The last time I tried Absinthe was in my freshman year of college. My roommate/bff Sasha B brought a bottle of Absinthe her mom brought back from her trip to Ukraine. Absinthe is weird. It has very high alcohol content but it really does not taste or feel like it.
This time, our friend Paul brought us to his neighborhood pizzeria, which has a cool loft/bar upstairs and they carry a selection of absinthe. This was the first time I had it at a bar. The bartender prepared our glass by first pouring a drop of absinthe on to a sugar cube, and then he lit it on fire. Like mentioned, absinthe has high alcohol content so the sugar cube goes in flames instantly. Then it slowly melts, through the spoon/spatula looking thing with holes, into to the glass. Lastly they slowly pour iced water into it.
When I looked at the menu, there were local made absinthe as well as the ones from overseas. The first thing popped in my mind was that painting by Picasso so I decided to go with the Spanish brand called "Obsello Verte." It had 50% alcohol content, so less than normal, it took several tries before the bartender successfully lit the sugar cube on fire. It has a light subtle flavor, I'm not a huge fan of licorice so I was able to enjoy it to its last drop.
Normally when I have a shot of any hard liquor at least 80 proof, I feel the drunkenness in my veins almost instantly. But with absinthe, the effect is less dramatic. It really put me in a calm state of mind, my vision was hardly altered. Almost reminded me of doing drinking kava tea, not the physical numbness of it, but the psychological effect. Overall an enjoyable experience. I think its good to try at least once.
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