Absinthe Minded

I've had a peculiar fascination with absinthe (a.k.a. "the green fairy") for years now. It doesn't just give you an alcoholic buzz, it literally makes you trip out with hallucinations. It was a favorite among the Parisian avant-garde jet set in the 19th century. It magically changes color while you prepare it. Indeed, there is a whole ritual using specialized equipment to prepare absinthe properly. It is illegal to sell in the U.S. It inspired some very cool artwork and designs. All of these things give it a subversive, outlaw aura to it.

Then I actually got to try some of the stuff some time ago. I was less than impressed.

While it is illegal to sell the final product of absinthe in the U.S., it is apparently not illegal to sell absinthe kits, which contains a powder containing many of the ingredients for in absinthe. You mix these ingredients into something like vodka in a bottle, then drink up!

My girlfriend got one of these kits. I eagerly drank some of it up after so many years of anticipation and curiosity. I almost gagged after a few sips, even after diluting the drink with water and sugar. It has an overwhelming licorice flavor about 10 times more potent than Jagermeister. There is also a lingering smell of something akin to a Nyquil factory. I couldn't even finish the glass. Worse, I didn't get any kind of buzz at all from it because I could only tolerate a few sips of the stuff. We still have a 3/4 full bottle of the stuff sitting in our cabinet 2 years later. It is only brought out on special occasions, like for drunken daredevil friends at parties. They all have the same reaction as I did. What a disillusioning experience!

To be fair, after researching the topic a bit, those kits apparently have only a vague similarity to the real thing. With a drink of such mythological status as absinthe, I'll give the drink the benefit of the doubt and get a hold of the real thing, one of these days...

All About Absinthe
Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle