Absinthe Minded

Several months ago, while downing a pitcher of margaritas, a plan was hatched by my friend Neil to introduce me and several of our mutual friends to absinthe.

What is absinthe you ask? Well, I'd never heard of it myself. A couple of internet web investigations later and I had the whole story. This 70 to 85 proof alcohol (banned in the US) must be savored and not consumed quickly, so as to not disrupt the liquor's "full-body high."

So now, this past Saturday night, my apartment provided the location for Neil's party. A variety of absinthe was served. The anise supplies the beverage its licorice flavor, which runs from light to obnoxious, depending on the selection.

While Neil, seen here, performed an appropriate reading from Oscar Wilde, another reader gave a nod to Edgar Allen Poe with a reading of "The Raven." These authors were known for their appreciation of the spirits, including absinthe.

But the highlight of the evening's essays was probably Carrey's reading of Joshua Tyree's "The Implausibility of the Death Star's Trash Compactor." I'm guessing the essay was probably not written while intoxicated on absinthe, but it's still proof positive that even though you can move the geek out of the basement and give him an upscale illegal fru-fru liquor, he'll still ponder the logic of compacting trash when you're just going to eject it into space anyway.

All in all, the small party was a huge success. But most of the absinthe drinkers, including yours truly, found the ceremony and pomp of absinthe immensely more fun than its deleterious effects.