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Remember in Moulin Rouge when Ewan McGregor's character drinks some green liquid, the camera tilts to a canted angle, the crazy music starts playing, and you felt like maybe someone had slipped a hallucinogen into your popcorn? The green liquid, of course, was absinthe, and its purported psychoactive properties have been well extolled by the likes of Oscar Wilde, Outkast, and Johnny Depp.
Known as the Green Fairy, absinthe is an anise-flavored (read: licorice) alcohol flavored with a number of herbs and spices, primarily wormwood. The key component of wormwood is a chemical called thujone, which is attributed with causing the hallucinations, violence, and addiction that caused the drink to be banned in most countries for decades. It's now known that absinthe contains very
little thujone and that its negative effects actually derived from shady distillation practices. Lucky for us, the ban against absinthe was lifted in the United States last summer. Lucid, the first absinthe brand allowed in the States since the ban was lifted, is now available at Lumen, Delilah's and the Violet Hour.
For those who don't believe the hype and want to try it for themselves, the Crimson Lounge at the Hotel Sax (333 N. Dearborn) is having a private tasting of Kübler, a Swiss absinthe, this evening from 8-11p.m. But you must RSVP to reserve your space.
Thanks, Kym.
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Lucid is available for sale at Sam's Wine and Spirits at all locations, from what I hear.
They go for $65 a bottle.
why so expensive?
It's the law of supply and demand coupled with the interest of a formerly contraband product, spook. I have a bottle of Lucid at home (had to taste it out for an article on absinthe I wrote for another publication) and it's actually pretty good. I'm eager to taste out this other one.
I was at Delilah's and tried the absinthe. It tastes good, like ouzo, and the buzz is nice. They do the water and sugar ritual there. I think absinthe is a little hyped, but if you want to try it, a lazy early evening sitting at the bar at Delilah's would be a good place to try it.
I've had Lucid at Bistro Campagne, where they also observe the sugar/spoon/water ritual. The drink was quite tasty with a subtle blend of flavors though I didn't experience any unique altering of consciousness (I'm sorry to say.)
I've had Lucid at Bistro Campagne, where they also observe the sugar/spoon/water ritual. The drink was quite tasty with a subtle blend of flavors though I didn't experience any unique altering of consciousness (I'm sorry to say.)
The purported mind-alterating properties were apparently from mild poisons, copper leaching and other congeners found in poorly made batches of absinthe.
I had a batch of this in Prauge in th early nineties. Bohemian-style asbinthe lacks anise, so you're getting nothing but the bitter wormwood. I was in a crowded, noisy nightclub and my basic senses were heightened while my motor skills shut down.
'Course, that can happen if you drink too much of any spirit.
I received a bottle of "Absinthium 1792" (that is the brand) for
Christmas.
I guess it was purchased online and came from Prague.
I have yet to try it.
I don't think they're selling it in Georgia. Where can I purchase a bottle online?