Absinthe Ban Lifted

BTW, Absinthe is now legal in the U.S. and Canada (has been for while, in fact) Here's an interesting article in the NY Times about it. From the article:

But once I sat down with bottles of Kübler, Lucid and some friends, the cause of absinthe’s reputation didn’t matter, nor did the absence, in these brands, of the pearly green color of legend. What I did find, along with flavors of anise, fennel, coriander, mint and other herbs, was something different in the liquid’s effect, a kind of relaxed alertness accompanying the lulling impact of alcohol. (source)

Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? But what about safety? From an online FAQ about the Green Queen:

It depends on who you ask. Certainly, the original Absinthes were brewed with sub-standard safety standards. These days, the thujone content of all commercial Absinthes is low enough to cause no harm to the human body. Homemade Absinthe can be potentially fatal. Be aware that although the thujone content of modern day Absinthe may not be harmful, its high alcoholic content can be.

-t