Sunday night's event was a blast! Our little 'Absinthe Hideaway' was right on Chicken Alley in the Zahiya Bellydance studio. Cynthia Turner was our Absinthe Maven for the evening, wowing us with beautiful absinthe cocktails from beginning to end.

Cynthia pouring the Belle Femme- a lovely twist on the Sazerac- with added Aperol and Sweet Vermouth.

"La Louche"- The process of slowly dripping iced water into absinthe, changing the color from an emerald green to an opalescent, milky green. Our absinthe fountain was beautiful to watch and let people taste the different styles of absinthe from all corners of the world.

After the first glass of absinthe, in accordance with all of the lore, the Green Fairy appeared. She was not only a vision of beauty, but a wealth of knowledge on the spirit. She has been the muse for many celebrated artists and writers over the last 100 years- I'm sure she has stories...

Green Fairy played by filmmaker, Jennifer MacDonald.

Ethereal vision through the absinthe filter...

Our live artist, Christopher Holt had much inspiration for his creation.

Christopher's live party scene... Sold on site! All proceeds benefited the Asheville Art Museum.

A good time was had by all! For those of you who came, we appreciate your willingness to experiment with this spirit. We hope you left with a greater appreciation for this Wormwood Delicacy and that you feel more comfortable experimenting with it on your own.

Here are the recipes from the evening:

La Belle Femme (Recipe from Chris Hannah at French 75 in New Orleans)

1.75 oz cognac

.5 oz Dubonnett Rouge

.5 oz Aperol

.25 oz Absinthe (Kubler)

Sazerac

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Bulleit Rye)

.25 oz Simple Syrup

5 dashes of Peychaud Bitters

Lait de Fee

1 oz Absinthe

.5 oz Aged Rum

.5 oz Simple Syrup

1 Barspoon Vanilla Extract

2 oz Cream