Saint Paul, MN

[Pontarlier]

Available here and other places, but Lucid noteably: Thomas Liquors on Grand Avenue

They also have Absente...they try to sell the Pernod but it will likely sit there forever (for obvious reasons).

There's some other bottle of green fake hype with swirls, but it isn't moving.

 

Food and absinthe is dry downtown in Saint Paul...

No authentic experiences to be had per se.

 

Went to eat at Senor Wongs downtown on 111 Kellogg Boulevard E St. Paul, MN 55101

Interesting fusion of food, but wasn't thrilled. I don't think they know what they are doing with serving absinthe (not a great spot). Example: I ordered Pad Thai, the national dish... and they messed it up. The national dish (sad).

They sell absinthe, but they are hyped about it; nothing real about this experience.

 

Pops! downtown Saint Paul features an absinthe cocktail, but if you are a traditionalist, you will probably be alarmed to see this and no traditional offering.

But, this is the Mcdonalds generation of "top that".

 

I'll keep looking outside my own home for verte-nesse.

[Pogue Mahone]

My wife and I had the great pleasure of dining with good friends at Meritage Restaurant in downtown St. Paul when we were visiting to host our daughter's wedding in November.

 

Meritage has an absinthe fountain on their back bar, but it was not in use. I did not have a chance to ask when or how often they use it.

 

They also offer a house cocktail they call a Parisienne, which is a variation of the classic champagne cocktail. Rather than soaking the sugar cube in bitters, the sugar cube is soaked in absinthe, then the glass filled with champagne. I did have several of those, as I found them quite delightful. To be clear, this varies from the Death in the Afternoon in that only enough absinthe is added to the glass to soak the sugar cube, rather than a significant portion of the glass being filled with absinthe.

[Gwydion Stone]

And a much better drink, to boot. Keep in mind that the DITA was written as a joke. I'm not sure Hemingway ever expected people to take it seriously.

[fingerpickinblue]

It's hard to take that absinthe list seriously, as well, although it may very well have to do with local availability. I think the only one I'd take a crack at is the Sirene, but at those prices only because I have not tried it. If those prices are for a traditional 1 ounce dose, their markup is ranging from 8 to 9 times their cost. If it's for a dose that makes more sense from a standpoint of common markup practice, you'd end up with a louched drink the size of a Slurpee.

 

It looks like they might need a little guidance in that area since there is nothing elsewhere in their drink list that leads me to believe their intent is to gouge.

[Selmac]

Meritage is probably one of my favorite restaurants in the area. The absinthe is a bit pricey (it's a fairly upscale place in general), and there aren't many varieties available in the state. Last time I was there, the fountain was in use but maybe that's changed. The Pernod they have is the new, improved version. I've been meaning to suggest they get the Vilya absinthes, which I think are available here now. My boss is good friends with the owners, so this may come to pass eventually. I wish I got over there more often.

 

They do serve it in the traditional way, which is great. But the price and narrow selection make it not really worth the trip for absinthe alone. Every meal I've had there has been really good though.