By by NICHOLAS DAY Photo by Marta garcia

From the April 2008 Issue

Lake Magazine covers the hottest information on the Lake Michigan area.

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Absinthe – the fabled nectar of the 19th century literary beau monde – has returned. A new wave of absinthe makers are reintroducing versions to today’s beret-wearing drinkers. Bottles recently arrived in select Chicago and South Bend bars; get it before it's banned again.

Back Story

No other drink has the allure of absinthe. An herbaceous, licorice-flavored liquor invented by the Swiss, absinthe is famous – infamous – for its popularity among artists in late 19th-century Europe, who nicknamed it the Green Fairy. It was the official drink of the Belle Époque era: In fact, both Picasso and Degas have famous paintings titled The Absinthe Drinker. But as swiftly as absinthe rose, it vanished: After being blamed for the notorious murder-suicide story of Swiss laborer Jean Lanfray in August 1905 (Lanfray downed two glasses of absinthe, among other alcoholic concoctions, and shot his wife and two kids before turning the trigger on himself) the liquor was banned in much of Europe and the United States.

Recent Reemergence

In the last decade, the drink has been redeemed. Scientists have determined that the potentially dangerous ingredient in absinthe – the chemical thujone, found in the herb wormwood – was only present in small quantities, even in old bottles. The real problem was more likely shoddy distilling and bottling. In response, the Food and Drug Administration approved several absinthe brands for sale; in fact, there’s even a California absinthe producer, St. George Spirits, that offers Absinthe Verte. Less potent offshoots of the elixir are also offered. The brand Absente is made from a different wormwood with minimal thujone content and thus is not technically absinthe.

Hallucinogenic Effects

Writers from Oscar Wilde to Ernest Hemingway have talked up the singular effects of absinthe. But scientific studies have never found any evidence that absinthe, or the chemical thujone, has hallucinogenic properties. Nevertheless, Joachim Klatzkow, a partner at Chicago's West Loop bar Lumen that serves the French-made Lucid, says absinthe has an inimitable effect. “There’s an amazing rush that goes through the body when you drink it,” he says.

How To Serve It

“We serve it in the traditional method,” says Steve Greaves, the general manager at Chicago’s Crimson Lounge in River North, which serves the Swiss Kübler brand. “The absinthe in the glass, then a perforated spoon with a sugar cube on it” – the spoon resting on the edge of the glass – “and then chilled mineral water over that.” He adds, “A lot of people think you’re supposed to shoot it.” Don’t: Absinthe is dangerously alcoholic, ringing in at 120 to 150 proof. At Lumen, Klatzkow won’t even serve it as a shot. He prefers absinthe in cocktails, and he’s just added a new mixed drink to the menu: Lucid, Cointreau and white grape juice. But Klatzkow cautions potential drinkers: “It’s an acquired taste.”

Where to Get It

For the hard stuff:

Lumen, 839 W. Fulton Market, Chicago; 312-733-2222

Crimson Lounge, 333 N. Dearborn St., Chicago; 312-923-2473

Delilah's, 2771 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago; 773-472-2771

The Violet Hour, 1520 N. Damen Ave., Chicago; 773-252-1500

For a tamer version – sans the controversial thujone:

Club Noma, 119 N. Michigan St., South Bend; 574-233-4959

LaSalle Grill, 115 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend; 574-288-1155