Rakhi Purnima Dasgupta at an outdoor market in Antibes, France; (top) a wall at the Absinthe Bar in Antibes

I have been writing about my trip through southern France and about my consequent culinary experience in my past few columns. This piece is about the jewel of southern France — the Cote d’Azur.

The sun was a golden ball slowly dipping into the azure blue sea as we reached Juan-les-Pins. We were staying in a cottage on the beach, where yachts of every size, shape and hue were parked and the 2km beach with golden-white sand was filled with sun worshippers. During the summer, the place is crowded, primarily with French families.

Juan-les-Pins and Antibes have attracted artists, poets, writers and musicians for over a century. The likes of Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Picasso helped transform this sleepy winter resort into the summer playground of the rich and famous that it is today. You could bump into Madonna, Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro and other celebrities strolling through the old town or at the many Michelin star restaurants spread across both Antibes and Juan-les-Pins.

I fell in love with the old town of Antibes — its original Greek name was Anti Polis, the city opposite, in reference to its location across the bay from Nice. There are surprisingly few hotels here. With its winding, cobbled streets strewn with flowerpots, frescos and wall paintings, festooned with beautifully decorated boutiques, art galleries and shops, along with quaint restaurants and cafes, it is a magnet for people visiting the Riviera.

The small outdoor market has delightful stalls upon stalls selling an assortment of items while the covered market is packed with meat, sausage, creamy cheeses, olives and olive oil, herbs and spices, flowers and vegetables.

Tucked away under the speciality olive oil shop, Balade en Provence, just off the covered market, is the Absinthe Bar (La Balade). It seems trapped in the 19th century with vintage Absinthe posters, bottles, glasses, spoons and other paraphernalia. Its round marble-top tables, cramped and dark Gothic atmosphere transports you back to the time when Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh or Oscar Wilde would down glasses of Le Fee Verte or Green Fairy (because of its green colour) to get their creative juices running.

Artist Edgar Degas immortalised Absinthe while writers such as Charles Baudelaire and Ernest Hemingway gave the drink credit for their inspiration. Hemingway’s favourite was a cocktail called Death in the Afternoon — consisting of a jigger of Absinthe in a champagne glass followed by crushed ice topped with chilled champagne.

Absinthe was originally made by the Greeks. It’s a highly alcoholic drink derived from flowers and leaves of the wormwood, herbs, green anise, and sweet fennel.

The Bohemian way to drink it is by placing a sugar cube soaked in Absinthe on a designed spoon, over a shot of the alcohol in a specially made glass. The cube of sugar is set afire and dropped into the glass and equal part of water is added to douse the flame. It has a slightly bitter, strong anise taste and after a few you may see green fairies and a couple of pink elephants as well!

In the 1900s, Absinthe became a symbol of decadence and was believed to be a highly addictive hallucinogenic leading to insanity, and with its association with Bohemian culture was vilified and banned by 1915. Its cousin, Pernod, took its place as an aperitif in Europe and America.

Today, around the world as well as in the south of France, Absinthe can be drunk freely, and it is a much stronger drink than the original, created by an infusion of herbs into pure alcohol which is then diluted. It comes in both red (from the red hibiscus) and green versions. Drunk on its own or made into cocktails, it no longer has a demonic or risque image.

Sitting perched high above in the Cap d’Antibes among the expensive, luxurious villas and posh hotels such as Hotel du Cap Eden Roc where Fitzgerald is said to have penned Tender is the Night, one can really feel why so many were inspired by this place. With clear blue skies, a gentle summer breeze, the evening sun beating down upon the coastline and a dazzling aquamarine sea, the beauty is spellbinding.

so having downed a couple of Absinthe, I could definitely vibe with the plaque in Place du Safranier in the old town which reads: “I fear nothing, I want nothing, I am free”. It is attributed to the author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ, Nikos Kazantzakis, who resides just a few villas away.

Here, I have given two recipes — one of the famous Green Fairy from Absinthe Bar and the other is a popular cocktail named after the town.

GREEN FAIRY

Ingredients

Absinthe: 30ml

Chilled water: 30ml

Juice of half a lime

A dash of bitters

Beaten egg white (optional): 2tsp

Method

Place crushed ice in a cocktail shaker, add all the ingredients and shake well. Pour into an old-fashioned cocktail glass.

ANTIBES

Ingredients

Gin or vodka: 45ml

Benedictine: 15ml

Grapefruit juice or orange juice: 60ml

A slice of orange for garnish

Method

Place all the ingredients except the orange slice in a cocktail shaker. Add crushed ice and shake well. Pour into any tall glass and garnish with a slice of orange.