Toast to the green fairy

TOAST TO THE GREEN FAIRY
Painting the town green

After having its ban officially lifted here in 2009, the controversial anise-flavoured spirit has found itself a dedicated home at Absinthe Artisan, a cosy 30-seater bar located in a shophouse in Boat Quay. Owner Hock Soon, who is an acolyte of anise-flavoured alcoholic aperitifs like pastis and ouzo, stocks over thirty labels of absinthe, such as France’s La Charlotte and the entire range of the award-winning Paris and Czech Republic-distilled La Fée.

You can choose to drink your absinthe the traditional louche way: a flat spoon cradling a sugar cube is placed over a glass of absinthe, and cold water is poured over the cube, trickling the sugary solution into the spirit, which turns cloudy and unveils its nuanced herbaceous scents. As absinthe is an acquired taste, Soon has also incorporated the strong spirit into all his cocktails, such as the Absinthe Espresso ($20), an efficacious antidote for a soporific state: a mix of espresso, condensed milk, absinthe coffee liqueur and Jacques Senaux Absinthe Black (80% alc/vol).
60A Boat Quay. Tel: 6535 0838