Hide all your ear-slicing knives. Locally-produced absinthe is now a reality, thanks to Integrity Spirits, a micro-distillery in Southeast Portland. Bottles of Trillium Absinthe Superieure don't come cheap ($60, a wee bit too much for would-be Henri de Toulouse-Lautrecs living on a budget), the producers say their version is sweeter and goes down smoother than the more traditional stuff found overseas. Integrity is the second distillery in the country to start cranking out absinthe. More information can be found in a story from today's edition of the Oregonian.

I thought I'd start craving absinthe once it became widely available around Portland but, after a trip to the Highland Stillhouse, I think this itch has been effectively scratched. Much like Krispie Kremes and Miller Hi-Life, once a hard-to-get food/alcohol product becomes readily available in Portland I lose interest. I'm sure the same thing will happen whenever In-N-Out decides to open a franchise up here. Until then, me want cheap, good burgers!

Labels: absinthe

After a half-hearted six month search I finally consumed legalized absinthe within US borders a few weeks ago. In the weeks leading up to this, I heard rumors that bottles could be found at liquor stores around town. A trip to the Pearl Specialty Market last winter turned up nothing and I never got a chance to follow-up on a reader's tip that absinthe could be found at a liquor shop tucked inside the Garden Home Thriftway.

The opportunity presented itself at the Highland Stillhouse in Oregon City, a tavern that typically caters to all things Scottish. A few friends and I were sitting in the Highland's upstairs parlor when I noticed a chalkboard on the wall with a tell-tale green fairy drawn on it. The Highland has two different kinds of absinthe on hand, an 80-proof and 120-proof, if memory serves. We went with the 80. Because it's cheaper and I am cheap.

For $8 a head the bartender brought out a clear bottle, tumblers, sugar cubes, absinthe spoons, the whole bit. I've heard reports that the stuff that's now legal in the US is a bastardized version of what you can find overseas and that the level of wormwood mixed-in is supposedly lower. I'm no expert but I once embarrassed myself by ordering absinthe in a UK bar and, for me at least, the varieties available at the Highlands seemed to pack the same punch. Maybe the effects are psychosomatic but I'm convinced that absinthe offers a different sort of drunkenness than your average liquor.

None of us spotted Tinkerbell floating around afterwards though. Maybe she arrives sometime after a third glass but I wasn't willing to contend with a bar tab that would get me that far.

On a related note, I'm convinced the Highlands has the best bar bathroom in the Portland metro area. I don't think any other drinking establishment here can top its English inn decor. If only all public potties could be described as "cozy." Here's a cell phone photo that doesn't even come close to capturing the bed and breakfast feel of it:

Labels: absinthe, Booze, Europe

Someday my dream will come true. A dream to consume absinthe, legally, within the United States, preferably in a bar where people can roll their eyes at me when I order it. I received no less than six eye rolls and one insult when I made the mistake of ordering a glass in a London pub last fall.

According to this excellent Salon article I saw linked on Blogtown this morning, the stuff has never been very popular in Britain. I guess that's why someone behind me muttered something to the effect of, "Stupid Yank. Probably spent all day waiting to get on the London Eye." Whether or not it's considered kosher 3,000 miles from here, I'm still determined to make a semi-regular habit of absinthe consumption. I'm already looking into taking out an insurance policy on my ears.

The Salon article was also linked by "Food Dude" over on Portland Food and Drink. One of his readers mentioned that a liquor store down in the Pearl District may now carry absinthe on its shelves. Woo hoo! With any luck I'll have a brand new personal vice to enjoy this weekend.

Labels: absinthe, Portland, Vices