Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder

As a marketing scheme it is risky but evidently effective: Hang your hat on a premium product with a past so intriguing and at times dark that people will flock to your door. Or in the case of absinthe, to your distillery where you happily dispense limited quantities of the once-banned elixir to the devoted, the macabre, the well-heeled and the curious, all at a high price. In this case that works out to $75 for a 750ml bottle of the St. George Verte that is made in Alameda.