Flavor and intrigue
The spirit was banned in this country and most of Europe by the early 1900s, largely due to fears of its hold on the mind and body. The blame for the ailment known as "absinthism" got pinned on a chemical called thujone, which is found in wormwood, absinthe's key ingredient.
It's quite possible that, in the 100 years absinthe was away, society sobered up some, or the idea of putting a cocktail on a pedestal fell out of vogue.
It's hard to find romance in a Jagermeister shooter - even harder to imagine Red Bull and vodka bringing out anyone's inner poet.
But Lance Winters, the first U.S. distiller granted approval to make absinthe, St. George Spirit's Absinthe Verte, can tell you - and in intricate detail - how his tongue interprets a sip of it.
"I describe it as opening up with black licorice and then going very quickly to a light citrus-y musty taste and then a grassy, very herbaceous thing with sort of a menthol cooling effect on your palate and ending with a real pleasant numbing sensation," he says.
Beyond the exquisite, complex flavor, he says there's not much to talk about - which is not to say there's nothing.
He compares absinthe intoxication to that of a forceful tequila rather than a subtle vodka - he can feel it coursing through his body. There's no creative wave and certainly no hallucinations, but everything around him seems to sharpen and snap into focus.
It's no accident that one of his competitors, an import from France, is named Lucid.
"In my experience, that's very real," he says. "It's very far from the hallucinations most people hope for but it's also very interesting."
While absinthe was banned, the intrigue escalated. As people smuggled it bottle by bottle into the country, it became a connoisseur's collector's item and a forbidden thrill. For young people seeking a fast buzz, the steep alcohol content - reaching 140 proof - became an attraction in itself.
For those customers, absinthe's fledgling legality might cut into the appeal. Or so Clarke hopes.
"I'm curious to see if once the gild comes off the lily," he says, "if it won't be cool anymore and people like me who really enjoy it for the flavor can just sit down and enjoy it."
If nothing else, absinthe's price and dominant flavor will complicate its comeback. The taste of licorice, certainly at about $50 a bottle, is not for everyone.
