I note that President McKinley liked cocktails that contained absinthe. Subsequently absinthe was made illegal in this country. Has that ban been lifted? I saw a TV documentary about how someone re-engineered absinthe to make it exactly the way it was originally produced. Now I am very curious to try some.
Delving into my vast experience with things I should probably have left alone.....
If and when you decide to drink Absinthe, do not believe the hype that it is simply another liquor, or has been rendered harmless by processing the Wormwood into obscurity.
And no matter what your tolerance for regular liquor, do not underestimate its effects. Have a driver, or do it at home.
You will find a comprehensive list here -
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php/reviews/traditional-absinthe
Some of these are only available in Europe, but many those available here are quite potent - just not those *produced* here.
I have (many years ago) had the experience of Reverie and Le Parroquet. Green Fairie indeed. (Hah!) More like the Id monster from Forbidden Planet.
But then each of us has his personal Demons.
You can now legally purchase absinthe in the US.
I visited Belgrade, Serbia a couple of years ago. The local specialty drink is made from wormwood and called Pelinkovac. It was served to me in a glass with a slice of lemon. Really interesting drink.
Campari, made in Italy, is similar to it, but Pelinkovac was much more intense.
In Memphis on Beal Street, there is an absinthe bar.