrations that side of the world during the festival, who wouldn’t?

If you can’t make it to New Orleans for Fat Tuesday, you can celebrate its memories with cocktails that bring to mind its spirit. With thousands of places to enjoy a good cocktail in the city during the height of the annual festivities, there surely must have been a couple of drinks that completely snagged your fancy. Plop down on the couch, turn on the TV to whatever Mardi Gras programming is being shown and mix up a few of these French Quarter favorites.
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A history, how to make it, and where to find it now

Absinthe. Edgar Allen Poe wrote about it. Vincent van Gogh’s paintings expressed his enjoyment of it. Julius Verne, Ernest Hemingway, and even Leonardo DiCaprio indulged in it.

Absinthe, a strong alcoholic drink with a mix of herbs, from the Artemisia absinthium plant, has been popular throughout history. Dr. Pierre Ordinaire appears to have been the inventor, creating the drink in 1792. However, there are documents that say a manufacturer was making it in the 1750’s. While who and when the drink was made is not clearly known, what is true is that the Pernod Fils Absinthe company went into production in 1852 and helped to promote the Absinthe drink throughout Europe and other continents.

The drink did become very popular, perhaps made even more famous because of the many artists and writers who have attributed part of the success of their work to the drink. However, the erratic behavior of such famous people (such as Van Gogh cutting his ear off and sending it to a lover) became a focal point and it was banned in certain countries in the early 1900’s.

Buy genuine absinthe products at affordable prices!
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