Ibiza-November 1, 2003

NEWS and VIEWS from IBIZA-HOTELS NOVEMBER 1, 2003

IN THIS ISSUE:
Price Felipe gets married.
'HIERBAS' and the 'DEVILS BREW'
The Feria de Muestras 2003
NEW IBIZA FORUMS

NEXT ISSUE:
NOV. 15, 2003

"WHAT TO DO and WHERE TO GO ON NEW YEARS EVE-IBIZA..2003"

Most of Spain was left open mouthed at the news presented yesterday bythe Royal House of Spain
when they announced yesterday the formalengagement of Prince Felipe to Letizia Ortiz. The wedding will take place in the Almudena catherdral of Mardid at the beginning of next summer.

Letizia Ortiz, 31 years old, is the stunningly beautiful news announcer of Spains Channel 1, 9:00 O´Clock news. The Prince have had fairly secret relationship since last summer.

The 13th annual "Feria de Muestras" closes to day, Sunday the 2nd of November with record attendance of 20,000+.

The 72 expositores were an ample demonstration of goods and services offered on Ibiza......from furniture manufactures to online services, vibrating massage arm chairs and swimming pool equipment.

There was a difference from other years, however........no free samples...except of course and the Warsteiner Beer stand...which is why their stand was always crowded.

But this reporter remembers anterior versions of the fair where local manufactures of sausages, hams, baked goods, wines and other island delicacies from caterering services to beverage makers competed for the visitors attention with samples of their best wares.

The anterior versions perhaps less professionally done....but there seemed to exist a more intimate and personal contact with the public.

SECRETS of HIERBAS and ABSINTHE

Hierbas is an alcoholic beverage made by the Ibicencos at home.

It is a transparent brown colored liquid which contains branches of rosemary, laurel a wide variety of aromatic native plants like anise (the strongest ingredient), fennel, and slices of lemon.

These are all placed in an open bottle and set to ferment naturally.

Health inspections have begun to limit the home-grown production by forcing labeling of the indredients, but 'Hierbas' has been produced on Ibiza and Formentera since time imemorial, and many familes are extremely proud of thier recipes passed down over generations. It is the IBICENCAN DRINK par excellance..and is usually served over ice.

ABSINTH: "The Devil's Drink"

The invention of the formula for Absinth is attributed to a an eccentric Swiss doctor (and French exile) named Pierre Ordinaire. He prescribed this drink for a wide variety of illnesses , and it is made by boiling a concentrate of wormwood (artemsia absintium), and then adding anise, hyssop and fennel.

IN 1797 Luis Pernod bought the recipe and began manufacturing it commercially.

It has been blamed with causing epilepsy and deleriums, however the principal cause of these accusations was probably the 'tujone', an ingredient found in wormwood which casses hallucinations, and the toxic green coloring, aspic acetate and antimony trichloride (The ingredient that makes it turn cloudy when water is added).

It has been outlawed in many countries (Spain is not one of them) but contiues it spopularity in all of Europe....many believe because of its association with many famous artists...like Van Gough, Tolouse-Latrec, Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allen Poe.