It's human nature to covet and mythologize what we can't have, even though the forbidden fruit rarely tastes as good as we imagine. Such is the case with absinthe.
The Green Fairy is distilled from the flowers and leaves of Artemisia absinthium, or wormwood, resulting in a potent, herby liquor containing between 45.percent and 90.percent alcohol by volume. Served over sugar through a slotted spoon, the drink was popular among French artists of the belle epoque, as well as Oscar Wilde and the noted occultist Aleister Crowley. But absinthe's psychoactive effects were exaggerated, and the liquor as banned in America and much of Europe for most of the 20th century.
Yet absinthe enthusiasts in the United States regularly imported bottles of the stuff or sneaked them through customs. I sampled a batch several years ago, hoping to enjoy the purported effect -- a lucid drunk with shades of psychedelia -- but was left puking in a Papa John's box instead. I've used Jaegermeister to similar effect with less pomp and ceremony.
Now the drink is being sold legally locally -- Kahn's Fine Wines and Spirits sells 750-ml bottles of Lucid, $54.99, and Absente, $39.99 -- but it's not the same formula that gained fame in the salons of Paris. "The difference is that the absinthe here in the U.S. is aged with Southern wormwood; they call it petite absinthe," said Todd Rainer of Kahn's. "It's not the hallucinogenic variety."
If you prefer to catch a weird buzz in public, go to 54th Street and Keystone Avenue. According to local liquor distibutor Olinger, Keystone Sports Revue is the only area bar purchasing absinthe, but the Revue's neighbor, Locals Only, is offering the Green Fairy as well.
No matter where you imbibe the stuff, tread lightly. Even though it's not as potent as the absinthe you'll find in Eastern Europe, it still packs a powerful punch. "Everything in moderation -- especially absinthe," Rainer said.
After this story published Indy.com was contacted by Eric Timmerman at Olinger who told us that not only are there a great number of bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs carrying Absinthe but that some of the information provided by Mr. Rainer was erroneous.
According to Timmerman, "The primary difference between the absinthe in Europe and the United States revolves around thujone content. Lucid contains the maximum allowable thujone content under U.S. law. Lucid is also made with a full measure of Grande Wormwood which the pre-prohibition absinthes contained."
The liquor is currently available at the bars mentioned above as well as from 501 Tavern, 52 Bar, Ale Emporium, Alley Cat Lounge, Bar Louie, Big Daddy's Bar & Grill, BLU Lounge, Bourbon St. Distillery, Britton Tavern, Broad Ripple Tavern, Chatham Tap, Club Rio, Cosmos, D'Vine, Elbow Room, Fireside Brewhouse, Good Fellaz, Greg's Place, Harding Street Pub & Grill, Hillcrest Country Club, Howl at the Moon, Infusions, JE McGilvery's, Jazz Kitchen, Jersey's, Keystone Art Cinema, Krazy St. Grill, Loon Lake Lodge, Loughmiller's, Lulu's, Mo's Steakhouse, the Omni Hotel, PJ O'Keefe's, Primo North, Shallo's, Shenanigans, Sidewinders Bar and Grill, Slamming Sammie's, Slippery Noodle, St. Elmo's, Sullivan's, TD's Alibi, That Place, Blind Pig, Red Room, The Spot, The Vault, Ugly Monkey, Vollrath's, Westin Hotel, Whiskey River Bar & Grill, Wirty's World.
