Fall’shottest gatherings? Around ice-cold water dripping over sugar cubesinto glasses of exotic, anise-flavored -- and until recently, illegal-- absinthe. Here, a primer on the seductive elixir and its famousgreen-hued grip. -- Rob Brinkley
The Back StoryAbsinthe is a distilled spirit concocted from herbs, most prominently the leaves and flowers of
Artemisia absinthium,also known as wormwood. Medicinal wormwood cropped up in ancient Greekand Egyptian lore, but it wasn’t until the freewheeling French -- rich,poor, and bohemian alike -- of the 1800s adopted an anise-andfennel-infused liquid version of it (the form we know today) thatabsinthe hit its stride. And did it ever: By 1910, absinthe consumptionreportedly outpaced that of wine. Yes, in
France. That’s huge. But itwas absinthe’s legendary strength -- it can be almost 70 percentalcohol -- that led to its nearly worldwide banning, specifically inthe
United States in 1912 and in France in 1915. Urban legendsabounded: It was a hallucinogen; it could make you a degenerate, turnyou into a martyr, and, well, drive you crazy. Guess what? It’s back.In a big way. (The United States gave it the green light just lastyear.)
The Heady RitualOh,the appeal of the preparation. Absinthe is traditionally poured into ashort, tapered glass, over which a special slotted spoon is placed. Awhite sugar cube is plopped in the spoon’s bowl and -- slowly, ever soslowly -- ice-cold water is dripped over the cube. (Target ratio: threeto five ounces of water to one ounce of absinthe.) The mixture downbelow turns a milky white. Flavors are unlocked. Stories begin.Absinthe as a social moment? Indeed. Absinthe “fountains” -- large jarsfor the ice water, with spigots all around -- allow you and yourfriends to share in the fun. Get your own absinthe glasses, spoons, andfountains via the Internet (see Where to Find It below) and watch whathappens.
WHERE TO FIND IT »www.oxygenee.com/premium,
www.absintheclassics.com,
www.absinthedevil.com,
www.absinthebuyersguide.com,
www.wormwoodsociety.org,
www.alandia.deWHERE YOU’VE SCENE IT » Absinthe required while watching; popcorn optional:
Moulin Rouge (Ewan McGregor swills some),
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Gary Oldman and
Winona Ryder share some), and
Alfie (Susan Sarandon tempts
Jude Law with some).
TOP TONICS » DOUBS MYSTIQUE ($73) French, modern, ultrapremium »
Duplais Verte ($38) Swiss, rich and refreshing, unique golden/green hue »
Mata Hari ($37) Austrian, new twist on an 1881 recipe »
Pernod ($70) French, the original absinthe
FILE UNDER: WHY ARE WE NOT SURPRISED? »Shock rocker
Marilyn Manson has begun bottling his own take on thetonic called -- what else -- Mansinthe. It’s distilled in Switzerlandfrom vermouth, aniseed, fennel, and herbs. It even has a Manson-donewatercolor of a rather eerie-looking man on the label.
www.mansinthe.comFAMOUS ABSINTHE IMBIBERSOscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh (it’s rumoredto have driven him crazy, leading him to chop off his own ear), ErnestHemingway, Edvard Munch