Top 6 L.A. Bars To Celebrate National Absinthe Day Tonight

Hemingway's

Hollywood haunt Hemingway's gets its name from one of history's most notorious green fairy devotees and prominent figures of the heavy absinthe-drinking bohemian vanguard of the late 19th and early 20th century in Paris. Ernest Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, and Van Gogh (who once famously launched his glass of absinthe at Gauguin's head at a cafe) were among the artists and writers who indulged in the potent liquor for its effect on their creative expression (they liked to get really fucked up). One of Hemingway's letters which speaks to this reads, "Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks." Though there's nothing wrong with enjoying the heady spirit, you don't need me to tell you that playing with sharp objects of any kind whilst "tight" on absinthe is 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.