The Drink

Kübler Absinthe

The Price (1 liter)

$50

The Score

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The Taste

Absinthe has been making a comeback in the U.S. for years. Nearly a decade ago, several companies released quasi-authentic versions of the "green fairy" without wormwood (an herb that contains the chemical thujone), thereby obviating the legal restrictions on the supposedly hallucinogenic substance. It is debatable whether those products coming from Spain, Switzerland and the Czech Republic were authentic and/or illegal.

Kübler Absinthe is among a new breed of pioneers (along with Lucid Absinthe) that is 100 percent certifiably made with real-deal wormwood. The quantity of thujone has been found to be low enough to be legal and, late last year, the U.S. government relaxed its absinthe laws. This particular brand, made from a Swiss recipe that dates back to the 1800s, also relies on coriander, mint, anise and fennel to develop the flavor.

Like all absinthes, real or fake, it smells and tastes like pastis, ouzo, licorice or anise, depending on your cultural background. You don't drink it straight or on the rocks. You pour it slowly over a sugar cube and add water to cut the bitterness and the strength (it's bottled at 53 percent alcohol by volume or 106 proof). The taste, therefore, depends on how much tampering you do. No matter what ratio you wind up with, Kübler tastes pretty darn good -- strong but smooth, dry in the finish, with a lingering aftertaste of licorice. There's nothing chemical, no burn and no cloying sweetness. Watch the liquid follow the contours of your ice cube and you may see a cloudy mass, also known as a louche. Cocktail fans can follow Ernest Hemingway's lead and add champagne to make a "death in the afternoon." His advice: "Drink three to five of these slowly."

-- James Oliver Cury