If I had all the time in the world, I would share a tale with you all about my first time drinking absinthe. It was in the nascent post-Communist days of Prague, while the newly democratized nation was first finding its wobbly footing — well before Planet Hollywood struck, when the price of a beer was around 60 cents a pint and the air was crisp with the sense of magic and potential. There one night I found myself at a jazz club — laced in thick smoke the musicians were playing out of their minds, and I stepped up to the bar with a girl I’d met at the hostel named Lola Blamm. Yes, that was her real name. Neither of us had tried absinthe before but it seemed like the right thing to do, so the bartender had to walk us through the routine. He poured a tall glass of the emerald-colored liquid into a small glass, then stirred in some water transforming the clear brilliant green into a cloudy concoction. He then dunked a sugar cube in the liquid, lit it, and dropped the sugar into the glass. Needless to say I was entranced by the whole procedure. Me and Lola took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and proceeded to down the harsh beverage before us in large, thirsty gulps. While I understood it to be 80 proof alcohol, it turned out to be 80 percent alcohol, meaning 160 proof, meaning it burned a hole through my esophagus. When we slammed our glasses down, Lola and I looked at each other, eyes aflame, and…well, that’s where the story ends (for you, anyways).

When I returned to the States it was much to my dismay and frustration to find out that the absinthe we had lacked the vital ingredient of wormwood — the element that elevates absinthe from just a really strong alcohol to the type of liquor that can make you see fairies. Literally. (It was indeed because of the hallucinatory affects of wormwood which made real absinthe illegal in America and most of the free world.) Then, two years ago, some loophole opened up in the world of ATF and the real absinthe was re-introduced to America. And while the original 160 proof spirit is the only honest way to drink it, sometimes you need to take things a bit lighter. Enter fenom — handcrafted and distilled at a family-owned facility located in Fougerolles, France, that has produced authentic absinthes for more than 100 years. Using traditional methods of manufacture, fenom takes all natural ingredients (wormwood, fennel, anise, gentian and mugwort) and blends them together with natural spring water from the Vosges Mountains. They aim to carve out a new niche among high-end spirits by being the first absinthe created to consume in an undiluted form — meaning it has a lower proof (80 proof/40%) and clear consistency, making it a bit easier to drink…especially for the ladies. With only 63 calories per ounce, the formula is intended to be enjoyed without the addition of water and sugar, although allegedly it can be combined with mixers typically blended with other liquors like vodka and tequila. If you’re too lazy to figure out a good cocktail, fenom’s in-house mixologists have already developed several signature drinks to enjoy at home, such as the fenom Fizz and the French Kiss, which feature simple ingredients like lemon juice and Perrier water. Pick some up, and make your own indelible memories.

Full bottle shot after the Jump…