Absinthe sure is getting a lot of attention these days. Mention that you drink absinthe, or throw around words like “louche” and “thujone” and suddenly people get all excited. Absinthe definitely still has a stigma as being a forbidden spirit in SoCal, and frankly, the drink’s hype is old like so many shots of Britney Spears’ patootie.

If you want to get high, go smoke some hash. While I have been known to get a headache drinking more than 1 glass, it’s certainly nothing pleasant-more like, where-the-heck-is-my-inhaler, I-have-a-massive-hangover type feel. That said, if you’re curious about it by all means please try it-just don’t go on drinking it only for the cool appeal and turn into a louche douche.

The first absinthe I tried was from Lucid as I found a good deal on a gift set before Christmas. It included 2 pontarlier(reservoir) glasses, a spoon, and a 750ml bottle of the green juice. If you’ve ever had pastis, absinthe will taste strikingly similar. Lucid is no exception, as a pale yellow verte style selection. It reeks of anise even sitting on a table a few feet away.

A word about preparation: I keep a bottled water in the fridge for a few hours before to get nice and chilled and throw it in the freezer for about 30 minutes prior to pouring. Yeah, I’m not so much of a fanatic that I need to buy a spiffy looking spigot contraption.

The traditional drink assembly goes like this: pour a shot or two of absinthe in a pontarlier glass(in general it should hit or be just below the bulb of the glass). Place the spoon atop the glass and center a sugar cube on it. Slowly drip ice water drop by drop onto the sugar cube using as little water as possible to melt it. After the sugar cube has dissolved, add more water to dilute the drink between about a 3:1 to 5:1 ratio. Enjoy!

I’ve had absinthe prepared bohemian style with a burning cube, however I prefer the traditional preparation method as the bohemian style is really all flash and mirrors. The assembly is much the same, although instead of pouring the absinthe in the glass prior to placing the sugar cube on top of the spoon, the glass is left empty and absinthe is poured over the sugar cube. The sugar cube is then lit on fire and once the flame dies, water is poured on in the same manner as the traditional method.

So let’s recap:

1. Don’t drink absinthe in anticipation of whacking your ear off

2. You must like anise to enjoy it

3. Stick with the traditional preparation method for the best results

Has all this talk of absinthe piqued your interest? Read up on the spirit from people who are green-fairy fanatics at The Wormwood Society.