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by Manos Angelakis
Absinthe, the Revival
In 1912, the highly controversial spirit, absinthe, was banned in the United States. Finally, absinthe is making a comeback. This year, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Bureau approved three brands of absinthe for sale, Lucid, Green Moon, and Kübler. Absinthe has been legal in Europe for the last 8 years now, and in the UK was never really banned. Many available brands are having much more than the European Union’s nominal legal limit of thujone, absinthe’s supposedly hallucinogenic ingredient, 10 milligrams per kilogram of the spirit. The legal US version is created containing miniscule amounts of thujone.
So now, here in New York City, aficionados can now present themselves at "l'heure verte", the green hour as it was called a century ago when the art world of Europe would be found at cafés sipping absinthe. At least five bars/restaurants, to my knowledge, offer absinthe “the traditional way” at a cost varying from $14 to $20, depending on the establishment.
The classic French absinthe ritual involves placing a sugar cube on a flat perforated spoon, which rests on the rim of a glass containing a measure or “dose” of absinthe. Iced water is then very slowly dripped on to the sugar cube, which gradually dissolves and drips, along with the water, into the absinthe, causing the green liquor to turn to louche (“loosh”), an opalescent greenish/white as the essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic solution. Usually two to four parts water are added to one part of absinthe. True absintheurs used to take great care in adding the water, letting it fall drop by single drop onto the sugar cube, and then watching each individual drip cut a milky swathe through the peridot-green absinthe below. Give the absinthe drink a spin with the spoon and drink like you dripped - slowly.
Amalia (204 West 55th Street, 212.245-1234). Named after Sigmund Freud’s mother, it seems absolutely normal that a supposed mind-altering beverage will be served in the form of the “Artemisia Cocktail”($12); a blend of brandy, calvados and Lucid absinthe with a generous splash of lemon juice.
One Little West 12 (212.255-9717). A trendy meatpacking district restaurant and lounge, smartly decorated with candles on the exposed brick wall. It offers fancy cocktails, including the “Absinthe Drip” ($18) which is served with the sugar cube in a classic perforated spoon over the glass green liquid.
Kobe Club (68 West 58th Street, 212. 644-5623). Sipping a glass of bright green absinthe ($20) in a trendy restaurant decorated with black stingray skin accents and shining samurai swords suspended dramatically from the ceiling, seems somehow very appropriate.
Provence (38 MacDougal Street, 212.475-7500). A recently revamped Village eatery, celebrates the cuisine of Provence with seasonal ingredients. It serves the “Absinthe Drip” ($14) at the bar, which features a classic fountain filled with ice that drips cold water over the spoon with the sugar cube to sweeten the bitter drink.
I also understand that Brennan’s Restaurant, in New Orleans, mixes an outstanding absinthe cocktail “Absinthe Suissesse” – a concoction of floral aromatics and the intense, yet smooth anise flavor of Absinthe.
Emil Zola and Vincent van Gogh would approve.
© November 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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