If you have any interest in holding an absinthe party, either for yourself and another person or a group, you might want to get your hands on "The Little Green Book of Absinthe."

The new slim hardback on that legendary liquor that until recently was banned in the U.S. is subtitled "An Essential Companion with Lore, Trivia, and Classic and Contemporary Recipes," and was just published by Penguin ($18.95).

It's written by buddies Paul Owens and Paul Nathan. The latter's bio provocatively describes him as a professional magician who "has been throwing absinthe parties in the United State since the millenium." He's also founder of the website absintheparty.com. Mr. Owens is a San Francisco restaurateur who met Mr. Nathan "in San Francisco absinthe circles," having discovered the spirit in Europe in the '90s.

Are there Pittsburgh absinthe circles?

Well, my spirits writer colleague Bill Toland wrote about the absinthe comeback here and elsewhere for Food & Flavor in January 2008 (read it at post-gazette.com/food).

I'm a beer and wine guy, but I'd always wanted to explore this romanticized and demonized liquor immortalized by writers and artists in Europe.

In fact I have had for years an unopened bottle of Absente, the French "absinthe refined" that doesn't contain the grande wormwood. That's what contains potentially toxic and supposedly hallucinogenic thujone that helped get absinthe banned in 1912 in the first place.

Of course, there's also thujone in sage. Turns out that most absinthe didn't contain much thujone. So, starting in 2007 (March 5, which makes Friday, according to a publicist for the book, the unofficial "Absinthe Liberation Day"), as long as it contains less than 10 parts per million thujone, absinthe could be legally imported and even made in this country. Now Absente advertises as having wormwood in it, too.

My bottle was a gift from a friend that came complete with an absinthe glass and a slotted absinthe spoon. That's what one uses to hold a cube of sugar, over which one traditionally pours into the glass the ice water with which the waiting absinthe cloudily combines, or louches. All a big part of the absinthe mystique.

What Mssrs. Nathan and Owens are doing and advocating is mixing absinthe into a wide range of cocktails, with the help of Dave Herlong, the Las Vegas mixologist who concocted the 100-plus recipes in this book.

You may know or have at least heard of the New Orleans classic, said by some to be the first American cocktail, called the Sazerac, a rye or bourbon drink that starts out with an absinthe rinse. I had some great ones in New Orleans last fall and thought, These could change me into a cocktail guy.

But this book goes way beyond that, showing one how to make a wide range of other rocks drinks, tall cocktails, martinis and shots, hot drinks and punches and, as one chapter is titled, "Decadent Concoctions." Anyone for a Tourmented Mint Julep, made with Le Tourment Vert Absinthe? How about starting your morning with a "Mind-Altering Mimosa," for which the liquor's "secondary effect is a natural"?

I haven't had enough real absinthe to vouch for any secondary effect, a "high" that the authors say is "more pronounced, clearer and comes on much earlier" than an alcohol buzz. They credit the liquor's stimulating herbs and oils with leading to more alertness and lucidity. "We find that drinking other liquors is like walking a tightrope, whereas drinking absinthe opens up a nice, wide path."

Of course, they also note, "Call it placebo if you like." Surely, you can take some modern brands' forbidden-fruit marketing with grains of salt instead of sugar, or just have responsible fun with it.

The authors instruct on the different types of absinthe and the attributes and best uses for each brand.

I don't think I'm going to get that deep into it. It's not a cheap spirit: Pennsylvania state stores carry several brands, including Lucid Absinthe Superieure, which is $64.99; Grande Absente Absinthe Originale, which is $66.99; Pernod Absinthe, which is $69.99; and St. George Absinthe Verte, which is $74.99. The cost might be one reason so few Pittsburgh-area watering holes serve any absinthe drinks. (The authors argue that absinthe does have more alcohol "bang" than, say, wine.)

Embury in the Strip District does a handful of absinthe cocktails, including the Absinthe Frappe and the most popular, Death's Comeback (all cocktails are $10). Often it's just used as a rinse in the glass, but they also make and serve absinthe (Grand and Vieux Carre) the traditional way for $12. Yo Rita on the South Side does offer an Absinthe Margarita ($12), made with Vieux Carre absinthe, Don Julio Blanco tequila, Cointreau and lime.

Absinthe is an acquired taste. Residents of Columbus, Ohio, told the Columbus Dispatch that it's like "eating a big chunk of licorice wrapped in something bitter" and "drinking rotten tires that have been rolled around in worms," as well as "a lot like ouzo with a softer, pleasing flavor."

I finally tried mine, with water, and it is sweet and anise-y/licorice-ish.

I did thoroughly enjoy the tidbits of absinthe lore splashed around the book. This includes the tale of George Rowley and how he brought back absinthe, including making it in France for customers such as Johnny Depp. And who knew sugar czubes were a Czech invention?

Much of this stuff seems to come from the Web site of Mr. Nathan, who claims the distinction of being, along with his bartenders, "the only people arrested for selling absinthe during America's 95-year ban."

Sounds like he'd be fun to absinthe party with.

Hemingway's Dream

PG tested

Though "The Little Green Book of Absinthe" includes a vast array of absinthe recipes, it might be challenging to find one to try without having to run out and buy an ingredient or two. Fortunately I happened to have mint leaves in the fridge and a bag of demerara sugar (no cubes) in the cupboard. Next time I may try swapping out an ounce of the absinthe with a citrus-heavy gin, such as Blue Coat.

-- China Millman

• 2 ounces Kubler Absinthe
• 2 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 cubes (8 grams) demerara sugar
• 9 mint leaves

Combine all ingredients over lots of ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass; garnish with a lemon twist.

-- Adapted from "The Little Green Book of Absinthe" by Paul Owens and Paul Nathan (Penguin, 2010, $18.95)

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