Even though I grew up only a few hours away from Hamburg I have never been before and I must say that that was a mistake. I now put Hamburg as one of my new favorite cities. It could have something to do with I arrived with perfect timing of the arrival of summer but I honestly think that even during the coldest winter day or the rainiest autumn afternoon I would appreciate Hamburg for it's history, architecture and just plain great fun.

Flyfishing... that is another thing I really enjoy. To be out in the woods for hours even days. Sure, I love to catch a big fish but still this is one of those things I can spend the whole day doing and walk home empty handed and feel okay with it.

Yesterday I went to the local put and take lakes in Olofström. Camille joined me for a whole day of practizing casting and attempt to catch a trout or two. The day started grey, some rain and rather windy. Some sandwiches and coffee later the weather changed for what you se on the pitcure. An awesome day... so even though we walked home empty I felt satisfied. 

During my last visit in Hamburg I decided to buy a nice bottle to drink on special occasions. Today i such an occasion and I have just tried a new brand of my favorite drink, Absinthe. It all started during my french class during high school when we had an assignment about french culture and of course I wrote about the food and wine. I also found another drink I never heard about before. You guess it, Absinthe!

Absinthe has a worse reputation than any other alcoholic beverage in the world. It has been said that you will meet the green fairy if you drink it. It was very popular under the early 1900. It has been told that any famous writers, poets and artists drank a lot of this particular potion to get creative visions. When the world later entered a rough time with an rapid increase in crime, Absinthe got the blame. One of the herb which was used during the manufacturing of absinthe is called worm-wood which is know to contain a neuro-toxin called Thujone. That fact that people during this era drank huge amounts of alcohol was by-passed. Absinthe was made illegal in many countries but got re-introduced a few decades later.

So is Absinthe that bad for you? Of course it is... it is alcohol and contain 7 empty calories per gram alcohol plus the sugar that is added but the stories about thujone are very exaggerated. Modern studies have shown that the amounts thujone found in todays absinthe won't make you see any green fairies. And if you do... you can't be sane:) Check this link for more information.

My choice this time was a german Absinthe called Tabu Absinth-classic strong. It has 73% alcohol so it should be mixed with 3-5 parts water. Many of todays absinthe got tons of added colors, flavors and sugar. Tabu-classic strong is made naturally with no added sugar which makes it one of the best once I have tried.

I also think it is important to spend some time preparing the drink properly. Sure, there is several different cocktails witch is based on Absinthe but in my opinion the best way to enjoy absinthe is mixed with water and possibly burn a cube of sugar to bring out more flavor.

Now, being a personal trainer and all I would not go as far as recommending any of you to drink alcohol but if you are going to have a glass or two, make sure to make it worth while and choose something great. In my opinion Tabu-Absinthe classic strong is a good choice. It gets 4 fairies of 5 possible:)

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