In Defense of Absinthe

COUNTERPOINT --

For over a century, absinthe has been a forbidden pleasure for those of us in America. Romanticized for its potency and alleged hallucinogenic properties, it was the drink of choice for 19th century artists and poets such as the notoriously even-keeled Pablo Picasso.

The liquor has an exotic green flavor, and a delicious licorice taste. While best enjoyed in a Parisian cafe with a cube of sugar melted in from above, I believe that a warm sugarless shot in a backwater Cambodian bar can be just as pleasant. The Angkor What? bar in Siem Reap, loved by travelers since 1997, serves a drink called an "A Bomb," a shot of absinthe dropped into a cup of Red Bull; to quote Vincent Chase, "Good till your heart pops!" What's the use of leaving the country if not to enjoy liquors banned stateside?

Absinthe was a bad choice. I immediately regret this decision.

POINT -- I drank absinthe in Paris about 8 years ago, and I definitely don't remember it tasting so vile. It's like Sambuca with some green food coloring in it. I thought I was going to yak. To be fair to absinthe, the fun is in the process. Not that I know what it's like to do herion or freebase crack, but it's the same idea: you cook some sugar up on a spoon, you add soda water to the taste. It's about the ritual, not just about the high. By comparison, this shot was like drinking warm, neon green ipecac.

Sneaky will provide a counterpoint.