Absinthe: La fée verte

Image: The Absinth Drinker; Pablo Picasso


Image: The Old Absinthe House, New Orleans

Absinthe has been banned for nearly a century since Prohibition, but the fabled “fée verte” is experiencing a revival. With more than 200 commercial brands of absinthe in distribution, the anise flavoured spirit has become a specialty feature in upscale bars and restaurants. In the past decade, almost every country has lifted the ban on absinthe and a modern version is en vogue. But the controversy surrounding absinthe continues. Very few commercial distilleries make absinthe with the alleged mind-altering wormwood. And those that do, keep the dose low since there are still laws against importing the spirit as well as, labelling requirements. Modern day commercially available absinthe may not possess the hallucinogenic mind trip of vintage absinthe legends, but at 80% alcohol (brand depending) I’d say it’s still wicked.

This infamous spirit has earned its celebrity status. Absinthe’s fascinating history as medicinal elixir, fashionable apéritif, bohemian muse, and hallucinogenic drug was once so favoured among both aristrocracy and bourgeoisie that it out-sold wine. (Absinthe’s fall from grace is attributed to the wine industry’s grudge against the spirit). The glamorous drink of La Belle Époque was served throughout Paris, at the Moulin Rouge, and in the cafés of Montmartre. As the favoured drink of the Pablo Picasso, Edgar Dégas, Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Baudelaire, absinthe is the stuff of legends... Vincent Van Gogh madly cut off his own ear because of it. Jack the Ripper allegedly killed because of it. Nine Inch Nails wrote a song about it. Marilyn Manson even makes his own limited edition “Mansinthe” brand.

On a recent trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, I visited Jean Lafitte’s famed Vieux Carré bar, “The Old Absinthe House” at the corner of Rues Bourbon et Bienville. In operation since 1807, it is the most famous bar in a city of famous bars for its signature drink, The Absinthe Frappé. The bar has been visited by Frank Sinatra, Presidents William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, authors Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, and even Alexis, Grand Duke of Russia. If you can’t make it to New Orleans, I recommend Ottawa’s Absinthe Café in Hintonburg which serves Canadian and Czech absinthe. Or, you can always make your own at home à la Hemingway…

Hemingway's “Death in the Afternoon” cocktail:

- Pour one jigger absinthe into a champagne glass,
- Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness;
Drink three to five of these slowly.

The Old Absinthe House's "Legendre Absinthe Frappé:"

- Fill a large glass with shaved ice,
- Add one teaspoon Benedictine,
- Add 2 tablespoons Legendre Absinthe,
- Add 4 tablespoons of water;

Cover glass with a shaker and shake until frosted. Strain into small glass and serve.