Hong Kong, March 11 -- From fuelling the work of some of the most popular European painters (read, Picasso, Van Gogh, and Monet) to holding a rather notorious reputation in liquor lore - absinthe has been there, done that. The herbal spirit has only recently begun to make its way through the mist of misunderstandings - into the menus of popular restaurants and cocktail glasses of discerning drinkers in India. And while options across stores are limited, the future of this punchy libation seems promising. Here's all about it.

Few liquors can claim to have a history as colourful as 'the green fairy' absinthe. The story begins in ancient Egyptian and Syrian records - which spoke of a wine infused with wormwood that was ideal to treat condit...