Ten Questions for LeNell Smothers, Liquor Store Proprietor
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 drink absinthe straight, without adding water. Personally it's all about the taste.
Do you think the absinthe available in America today is different than the famous French absinthe of the 1890s?
There were a variety of absinthes available back in the day, when the writers and artists were hanging out in Paris drinking it. Quality varied, just like in any category of spirit, so you can't really say if this absinthe is the same or different.
