Happiness as Anarchy #64: Absinthe

I do like a little sip of the Green Fairy from time to time. I first tasted it with some travellers from the south of France, who talked about their grandfather and his friends and the ritual that is followed when drinking absinthe – first the absinthe is poured into the glass, then a sugar cube balanced on the special slotted spoon that rest atop the glass, over which one slowly pours water. The water dissolves the sugar and when the mixture hits the absinthe it becomes cloudy, like a strange green alien milk. The flavour is heavily aniseed with a hint of mint, and combined with sweetness it is dangerously smooth and easy to drink. Although modern absinthe is not as crazy as the 19th brew, I still limit myself to two glasses as it does give me trippy dreams, and I am loathe to live the madness of an absinthe hangover.

For the history of absinthe and the story of bottles hidden on mountain paths, head over to Atlas Obscura’s article on the Green Fairy.