Absinthe does not make you crazy
The Liquid Muse (center) at Bar Keeper
…What? You thought absinthe, that storied liquor that made Picasso cut off his own ear, made people go nuts? Well, you can rest assured that absinthe does not make you crazy. I know, because I had some and lived to tell about it, right here, right now on this very blog.
I had this absinthe courtesy of The Liquid Muse Cocktail Club, which I’ve blogged about before, at Bar Keeper in Silver Lake. This was a great event — fun, informative, and in the coolest location. This meeting of the club was sponsored by Lucid absinthe and came with its own absinthe expert, who explained the origins of the liquor and its infamy. Apparently, you have to drink a ton of the stuff to “go crazy,” and it was banned because the wine industry didn’t want the competition, not because it was dangerous. So there you have it. Now that absinthe has been un-banned, you can enjoy the liquor made from sugar beets, fennel, anise and grand wormwood any time you want.
Also, our absinthe expert said that it’s meant to be enjoyed with sugar and water — 2 to 2.5 parts water to 1 part absinthe — to open up the liquor’s flavor. When you add water, it becomes milky white. While absinthe has an interesting flavor, I don’t really like it with just water. I’d rather have it as part of a cocktail, which we did in the form of two made by The Liquid Muse herself, Natalie. She created the White Christmas made with La Clandestine absinthe (a clear, Swiss version), simple syrup, grapefruit juice, allspice dram and Prosecco, as well as the Phoebe Snow made with cognac, Dubonnet and Lucid absinthe (a French version).
Still clear...
...and now milky white!
The venue for the night was Bar Keeper, a really cute and fun bar accessory and supply store. It’s a great place to get gifts, such as this Space Invaders-like ice cube tray and other drink-related items.
Ice Invaders ice cube tray
Bottle openers!
I think this is a funnel
Absinthe spoons
Lots o' bitters
There were also some tasty passed appetizers from Amy’s Culinary Adventures, including these caramelized pear and goat cheese crostini, and heirloom tomato and pesto crostini.
Pear and goat cheese (left), tomato and pesto (right)
