Absinthe returns to U.S.
Print
Email
Save
Twitter
Social Media
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
- Page 1 of 3
- SINGLE PAGE VIEW
“The green fairy.”
“The “cocaine of the 19th century.”
Ted Breaux has heard every description of the fabled and infamous absinthe drink.
A New Orleans native, Breaux said he became fascinated by places like the French Quarter’s Old Absinthe House, the history of the strong liquor and its often-false reputation for inducing hallucinogenic episodes.
Breaux, an environmental chemist who had dabbled in bartending, then embarked on a “14-year odyssey” to France to learn how to distill and produce absinthe as it was originally made in the 1800s.
The result is Lucid, the first traditional absinthe legally distributed in the United States in 95 years.
Now, the Old Absinthe House is serving its namesake again. Lucid, and a few other legal absinthes, are also being sold by retailers in Baton Rouge like Martin Wine Cellar and in bars such as Roux House and Red Star downtown.
But it was in French cafes where famous artists and writers first romanticized the wormwood-based drink.
“What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?” Oscar Wilde once wrote.
Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas all painted the infamous beverage in famous works of art. Absinthe also was featured in recent movies such as “Moulin Rouge” and “From Hell.”
Besides the anise taste, which is similar to licorice, Breaux said much of the allure is in the presentation.
To properly serve the drink, cold water is slowly poured over a sugar cube on a special, perforated spoon resting on top of a glass partially filled with absinthe. When poured properly, the green liquor “loushes” and becomes a milky white and green.
“Absinthe makes me feel a bit different, just like drinking beer makes me feel a bit different than drinking wine,” Breaux said. “Modern absinthe connoisseurs describe it as a lucid feeling.”
- NEXT PAGE »
- 1
- 2
- 3
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
