You also can purchase absinthe accouterments, such as the spoons, specialty glasses and even fountains. Naud shows me a range of absinthes, from a bottle of Roquette 1797, which is based on a pre-ban recipe that's said to retain the flavor of the original.
The bottles run from $35 to $200. Naud recommends the Nouvelle-Orleans, made by a New Orleans native named T. A. Breaux that she says is her favorite because of its aromatic complexity. The bottle plus a 7-euro spoon (about $9.50) brings my total to around $54.
It's not until I belly up to the bar at the Cantada II (13 Rue Moret; www.cantada.net) that I have the closest thing to a true absinthe experience as you're likely to get in 21st century Paris. The atmosphere is a surrealist's paradise -- or, rather, paradise lost. Death metal gnashes its teeth over the speakers; the walls are blood-red and tiled with paintings of hell spawns; a wooden coffin stands upright behind the bar; and even the absinthe silver water fountains lining the bar suggest a faint evil.
It's creepy, sure, but once you get to know bartender Eddy and owner Mickey, whatever willies the atmosphere gives you dissipate like a sugar cube under cold water. I sample from the 25 absinthes on the menu, including a $7 glass of Mansinthe, from a recipe by rocker Marilyn Manson, and the Roquette 1797 ($13), a selection that elicits a "wow" from Eddy.
After the water and sugar do their thing in the 1797, I remove the spoon and swirl the mixture around, looking for what Naud labeled the "trouble" in the absinthe. I see what she means: still and sublime before the introduction of the two ingredients, the 1797's faint green now swims with an oily flare. In full defiance of the demons howling around me, the fairy flutters her wings and carries me heavenward.
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travel@latimes.com
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Green fairyland
It's recommended that you use about four measures of very cold water per measure of absinthe, but don't overdo it, because the more water you use, the more diluted the flavor. Although some manufacturers say you can drink theirs without sugar, the sweetness does help lessen absinthe's bitter bite. Here's how four types available in Paris taste following this basic formula:
*--* Versinthe (90 proof) Herbal kick makes it taste stronger Nouvelle-Orleans (136 proof) Floral component makes it gentle and savory-sweet Mansinthe (132.2 proof) Piquant aroma hints at its strong flavor -- a pleasure Roquette 1797 (150 proof) Spicy yet mild -- the definition of "complex" *--*
-- Kevin Capp
