Absinthe guru Ted Breaux, whose Jade line of absinthes is generally considered among the best, will be teaching a class in making absinthe cocktails. It will feature drinks made with existings and unreleased absinthes. The event will take place June 24th at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans at a cost of $20 per person and reservations can be made at 504-522-1994

John Trummer, owner of the New York bar Apotheke, prides himself in his pyrotechnic displays at work. The bar claims to be trying to re-create the atmosphere of absinthe dens in the 1800’s. John performs a rather elaborate absinthe fire ritual as seen in the picture. Any real absintheur knows that they never used fire with absinthe in the old days. He was recently arrested for pouring several different types of booze on the 20 foot long bar and lighting it on fire.  While I’m sure this looked really cool, it seems to be very dangerous. Friends don’t let friends burn absinthe . 

Our friend and owner of  “The Absinthe Buyer’s Guide”, Winston Guthrie, has written a book on absinthe cocktails titled “A Taste for Absinthe”. It’s a collection of 65 different absinthe cocktail recipes from award winning mixologists and bartenders from all over the country. Also the book includes absinthe stories and historical facts, information about the lifting of the ban on absinthe in America, a primer on absinthe production, a guide to US approved absinthe, and how to select premium absinthe. 
The scheduled release date is Sept. 21, 2010, but they’re accepting pre-orders now.  This should be a great book as it’s being published by the prestigious Random House. More info can be found at www.atasteforabsinthe.com  . I can’t wait to get my copy!