Absinthe is a great way to get messed up.  Just ask Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, or Charles Baudalaire.  These famous artists are all known for their love of absinthe.  And although it's expensive, we thought we should share with you fascinating and classy beverage that is absinthe. 

What is it?

Absinthe is a liquor, (not a liqueur, which is common misconception), and a strong one at that.  Usually distilled at between 45% to 70% alcohol by volume, this stuff will make your blood flammable if you drink enough of it.  It's flavored with wormwood (Artemesia absinthium), which is sort of what black licorice tastes like.  Wormwood contains thujone, which is why absinthe got banned in the United States.  Authorities believed thujone was harmful, and used it as their scape-goat for making it illegal, despite the fact that the amount of it in absinthe is too small to actually hurt a person.  In fact, the amount of alcohol in absinthe is far more dangerous when consumed in large quantities to the drinker than the thujone.  Regardless, the fight against absinthe succeeded, and in 1915, there was no legal absinthe in the U.S. and many countries in Europe.

 

How should I drink it?

Drinking absinthe is a pretty classy experience.  If you want to do it properly, you need a few things:

1.)  Reservoir glass.  These glasses allow for you to fill a small reservoir (hey, get it?) with the absinthe.  This is where the next part comes in.

2.)  Absinthe spoon.  This spoon fits on the mouth of the glass.

3.)  Sugar cubes. 

Now here's what you do.  Fill the reservoir in the glass with absinthe.  Place the spoon on the mouth of the glass, and put your sugar cube on the spoon.  Drizzle ice cold water over the cube until it melts into the absinthe.  You can use a water bottle if you want, but the authentic way is to use an absinthe fountain.  The water and sugar combination should cloud the mixture.  When it's cloudy, it's ready to drink. 

That's an absinthe drip fountain doin' its thing.  Get one of THESE bad boys for your apartment, and watch all the turn-of-the-century-ladies run wild.

 

See that cloudy beverage?  It may look like semen, but it tastes slightly better.

 

Where can I get it?

Absinthe has been popular as an online purchase, but last year it was legalized in the United States.  In the United States, the Lucid Absinthe company started making the drink which became available in March of 2007 when its formula passed FDA requirements.  Lucid is produced in the traditional French manner. 

 

Anything else I need?

There are no requirements for drinking absinthe, but may we suggest growing an old-timey moustache?