Absinthe without leave

As a collector and consumer of single-malt whiskeys I rarely turn my taste-buds to other drinks. I know what I prefer and I stick with it. But one drink, Absinthe, has always intrigued me. I first came across it when I read that it was the preferred drink of Oscar Wilde, of whom I have a life-long fascination. I have since learnt that Wilde shared that proclivity (as well as some others) with Zola, Hemmingway, Verlaine, Modigliani, van Gogh, Twain and, perhaps most infamously, Aleister Crowley.
Absinthe is purported to be a hallucinogen, though this effect may be more accurately attributed to the mind-blowing (literally) 70% alcohol by volume (ABV) that Absinthe can get up to; a single-malt by comparison is somewhere around 40—50%.  It is true though that it contains the chemical compound thujone which is considered both addictive and dangerous leading to Absinthe being banned in Europe and the United States for a time. The anise-flavoured spirit is however back on the market and can be bought in New Zealand, though not in Mataura where it is banned.
I have never tried it and perhaps never will. As I said at the outset I have my preferences, and my proclivities, unlike Wilde’s, don’t extend to experimenting.  But if you are tempted, one of the favourite ways to drink it is to place a sugar cube over a slotted spoon and pour water over the cube and into the Absinthe. The resulting liquid would be sweetened and turn cloudy. Be warned however: you do so at your own risk. Absinthe has been described thus:
“It (Absinthe) makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of woman, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces the future of the country.”
Bit like Hamilton really.