Green Faeries

A couple of weeks ago I was at a work event and ran into my friend Jeffrey. He's working on this cool event where once a month we go to a bar, have our own bartender, get a history of the bar, and try two or three different cocktails, to expand out cocktail knowledge, know the bartender, and learn a thing or two. I can't WAIT for this event to start! It's called Passport 2 Cocktails, and the first event is this Tuesday, don't you wish you lived in Seattle?

But, that's not the story to tell today. The story today is about LAST Sunday. Jeffrey mentioned when I saw him that there was going to be an Absinthe Tasting and seminar. I've had absinthe once with dad, and I'm not really an anise fan, so I figured maybe if I learn more about it, I'll find a way to like it.

Well, I find out the seminar is a part of the Washington State Bartenders Guild. A newly formed organization. You may be wondering if I'm a bartender, and you'd be right...I only make gin & tonics and pour a pint. So, I walk into the room, and realize we're in this couple's really cool loft over by Safeco Field, but we've got tables for 50 people crammed into this room. Anyway, I find a seat, and the seminar begins. It's two of the world's leading experts on Absinthe, and they both live in Seattle. Sweet! As the seminar begins, they start passing around a few different cocktails. I only drank one full "taster" and it was the Monkey Gland. Oh delicious Monkey Gland...so good! Here's a little about how it got it's name...

So, everything I could find said that Absinthe has been illegal since 1912. So, when I was at the event, the absinthe expert guys kept talking about how it was illegal, and why, (which was really lame reasoning) and now it's not. But they weren't explaining WHY it's legal again. So, during the Q&A I asked, how did it magically become legal again. Honestly, I didn't get the most exciting answer, but I guess what happened is that the outlawing of Absinthe was from an agriculture law, and way before the FDA. So when all these different organizations came under the government, the law outlawing absinthe never made it through the cracks. So, we've been missing out on this unique cocktail for years when we could have been drinking it.

While I was in WAY over my head, and tasted about 6 different brands of Absinthe, I learned that while I'm not a fan of it, Absinthe has it's place, and hopefully the novelty will wear off and distilleries will tout it's usefulness in cocktailing and beyond...