This bonus episode is in fact a pilot for a new podcast show I have made with Sam Bilton and Alessandra Pino. Enjoy! In the very first episode, Neil is presenting and gives everyone a free choice as to what topic they want to talk about, as long as it begins with A of course. Alessandra goes for apples, Neil chooses absinthe and Sam looks into adulteration. Links to things mentioned in this episode: ‘13 Magical Ways to Use Apples’ Glyn Hughes’ Alan Turin sculpture ‘Lancashire man poisoned after eating cherry seeds’ article on BBC News ‘How Did La Belle Époque Become Europe’s Golden Age?’ article on The Collector ‘Site of "The Absinthe Murders"’ article on Atlas Obscura The Apple Tree (1952) by Daphne du Maurier Hallowe’en Party (1969) by Agatha Christie The July Ghost (1982) by A.S. Byatt Join our free Substack to get extra bonus features: https://substack.com/profile/147444179-sam-bilton  Anything to add? Don’t forget we want to hear your suggestions for future topics. Contact the pod: email: aisforapplepod.gmail.com Social media: twitter/X: @aisforapplepod Instagram: @aisforapplepod_ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy