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Once the rave of Paris’ café scene, absinthe has returned to the States and is the perfect drink for a warm September evening, especially if you like black licorice. In traditional drink service, chilled water is slowly dripped from an absinthe fountain onto a sugar cube, which gradually dissolves through a special slotted spoon into a glass containing the absinthe. (Note: It should not be set afire.) It’s traditionally served as an aperitif before a meal.
Named after one of its primary components, Artemisia absinthium (the grand wormwood), absinthe is referred to in France as la grande absinthe. It’s a distilled spirit flavored with aniseed, fennel, and wormwood. Nicknamed la fée verte (the Green Fairy) it’s typically 55 to 72 percent alcohol by volume because it’s intended to be cut with three to five parts chilled water per one part absinthe. The oils from the anise, fennel, and other botanicals are dissolved in the alcohol during the maceration-and-distillation process. Once water is added, these oils come out of solution to form a colloidal suspension, causing the drink to become cloudy, known as the louche (pronounced “loosh”), which releases fragrances and flavors latent in the essential oils. Traditional absinthe doesn’t contain sugar and is colored only by the infusion of the herbs. It can be bitter, which explains the sugar cube, and should contain no artificial or FD&C colors.
If you want to experience absinthe in St. Louis, head to The Gin Room (3200 S. Grand) or Planter’s House (1000 Mississippi). The latter stocks six absinthes and will break out the fountain on request; the former added absinthe and pastis to its menu in August. (Pastis, like absinthe, is an anise-flavored spirit, but it’s bottled at a lower proof and contains star anise instead of aniseed.) The Wine and Cheese Place, in Clayton, has the best selection. Try the Duplais Verte ($79.99), Mansinthe ($55.99), Vieux Carré ($54.99), Lucid ($59.99), or Sirène ($59.99).
