The Elixir Lounge
1. Elixir is open currently Friday and Saturday nights. By mid-June, 2010 the Lounge will be open Wednesday-Saturday at 5pm until bar closing times.
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2. Yes, after entering through either entrance you may freely move between Club Anything to the Elixir Lounge- assuming that it is after Club Anything has opened for the night.
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3. The Elixir Absinthe Lounge is proud to feature Milwaukee's very own absinthe from the Great Lakes Distillery- Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte (the traditional green absinthe), Amerique 1912 Absinthe Rouge (a refined absinthe with additional infusions). In addition, Elixir carries several other brands of absinthe including Le Tourment, Mythe, Pernod and Lucid, among others.
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4. There's an absinthe drink for every palette! The Elixir bar staff are trained in several methods of absinthe preparation, and they have a large repertoire of mixed drinks that contain absinthe. If you have a flavor preference, just ask!
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Absinthe
1. Absinthe is not a drug and it never was.
It won't make you “trip”, hallucinate, cut your ear off, or do anything else you wouldn't ordinarily do when intoxicated with liquor. The terrifying hallucinations reported to be suffered by early, hospitalized absinthe abusers were most likely due to the withdrawal symptoms of acute alcoholism: alcoholic hallucinosis, or, the DTs. There are no psychedelic or psychotropic ingredients in authentic absinthe.
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2. Thujone is not a hallucinogen, and it's not related or similar to THC.
Thujone, the primary volatile oil in wormwood, is present in only in trace amounts in absinthe due to its resistance to distillation, and is subtle in its effects at these levels. The current “100mg thujone” and “ extra strong” hype on many sites is a "legal high" marketing gimmick aimed at the gullible. The role of thujone in the so-called “secondary effect” is greatly exaggerated, as is the effect itself. If you're here to read about thujone, read through the articles in our Absinthe Science section. The similarity in effect to THC was an un-tested conjecture from the mid-1970s and is unsupported by later studies. Thujone is NOT a hallucinogen or a psychedelic and has no reasonable recreational potential.
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3. Yes, most of the absinthes now available in the US are real.
That is, they contain the same species of wormwood and more-or-less resemble pre-ban absinthes in style and flavor. Analysis of pre-ban absinthe during the last ten years, and particularly the last year or two, have shown that they contain only a small trace of thujone, the compound blamed for absinthe's alleged harmful effects. Still, there are no legal guidelines as to what may be called "absinthe," so buyer discretion is advised; be well-informed.
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4.You can't make real absinthe at home.
At least not any easier than you can make real whisky or gin at home. Absinthe must be distilled, just as whisky, gin, etc., and in most countries, including the US, home-distilling is illegal. Soaking wormwood and other herbs in vodka or grain neutral spirits will not make absinthe or anything like it. Absinthe must be distilled.
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5. Flaming absinthe has never been an authentic absinthe tradition.
Not in France, the Czech Republic or anywhere else prior to the late 1990's. There are a number of time-honored classic drinks which are flamed, but absinthe isn't one of them. Burnt "caramelized" sugar does no more than introduce a charred marshmallow taste, obscuring the delicate balance of botanicals.
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6. Authentic absinthe isn't horribly bitter, less so than unsweetened tea.
The primary flavor of absinthe is anise—what most people call the “black licorice” flavor—but well-made absinthes have an herbal complexity that makes them taste like more than just licorice candy.
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7. Pastis is not “absinthe without the wormwood.”
Pernod Anis, Henri Bardouin and Herbsaint are quite different from absinthe and are pre-sweetened; they are absinthe substitutes. They'll generally work in cocktails calling for absinthe, but as drinks on their own they're not very similar to it. As mentioned above, you can't make absinthe by simply adding wormwood or wormwood extract to these products. It will taste vile.
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