The Food Nerds

What kind of food nerds would we be if we didn’t include a blurb about one of the most legendary drinks known? Absinthe achieved popularity in the late 19^th and early 20^th-century in France where it was hugely popular with artists and writers and is even been rumored as responsible for van Gogh’s famous ear episode (since many portray it as psychoactive drug that is both dangerous and addictive in nature). Sounds ominous, eh? Well, we tried out a few currently-available absinthe options on the market (all with trepidation and caution, of course) and found that while we totally enjoyed the earthy herbal qualities to the uniquely-colored green drink, we weren’t searching for the nearest knife for an appendage extraction. We did find the flavors of angelica, coriander, star anise and juniper to be intoxicating in and of themselves, and reveled in the preparation of the drink: placing a sugar cube on a specially-designed slotted spoon which is placed over the glass to collect water as it is spilled over the cube and drizzled into the glass of absinthe (ideally to result in a balance of one part absinthe to 3-5 parts water). What happened next was amazing the absinthe changed hue and obtained an opalescent milkiness as it bloomed in bouquet. The bottom line was that we were so thrilled to have tried this historically delightful drink, and while it didn’t evoke the oft-rumored hallucinogenic quality, it did evoke warmth of heart that will have us going back for more!