Absinthe

The green fairy of absinthe: Myth or ...?

There's a place called l'Absinthe in Paris, on a charming square near the Opera Garnier, with an improbable "New York" decor (featuring a giant clock face). It's part of Michel Rostang's restaurant group, the first Michelin-star chef to open informal bistros next door to his fancy properties. But despite its name, it doesn't actually serve any absinthe. Real absinthe, stuff of mystery and legend, is perhaps the most maligned of drinks.

Painters from Degas to Van Gogh to Picasso have portrayed its magic. Edward Rothstein, fellow Yalie and former music critic at the NYTimes, reviewed the mystical powers of absinthe in a recent column. Three years ago, Seattle Weekly had a long piece about the underground culture of absinthe in Seattle.

Slowly but surely, absinthe has been making its way into local bars and liquor stores. Now, an outfit called Buy Absinthe aims to keep the momentum going, with a website as well as a Buy Absinthe blog to answer your pressing questions.

Absinthe itself isn't illegal; the villain would be a psycho-active chemical called thujone that could cause hallucinations. Modern absinthe doesn't contain enough thujone to harm a cat, let alone create visions of green fairies.

If you can't find absinthe (and absinthe paraphernalia, like spoons and glassware) locally, you can order it online. And if all this sounds like an advertisement, well, it is.