Absinthe is Back! Sort of . . .

Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic liquor. Its origins are unknown but the ingredient wormwood has been used for thousands of years. However that very same ingredient is what led to it being banned in the United Stated due to its hallucinogenic properties. It was wildly popular in the 1800's, specifically the 1860's. It was a trademark drink of famous artists, writers and poets like Picasso, Hemingway, Degas, and Oscar Wild. By 1910 the French were consuming 36 million litres of absinthe per year. it was officially banned in the United States in 1915. But now, after 100 years, it has returned for sale in the united states, sort of.

Absente, is a modern version of absinthe currently for sale. It still has the characteristic emerald green color and high alcoholic content. In fact the only real differences are the lack of wormwood and the slightly lower alcohol percentage. Don't get discouraged just yet though, they replaced the wormwood with its less bitter cousin, southern-wormwood, and its still a powerful 110 proof. In fact, it even contains legal levels of thujone.

Don't run down to your nearest liquor store just yet though, where exactly in the United States you can buy this new version of absinthe is unclear. You can always buy it from the companies website at www.absente.com. however some people, including myself, would like to know where you can get the drink close by. The website does claim that you can buy the drink all over the United States, and has a link to a list of such providers, but the link is broken and doesn't lead anywhere.

Their are many ways to indulge in the liquor, but the traditional way to drink absinthe or absente is to pour one and a half ounces of absente liquor into a glass. Then place a slotted spoon, or an absente spoon, across the top of the glass. Place a sugar cube in the center of the spoon, then dissolve the sugar cube by pouring three ounces of cold water over it. Wait for the drink to settle and turn emerald green, stir and enjoy.

There are many recipes for home-made absinthe around on the Internet, many of which involve soaking or mixing store-bought herbs and wormwood extract with high-proof liquor such as Vodka or Everclear. Even though these recipes have gained some popularity, it is not possible to produce absinthe without distillation. So whether or not Absente is as good as the original absinthe, unless you want to drive down to Mexico, its about your only option.