What better liquor is there than absinthe to celebrate a Halloween weekend? But the problem with absinthe in America is that it lacks an essential ingredient. Thujone, a chemical derived from wormwood, is responsible for those cinematic green fairy hallucinations. The FDA banned it in the 1950s, so all absinthe exported to America has to be “Thujone-free.” Such a modification to the recipe alters not only the experience but also the taste of absinthe.

The absence of wormwood transforms absinthe’s usually bitter taste into a sickly sweet one. Here are two drinks to try this Halloween, depending on which concoction of absinthe you manage to lay your hands on.

Disclaimer: The traditional method of preparing absinthe is a bit of a fire hazard, so you might want to do so outside and while you are still relatively sober.

Green Tear

• 1.5 shots of Thujone-free absinthe
• 2 shots of cranberry juice
• 1/2 shot of lemon juice
• Tonic Water
• Couple of ice cubes (just to cool things down)

• Pour the absinthe, cranberry juice and lemon juice into a cocktail shaker
• Add a couple of ice cubes to the shaker
• Shake till your hands go numb
• Strain evenly into a glass
• Top up with tonic water

Traditional Absinthe Shot

• 1.5 shots of absinthe (the real stuff)
• Half a glass of ice water
• A sugar cube
• A lighter or matches

• Pour the absinthe into a glass
• Soak the sugar cube in absinthe
• Put the sugar cube on a teaspoon (preferably one you can balance steadily on the rim of the glass, if not hold the teaspoon directly over the glass)
• Light the sugar cube on fire
• Let it burn for about a minute before carefully dipping the teaspoon in the absinthe (more likely than not, the absinthe will ignite)
• Immediately pour the cold water into the absinthe to douse the flames
• Let the drink cool down before consuming

Photo from Flickr user ExInTransit With TheStendhalSyndrome under the Creative Commons License