My friends gave me a bottle of Sirene absinthe after my dissertation defense. We tried it the next weekend.

I suppose, given how expensive the stuff is, it’s only ambiguously worth it. I felt no effects other than the usual alcoholic effects. (Save for a bit of pleasant tongue-numbing.) But the taste is much more complex and interesting than other anise-intensive drinks like pastis.

Also the drink-making ritual, with absinthe spoons, sugar, and cold water, is entirely fun.