Practicing absinthe

(Credit: Gollart)

What near-mythical herbal spirit will make you trip out and see little green fairies who inspire you to make beautiful art? If you answered absinthe, you're dead wrong—despite the lore, the drink is not and never was a hallucinogenic.

Many erroneously think thujone, a neurotoxin barely detectable in absinthe, made all those artists trip balls in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at the end of the 19th century. In fact, it was probably absinthe's high alcohol content mixed with a slew of other drugs that helped these artists find "inspiration."

Like another green herbal substance that gets a bad rap, absinthe was also falsely blamed for making people flip out, cut off their ears or even kill their families. As a result, the U.S. banned the liquor in 1912. After that, absinthe became something of an illegal underground sensation, until recently.  

Last May, the U.S. gave Switzerland's Distillerie Kübler & Wyss the go-ahead to sell the drink stateside, after an 85-year ban. In the following months, the government allowed two other companies to do the same.

A legal liter of Kübler Absinthe Superieure will set you back around $50 at your local wine shop. Weighing in at 106 proof, a straight sip tastes like someone dropped a piece of black licorice in a bottle of rubbing alcohol, shook it up and slapped a fancy label on it. And while it won’t make you hallucinate, there is an upside: The high-proof liquor still gets you drunk in record time.

When diluted with water and sweetened with sugar, this absinthe—which is clear instead of the traditional green—takes on a whole new character. It becomes milky, and the taste mellows. The mixture kicks off with an immediate bitterness but then blooms across the tongue like an herb-rich alpine meadow in springtime. Although you won't get high off it, a few sips makes your mouth go numb. An entire glass leaves your extremities flickering with a faint fuzziness not experienced with other beverages and makes for a uniquely pleasant experience.

Now that it's legal, absinthe is ready to wash over this city in a tidal wave of liquid herbal intoxication. But you don't have to wait for the flood, because some bars are already serving it, like Teddy's, which was the first to stock it—the people there are always ahead of the game, aren't they?

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder—and warmer—at Culver City's Fraiche. Patrons at Bar Lubitsch are also warming up to absinthe. The West Hollywood watering hole has seen a steady increase in sales since it started serving it in November.

Duke's Hideaway is eagerly awaiting their absinthe shipment and will start slinging the drink any day now, if your inner Bohemian can wait that long.

But before that, try pairing the legendary Parisian swill with authentic bistro fare at Comme Ça to get that certain je ne sais quoi—French for wicked buzz (sort of).

So what if absinthe won't make you hallucinate? It'll still have you seeing stars and tasting meadows. Now if only it could inspire an effective hangover cure, we'd be set.