Absinthe: much ado about nothing

Call me pessimistic but I’ve never understood the big deal with absinthe.

It’s supposed to contain wormwood and thujone and other hallucinogenics.

Problem is, it never did. The real late-19th century stuff

— the Van Gogh-chopping-off-his-ear stuff — contained barely a

trace of thujone, not nearly enough to make a person go crazy.

Researchers experimenting on old Absinthe bottles and using old recipes

came to the conclusion that the thujone stays in the pot during the

distillation process.

So like Kiss without makeup or any George Lucas movie after 1990,

it’s more about hype and mystery than actual flavor. (Yes, I’ve tried “real” absinthe. It’s harsh and very alcoholic-tasting.)

But that hasn’t stopped Virgin

America from advertising that it’s the first airline to serve absinthe.