Two things are back in New York and much of the country: Spring and absinthe. Put them together on a lazy Saturday with good friends and magic ensues. Walking to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of Chartreuse with a few friends, something more appealing (for both its exoticism and former contraband status) caught our eyes last weekend: absinthe. There were two brands available and we opted for the Lucid, prompted by it's glowing recommendation in The Times.
With bottle in hand, we headed to our favorite BYOB restaurant in the West Village, serendipitously joined another group of friends and enjoyed a wonderful meal together. The group we joined was drinking some nice and otherwise exciting Rioja, but we had absinthe and were in no position to be jealous of anyone.
Armed with sugar cubes and the restaurant's endless supply of free tap water, we mixed our absinthe, sugar, water cocktails and apertiff turned into food pairing turned into dessert. At one point one of our absinthe party proclaimed, "I'm so happy," as if high. Indeed, the effect of the absinthe (which we drank with gusto but moderation) was a nice buzz, plus.
They say the chemical in wormwood, Thujone, taps into the same receptors as marijuana. Much has been done in recent years to discredit the negative reputation of absinthe, that it causes hallucinations and craziness, but I can tell you that Thujone adds a little somethin' somethin'. We checked in with each other throughout the meal: "Anyone feel like cutting off their ear?," and were continually assured, "No. I don't want to cut off my ear, but I'm so happy."
Besides making you feel pretty nice, the Lucid stuff tastes great. You'll first notice the anise/fennel qualities (as they're a key part of the recipe). Then you'll notice other, some vegetal, flavors. It's subtle, complex and delicious. You would never believe it was 62 percent alcohol, but you would do well to remember that fact while drinking it--a little goes a long way. It is its palatability combined with its high alcohol content that makes it, I think, potentially dangerous. But, drunk with good friends on a beautiful day with an eye to moderation and proclivity toward pleasure, it's hard to beat.
Erin Hollingsworth
