Absinthe Party - No charges!

Many of my readers will have read elsewhere about the raid of the Absinthe party in San Francisco in December. This was the latest in a series of parties where people could sample a number of different absinthes (including some that this writer would not consider real absinthe).

After two months, this case was due in court on March 1st. Well-informed readers will know that this was a highly auspicious date, given it marked the second anniversary of the Swiss re-legalisation of absinthe.

And following that good omen, Paul Nathan, the host of the party, reports on his blog:-

"We showed up in court this morning and no charges had been filed. The DA decided not to pursue the matter at all. So we have not been charged with anything. We didn't even walk into a court room.

Its a fairly anticlimactic ending which turned out to be the best ending we could have hoped for. No fines, no charges, nothing on the record."



Paul seems to hint in his blog that he may have to throw another party soon, but does not state whether it will be like the famous (or infamous?) parties of the past.

It will be interesting to see whether:-

a) Paul gets back his absinthe: it is legal to possess absinthe in the USA.

b) This heralds the start of further absinthe parties in the USA. Does the fact that charges were not made set any kind of legal precedent?

At the time of writing, there is at least one absinthe event being advertised on Live Journal and via MySpace. L.A., Tuesday March 6 (and every Tuesday, it seems).

Currently Paul's party website is still down, but I understand it will be back soon. Check back later.

If Paul and others do continue to take risks with their parties (and many social and business pioneers have taken risks over the years), it is hoped that they will focus more on the higher quality brands in future.