Fuga: Lure of the “green fairy”, in Bangalore

In a mood for some good Saturday night clubbing? Try out Fuga, the new kid on the block in the city’s club scene. Fuga, meaning “escape” in Italian, is located off Castle Street and has all the regular strappings of a lounge bar. Stags, however, are not allowed.

Fuga has a decent bar that offers just about everything from beer to wine, along with delectable eats to complement your drink. The ground floor is spacious, though it tends to get a wee bit crowded and stuffy over the weekends. In addition to this, there’s a split level floor, reminiscent of Spinn , which overlooks the dance floor. However, unlike Spinn, it is more spacious with an attached bar.

But what makes this place unique is the fact that this is the only pub in India that serves absinthe, legally. Which brings us to the question, what is absinthe?

Absinthe History:
French for “wormwood”, and popular with the druids of yore for its medicinal qualities, absinthe was considered to be a strong hallucinogenic and psychotropic substance, and hence its sale was abolished.

So why drink it all?
However, it’s not as bad as it sounds. In fact, it’s not even highly addictive. It has to be experienced to be understood, as they say. In a way, its charm perhaps lies in its subtlety. People have claimed that absinthe has enhanced their dreams, but that’s where the story ends. By and large, many absinthe drinkers report no effects other than those you’d expect from drinking any other heady liquor.

Absinthe tastes like:
Well, unless you’re a professional bartender, don’t try to prepare your own drink. Absinthe is known to be bitter. But, as said before, if properly prepared, it is known to have a pleasant bitterness to it.

At Fuga, the absinthe shots are steeply priced, and certainly burns a hole in your wallet. But considering the fact that it is the only pub serving this delightful concoction, one can allow such indulgence once in a while.

So does this all sound like giving it a shot? Well, at least, never say never!