The spell of the Green Fairy, Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. A strong-herbal liqueur distilled with wormwood and anise, Absinthe was the drink of choice among artists and writers in the mid to late 19th century.

Inspiring poets and appearing in works by Picasso and Van Gogh, it was also a favorite of Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway, and Oscar Wilde, who said of it: "After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."

Banned in the United States and many other parts of the world, Absinthe is still legal in the Czech Republic.

While Absinthe enjoys a cachet of history and mystery, the sip I sampled resembled nothing so much as mouthwash, both in color and taste. Those in my party who indulged in greater quantities reported no effects more mysterious than what would normally occur when drinking 140 proof alcohol.