Legalized- Absinthe makes it way to Minneapolis

Banned since 1912, the concoction that was once as important to a European adventure as a Frommer's guide (see movie- Eurotrip), the liquid is officially available at liquor stores & drinking holes in Minnesota. After chemist Ted Breaux perfected a recipe now called 'Lucid Absinthe' that contains the key ingredient wormwood and lacks the high traces of banned ingredient thujone, U.S. regulators had no choice but to allow the infamous drink back on the shelf.

Last week, Absinthe's release to the Gopher state was publicized in a full-page Citypages ad placed by Surdyks liquor store. Early state adopters of the beverage, that is said to cause hallucinations, saw Absinthe in stores as far back as May of last year.

Despite the fact that the lack of thujone in this recipe curbs some of those side effects, it is still a potent cocktail retailing for roughly $60 per bottle. A friend recently paid $9 for a shot at the Bulldog bar on Lyndale Avenue after overhearing a patron and bartender whispering that it was in stock. His reaction, "it tasted like black licorice and had an immediate impact." Whether that sounds appealing is up to you, but not since prohibition has a drink been whispered so discretely- a nod to the marketability of the product.

While this version of the liquor (that has produced more folklore than a J.R.R. Tolkien book) is a bit milder, it remains something that will cause legendary drinking stories. Although I have little desire to overindulge on the substance, I do plan to take a shot in the near future and see if the bite is as big as the hype. There's no doubting the fact that producer Viridian Spirits & distributor RNDC will be cashing-in on it's legendary status & curious U.S. consumers.