Lucid? Eet Sertainely iz.

I've always had a soft spot for Pastis...you know, the anise-flavored apéritif from France? Call me a croissant-eater, but I love the stuff. Especially in the summertime. It's a civilized way to slide into an afternoon. Pastis had its beginnings in the criminalization of Absinthe, a similar-tasting, yet hallucinogenic beverage that was all the rage in late-1800/early-1900 Europe.

Some of the best painting and poetry of that age can be attributed to the fact that the responsible artist was under the influence of "The Green Fairy"...in much the same way LSD contributed to the rock music of the late 1960s. When he had accidentially 'invented' Champagne, French monk Dom Perignon is rumored to have shouted, "Come quick, my brothers...I am tasting stars!" I've no doubt that whatever monk invented Absinthe probably mumbled, "Come quick, my brothers...I can't find my legs." While Absinthe led to some amazing artistic advances*, it also destroyed a LOT of lives, and was outlawed in all but a handful of countries. Art has never been the same.

Being a big fan of Pastis, it was only natural that I had an interest in sampling this illicit beverage, Absinthe. Portugal - a country that never outlawed the drink - is also the world's leading producer of wine corks. In the wine business it is fairly well known that if you order your corks from a certain Portuguese company, they are only more than happy to smuggle a bottle or two of Absinthe in the corks they shipped to you. It was through this method that, 13 years ago, I finally was able to experience real Absinthe.

I was hosting a party at my house when a guest spotted the bottle. "Wow! Absinthe! Can I try some?" he asked. Ever the gracious host, I popped the cork. While I wasn't exactly in the mood to switch from wine to wormwood, I figured the bottle would soon be drained. It was now or never. I poured both myself and interested guests some Absinthe. Nope, I didn't burst out into a creative urge of impressionistic painting, nor did I pen some profound lines of verse. It just slowed me d-o-w-n. A lot. It was if my synapses were firing at glacial speed. The next day I received a call from a friend thanking me for a wonderful party. "It was great, but you seemed a little sad," she said. "Sad?" I replied, "No, I wasn't sad...I was on another planet."

It was an interesting feeling. Not something I'd want to do on a regular basis, but it was, shall I say, unique? But in this 'everything old is new again' world, Absinthe is back!

That's right. It appears as though 100 years is long enough to forget the past, and producers around the world - including the U.S. - are again distilling this mysterious green liquor (at least openly). And so it was that I was having lunch with Peter Kasperski (the restaurant übergod...see my last post) when he plied me with a post-repast shot of Lucid, a French-produced Absinthe.

Within a minute of imbibing, I began to feel as if a strong-handed Swede was giving me a deep-tissue shoulder massage. A general feeling of calm washed over me. By the time I had finished my beverage, I could feel my synapses shifting from high gear to low. "Oh no," I thought to myself, "this day is over." I could imagine visiting wine shops and restaurants with a catatonic blur on my face. Not a good look if you're trying to sell some wine.

Luckily, this feeling was short-lived. I was able to get up from the table, stand on my own two feet, and resume my workday.

Interesting stuff, that Lucid. Nice...but I'll stick with my Pastis, thank you very much. My favorites are Casanais and Pastis 51. Ricard will do in a pinch, too.

* "amazing artistic advances" Yes! my weekly alliterative quota has been met!

And while you're fulfilling your quota, go check out humor-blogs.com, won't you?