Happy National Absinthe Day: Where To Observe The Holiday Tonight

Hemingway's

One of our favorite Hollywood haunts, Hemingway's gets its name from one of history's most famous absinthe enthusiasts who was part of the whole bohemian vanguard that included Van Gogh and Degas that indulged in the potent liquor for its, erm, effect on their creative expression? All that means to me is they liked to get really fucked up. A truly awesome quote from one of Hemingway's letters which speaks to this reads, "Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks." In no way am I trying to suggest you play with knives whilst "tight" on absinthe. That's a terrible idea. Just ask Van Gogh's left ear. But I do think in honor of the holiday you should think about trying Hemingways' Death in the Afternoon, a cocktail which the author himself came up with in a collection of celebrity recipes. Although the bar's spin on his signature drink strays a bit from the original recipe with the additions of blackberries and lemon, their version is pretty tasty. Whether you drink "three to five of these slowly," as Hemingway's recipe instructs is your prerogative and depends on how weird you want your night to get.