Also, absinthe turns your mouth into a place old spiders go to die. If a beverage is not fit to drink straight, it’s just not fit to drink. Absinthe, Creme de Violettes, and that Hungarian Pear Liqueur are all in this category.

Except…for the Sazerac. The Sazerac (like the Turkey Feather) is more than the sum of its parts and is glorious enough to justify the existence of all its parts.

(Note I said much the same on another blog, and the La Fee Absinthe people were still nice enough to comment and offer my readers a discount so they could make up their own minds. At least the evidence indicates that absinthe makes you fearless!)

However, some absinthe can be really lovely and tasty if properly served. (I will grant that I can sometimes be a jerk–and worse–but I’m not sure that it’s affecting my opinion here.) I do prefer to imbibe it at home, with friends, so I know I’ve got the good stuff; also, it keeps pretentious gits from bothering me while I drink. My strong preference thus far is for bleue absinthes, although my experimentation has been limited after finding my favorite: Artemisia-Bugnon’s “La Clandestine.” (No affiliation, unfortunately.) It’s wonderful on its own once you figure out what proportion of water to absinthe works for you, and it makes a lovely “Death in the Afternoon.” If you ever have a chance, give it a try. (Or, hey, if you’re ever in NW Ohio, come by for a drink!)

Sorry for the long ramble, but as a fan of absinthe, this blog, and your textual stylings, I just had to pipe up. Thanks for the drink recipes…Bee’s Knees is on my “must try” list, although I’m also curious as to what it would be like with some of the new honey liqueurs out there. Have you ever experimented with those?

Plummie, I’d love to hear your opinion on the rising popularity of Prohibition-era cocktails. I, for one, like to think it’s all backlash against years of vodka-based designer “blank-tinis” and their associated reign of terror…

Let’s go!