Ke Xue Bartender

Chapter 161 The Absinthe Drinker
Lin Ye observed the customer sitting at the bar.

He looked young, perhaps a college student, with freckles near his cheekbones and a gloomy expression.

The long side bangs covered her left eye, leaving her exposed right eye lifeless and staring blankly at the bar.

He had been sitting at the bar for quite some time.

Sonoko and Xiaolan have already left, and after receiving a phone call, Kogoro Mouri also went to a game where three people were missing one person.

The only ones still sitting at the bar were Director Ochiai and Conan, who was sitting at the edge and reading a comic.

The young man with side bangs is right next to Conan.

Conan held the comic book in his hand, but his eyes kept glancing at Xilangbangs from time to time.

"What would you like to drink, sir?" Lin Ye asked.

"I, I want to try absinthe." The young man's voice was weak.

Try it? Lin Ye was stunned.

That means it was the first time I drank it.

"How much alcohol can the guest drink?"

The young man whispered, "I have never drunk alcohol."

"Absinthe has a high alcohol content and a unique flavor. Even people who like to drink may not like the taste of absinthe. Are you sure you want absinthe, sir?" Lin Ye confirmed.

"I want to try it." The young man still insisted.

"Haha, absinthe is banned in the West. Countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States, France, Belgium, etc., all issued absinthe ban at the beginning of this century (20th century), and it has not been lifted to this day." Director Ochiai suddenly spoke up.

"It is said that this wine has a hallucinogenic effect. In 1905, a Swiss farmer killed his family with his own hands after drinking absinthe, which caused a sensation. Later, through a referendum, Switzerland issued a decree banning the production of absinthe, which led other countries to follow suit."

Lin Ye said: "Yes, the absinthe currently produced basically comes from a few countries such as the Czech Republic, Spain, and Portugal."

According to the timeline that Lin Ye knows, the revival of modern absinthe began in the UK.

Absinthe never really caught on in the UK, nor was it officially banned, so a British distillery sparked a resurgence in the 20s by importing absinthe from the Czech Republic.

The era in which Lin Ye lives now is exactly in that period.

However, absinthe is not a popular drink in Japan and few customers order it.

As for countries like France that banned absinthe, they had to wait until the new century to lift the ban on absinthe.

"Young man, why do you want to drink absinthe?" Director Ochiai couldn't help but ask.

“Because of a painting, I like it very much.”

"painting?"

"'The Absinthe Drinker' by Czech painter Viktor Oliva," the young man whispered.

"Oh, that painting." Information about the painting emerged in Director Ochiai's mind.

The young man continued, "There is also a painting with the same name, by the French painter Édouard Manet. In addition, there are Degas's Absinthe, Van Gogh's Absinthe and Water Bottle, and Albert Mayen's Green Muse, all of which are paintings depicting absinthe. That's why I want to try the taste of absinthe."

Talking about these paintings, his voice suddenly became louder.

Director Ochiai looked at the young man in surprise: "Young man, are you studying art?"

"Yes." The young man's voice fell back, looking very unconfident.

Lin Ye glanced at the young man and smiled, "I see. Absinthe is loved by artists and writers, who regard it as a 'green muse' that brings creative inspiration. Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway are all loyal fans of it. Hemingway even invented the most famous absinthe cocktail, called Death in the Afternoon."

"Hey, can I try that?" The young man showed an interested expression.

Lin Ye shook his head: "Death in the Afternoon is a combination of absinthe and champagne. Absinthe itself is a strong liquor, and the bubbles in champagne will accelerate the absorption of alcohol, making it easy to get drunk. You should try drinking it the normal way first."

"Oh, okay then." The young man looked a little disappointed, but did not insist.

While Lin Ye was preparing the wine vessels, he introduced the young man, "This old gentleman is the director of the art gallery. Since you are studying art, I think you two should be able to get along well."

The young man looked at Director Ochiai and said in surprise: "Director of the Art Museum... then you also like painting."

Director Ochiai nodded with a smile and said, "I treat the paintings in the museum like my own children. Come on, young man, work hard to create excellent paintings."

The young man lowered his head and said: "But my family doesn't support my painting and says I have no future."

Lin Ye caught a glimpse of hatred in his right eye and was shocked.

No way, could it be that again?

He silently poured a little absinthe into the glass and placed the absinthe spoon horizontally on the rim of the glass.

The absinthe spoon is a matching utensil that evolved from the unique way of drinking absinthe. It is hollow and can be made into beautiful shapes.

Then place a white sugar cube in the hollow of the absinthe spoon, and then add a few drops of green absinthe.

Once the absinthe has completely soaked the sugar cube, light it with a lighter.

In the light blue flame, the sugar cube gradually melted and dripped into the wine glass from the hollow part of the absinthe spoon.

Blue flames also dripped, igniting the absinthe in the glass, which was dazzling.

The flaming wine glass was reflected in the young man's right eye.

He stared blankly at the flame in the cup, as if his soul was burning along with it.

laugh.

A drop of crystal clear water fell from a high place, pouring into the flame on the wine spoon, making a slight sound.

Lin Ye held a measuring cup filled with ice water, tilting it just enough to let the water drip down.

The supporting equipment for drinking absinthe also includes a special dripping container, but because the store did not have that condition, he had to do it by hand.

Ice water mixed with sugar dripped into the wine glass.

A wisp of white vapor rises in the cup, giving people a sense of mystery.

Lin Ye's hand was like some kind of precision instrument. As the degree of tilt slowly increased, the water drops fell faster and faster, finally forming a crystal clear water line.

The flame at the mouth of the cup did not burn for long and went out in the water line.

If it burns for too long, the alcohol will be burned out and the cup may break due to thermal expansion and contraction.

After adding ice water, the originally light green wine became a little turbid.

That is when the herbal ingredients in absinthe that are not easily soluble in water appear and spread in the glass like a cloud, which is called emulsion.

"This way of drinking by lighting fire is called the Bohemian way of drinking, the burning green elf."

Lin Ye chose this dazzling method because he considered that the flame could consume some of the alcohol, which was suitable for this guest who was drinking for the first time.

And the word Bohemian is often used to describe people who are not bound by tradition, such as artists and writers.

This guest is an art student, so this way of drinking is just right for him.

Lin Ye pushed the wine glass in front of the young man.

"please."

The young man picked up the wine glass and stared at the white milk in the glass with a dazed look.

A charming face slowly emerged from the cup.

[Sister Xia Jiang...]

(End of this chapter)