Feeling a little fancy? The Violet Hour has a new absinthe happy hour, L'Heure Verte ("the green hour," a nod to the mid-19th century period in France, when absinthe consumption was popular), which includes four absinthes for $4-$5 off the regular price and three absinthe cocktails for $10 instead of $13.
If you order the absinthe neat, you'll get a half to full ounce of the wormwood spirit served in a glass with a miniature traditional water dripper, a slotted spoon and sugar cube. Your server will walk you through the process, which includes adding sugar and water to the absinthe so it's easier to drink. Whether or not you use the sugar cube is up to you. Personally, I find absinthe a little sweet already and don't want the extra sweetness from the sugar. The amount of water is also up to you, but as you add it, the clear green drink will turn cloudy—this is the louche, the cloudiness from essential oils emulsifying with water.
I tried Duplais Verte ($9) and Mansinthe ($8) and added a small amount of water to each, just enough to create the louche. The Duplais Verte was the greener of the two, with grassy and woodsy notes before the wormwood and anise hit. Mansinthe is Marilyn Manson's absinthe, but don't be turned off—it's really nice on the palate and easy to drink for absinthe newbies.
For those not sold on just sipping absinthe, the Libertine cocktail ($10), made with Pernod absinthe, lemon, Plymouth Sloe Gin and sparkling wine, is an approachable choice. The sparkling wine tones the whole cocktail down, while you get what my date called "the good parts" of absinthe—the pure anise taste, not too sweet and just there enough to be pleasant.
The Violet Hour's happy hour is Monday-Thursday from 6-8pm.