LeNell’s, a year-old wine and spirit boutique
in Red Hook, educated customers about the charms of Versinthe
– a legal version of absinthe, the hallucinogenic aperitif popular
in late 19th century Paris – with a tasting on Aug. 7.
Glorious tributes to the Green Fairy-inducing liqueur have been
projected on the silver screen in two popular 2001 films: Baz
Luhrman’s "Moulin Rouge" and the Hughes Brothers’ "From
Hell." A new book by Jad Adams, "Hideous Absinthe:
A History of the Devil in a Bottle" (University of Wisconsin,
$24.95), was released just this year.
The attraction to contemporary absinthe aficionados seems to
have as much to do with the taste of the anise-flavored drink
as it does with the ritual of making it palatable.
As demonstrated at LeNell’s, making a glass of Baron Francois
Ltd.’s Versinthe is an elegant production. A fountain with silver
spigots is filled with ice water. The spigot is twisted to release
chilled water over sugar cubes poised on a slotted spoon. The
sugar water runs through the spoon and into a glass of Versinthe.
(The drink is made with six parts water to one part Versinthe.)
The sugar water cuts the golden liqueur, turning it opaque.
The Versinthe is not absinthe-green because the company does
not use artificial colors, explained LeNell’s proprietor Tonya
LeNell Smothers. Nor does it have the agent blamed for absinthe’s
Green Fairy-inducing daydreams, wormwood.
"The high alcohol content – 60 percent and higher – of the
old absinthes was more to blame than wormwood," Smothers
believes. "And overindulging!"
At LeNell’s, the fountain is sold for $40; a 750 milliliter bottle
of Versinthe is $33; and a 750 milliliter bottle of Versinthe
with two glasses and two spoons is $40. But this isn’t your grandfather’s
intimidating, warehouse-like liquor store. Buy anything from
the boutique, replete with chandelier and a bathtub full of –
what else? – gin, and it will be packaged in one of the shop’s
leopard print bags.
LeNell’s is located at 416 Van Brunt St. between Coffey and Van
Dyke. For more information, call (718) 360-0838 or visit www.lenells.com.
