Cocktail Review: South's Southern Spell

Many drinkers find absinthe an acquired taste, that's why we were reluctant to try the new absinthe cocktail at South in Santa Monica, the Southern Spell ($12). The green liquor tastes like black licorice, our least favorite thing in the world but since this cocktail is new we thought we'd give it a shot in the name of research. Made of Lucid Absinthe, peach schnapps and ginger ale, it sounds like the nasty taste of the absinthe would be sweetly muted by the schnapps and ginger ale.

We guess the drink is so new that the bartenders at South still aren't quite sure how to make it. Our bartender said that it was actually a shot. "A $12 shot...with ginger ale?" we wondered. So we asked if we could have it on the rocks instead. Later we found out that the cocktail is actually supposed to be served in a tall glass.

In any case on the rocks was the way to go as all that sweetness needed to be diluted. However, surprisingly, the cocktail was quite drinkable. Sweet, but drinkable. Definitely a girl drink. Wish they added some sort of garnish to it, though. Even a slice of lime would be good.

We didn't hallucinate any green fairies afterward per se but we sure did feel fuzzy.