Trying Out the New Absinthe

Posted by Angie Rayfield Feb 10, 2008

I was pretty excited to learn that absinthe was making a return (legally) to the U.S. I'd heard stories about its mystical properties and wild effects. Poe and Van Gogh were enamored of the drink. Could absinthe be given some of the credit for their flights of imagination?

So absinthe was on my to-do list. And as luck would have it, a friend called this weekend and said, "Guess what I have?"

In the interest of historical accuracy, we decided to use the traditional method. Oddly, few people have absinthe glasses or spoons lurking about these days. A slotted serving spoon and a juice glass had to do. They don't look cool, but they work.

The approach - pour 1 part absinthe in the glass. Place a sugar cube on the spoon, and slowly pour water over it to dissolve. The proper ratio is 5 to 1. As the water hits it, the absinthe "louches", turning from a clear emerald green to a pale milky green.

I sipped.

Several people have assured me that Lucid is good representation of the art form, and I'll take their word for it. But I'm never going to be a fan of absinthe.

I had forgotten one important fact - absinthe is anise based. I was prepared for some anise, but thought that it would be mixed with the flavors of the other herbs used. Instead, to me it tasted like a black jellybean in a glass. And I'm the kid who tried to feed the black jellybeans to the dog (who also wouldn't eat them).

I'm not giving up, though. There are a lot of recipes out there, surely I'll like one of them!

Have you tried absinthe? Tell us what you thought!