Spirits on the Edge
Absinthe is a wonderful spirit full of “le trouble”
By Richard Betts

On edge? Wanna take the edge off? How about a slight tint of green to color your mood? There’s a spirit that might not just take the edge off, it might also take you to the precipice — the precipice of fun, that is.

I’m way over vodka. I’ll save my soporific friend gin for the long plane flights. And, well, I was 13 at the time, but Bacardi rum and I still cannot stand within 10 feet of one another. These days, when looking for something more in our ever-expanding, faster-moving world, and perhaps something to help escape the same, I spend time with a little green friend that has actually been around for years. It’s called absinthe, and given the chance you, too, may find that it’s just what you need to live a slightly more interesting life — or at least catch a more interesting buzz.

Absinthe is all the rage these days, and devotees will tell you that the “Green Fairy,” as it has been called for centuries, is indeed your friend. Originally produced in Switzerland and then throughout Europe, absinthe enjoyed a heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was frequently depicted in the art of the time, including in famous works by Degas and Manet. Eventually the fever and enthusiasm that surrounded absinthe grew to outsize proportions, and it was blamed for a multitude of social ills by conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic. In fact, in 1915 it was actually banned in the U.S. (as well as in many European countries) behind the claim that the chemical agent in absinthe, thujone (derived from wormwood) was a dangerous psychoactive drug that caused people to commit all kinds of acts detrimental to society.

Some believed that van Gogh sliced off his ear after an absinthe-fueled bender. Who’s to say? We were actually crazy enough to ban all booze in this country for 13 long years via the Volstead Act. Only when a presumably sober President Roosevelt put his pen to the 21st Amendment did we get ourselves back in line. That said, it took another 70-some years before absinthe was allowed into the U.S. again — and a welcome addition it is.

So enough with the history lesson — what is absinthe actually like these days? Well, it depends on whose you try. Since it’s been reintroduced, dozens of distillers have begun production and some estimates put the number of absinthe labels at nearly 200. That’s a lot of choices, and they all have their own unique qualities. The commonalities include an anise flavor not too different from Pernod or pastis; a very high alcohol content (part of the charm, as you’ll discover); and a beautiful little trick of turning from clear or clear-green to milky, pearlescent white when water is introduced. This little feat is known as “louche,” meaning shade, or, more ominously, as “le trouble,” which means cloudy, and was intended to describe the cloud of trouble the drinker was about to descend into. Fun, right? Absolutely!

Once you’ve got your hands on a bottle, there remains the question of what to do with it. Drink it is the obvious answer, but how one does so has people playing with pyrotechnics and all kinds of fancy plumbing with which to extinguish their fires. Originally, European cafés served absinthe in a tall glass accompanied by a sugar cube, a fancy slotted spoon and a water source — either a pitcher or a fancier fountain. There were several variations on the ritual; one in particular called for the spoon to be propped over the glass with a sugar cube atop it. The absinthe was then poured over the cube into the glass.  Afterward the cube was ignited, dropped into the liquid and stirred briefly, extinguishing the flames. The addition of water brought on the louche. Theatrical for sure, and fun for the first drink, but perhaps a bit fussy. (Remember, this is the same time period when folks put hot coals in a covered pan and placed it between the sheets to heat themselves before bed.) If all the ceremony surrounding absinthe is going to keep you from getting to the fun, I’d say just pour the absinthe in a glass, add water and get down to business. Our dear Ernest Hemingway skipped the water altogether and just added Champagne to create a cocktail he called Death in the Afternoon; he is said to have enjoyed a great number of them in one sitting.

All in all, I think that you’ll enjoy the unique flavor, unique feeling and the unique idea that you are consuming a centuries-old passion of millions — ready, once again, to make friends with the Green Fairy.

Some of the brands this author, drinker and lover of fun has enjoyed include Lucid, St. George Absinthe Vert and several varieties from the Grand Cru producer of absinthe, Nouvelle Orléans.  Cheers, and enjoy the “trouble.”