I wasn't able to make it to the recent absinthe tasting at LeNell's Ltd. liquor store in Red Hook, Brooklyn, but owner LeNell Smothers was kind enough to sit down with me and answer a few questions about the green fairy, the business of bars, and booze. How would you describe the experience of drinking absinthe to someone who had never tried it? Are you talking about the myth of hallucinating? That's bullshit. It's a high-proof alcohol, so you're getting more of a buzz, but it's not the same as taking a hallucinogenic drug. Do you subscribe to the traditional method of drinking absinthe, with the spoon, the sugar, and the dripping of cold water? It depends. Sometimes I just...
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Tonya "LeNell" Smothers (above) is the owner of
LeNell's, one of Serious Eats's favorite wine and liquor stores. Serious eater Mike Levine visits and reports on some unexpected finds.
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