Credit: Photo courtesy of Cecil Usher

The mystery shrouding this jade-colored spirit has intrigued drinkers for hundreds of years. Fascination spurred imitation, often with subpar ingredients, which contributed to the dangerous reputation absinthe acquired. Despite that, absinthe grew into a fashionable, high-demand fixture of modern bar programs.

Cecil Usher, bar manager at Butcher and the Rye and newly-minted vice president of Pittsburgh’s chapter of the United States Bartender’s Guild, will guide us through the history and mystery of dancing with the green fairy.

This article appears in Mar 8-14, 2017.