Absinthe

Absinthe is finding its way back into the United States, legally, and with the traditional old wormwood-containing recipes. For those of you who think that absinthe is hallucinogenic and exclusive, you can have your fun. I for one like some absinthe, but have never found it to be particularly hallucinogenic. I do, however, like this NYT op-ed about it, and its bohemian mystique. That is, after all, the greatest part about absinthe-it's links to great modernist artists, many of whom hold the status "favorite" in my book. Ensconced worshippers beware, it does debunk the theory that wormwood is such a powerful drug. Absinthe is great, but it's mostly just a super charged liquor, not a magical green-fairy producing substance. I think it was a natural predisposition to departing lucidity that produced those tales we hear, and not anything inherent in the liquor. But, like I said, it's still great stuff, and now we can get it stateside.