The Absinthe Hour The Doctor’s Office

Bienvenue, revelers. It’s l’heure verte (or “the green hour”) at The Doctor’s Office, and it’s time to do as the French do.

Sipping absinthe has become the new 5 p.m. ritual at the Holmes Beach craft cocktail bar, thanks to owner Sean Murphy’s longtime adoration of the anise-flavored spirit. As soon as the locale opens, the absinthe fountain starts flowing. It’s an anything-but-typical, always-magical type of island happy hour, with a whole lot of history.

“People in France fell in love with absinthe in the late 1800s, and 5 p.m. was when they had their absinthe,” says Murphy, who is also the restaurateur behind the Beach Bistro and Eat Here. “The way it was served, traditionally, was with an absinthe fountain (water drips over a sugar cube onto a spoon and into the glass).”

This method helps dilute the absinthe, which boasts an alcohol percentage of about 95 and has a distinctive licorice taste. It may not be the same dizzying elixir as it was in days of yore, due to its modernized preparation, but it still delivers a distinctive contemporary punch.

“As the crystals hit the absinthe, they sparkle and swirl, and that is the myth of the green fairy in the absinthe. After people spend enough time in the company of the absinthe, men will swear that they spent the evening dancing with the beautiful green fairy,” Murphy says. “Oscar Wilde spent a day and an evening drinking absinthe. At the end of the evening, the bartender threw a bucket of water on the floor to wash the floor. Oscar Wilde saw tulips grow up from the floor. He swore he could feel the tulips brushing against his feet.”

Antique anecdotes keep the spirit’s mystique alive. Murphy also adds an edgy, signature twist—serving a sample of absinthe in a syringe, which goes with The Doctor’s Office theme. Guests get a taste of the potion after being entranced by the diluting process. The fountain, on its own, is a conversation piece (a stunning silver fairy holding up a glass water pitcher with a faucet).

“I found my first absinthe fountain in a tiny absinthe bar in Nashville, Tennessee. The diminutive bar sells chocolate all day and at night it converts to an absinthe bar,” Murphy says. “One look at that absinthe fountain and I had to get one.”

To keep the nightly absinthe experience fresh, Murphy’s bartenders continually rotate the brands of absinthe they use. Similarly, all of the libations served at The Doctor’s Office have a vintage slant.

“We create all of the classic cocktails of the 1930s and 1890s vintage (Martinis, Bee’s Knees, Hurricanes, plus tropical tiki drinks),” Murphy says. “Every patron is greeted with a sip of our ‘daily medication’—a punch of the day—in a medicine cup, and a teacup full of potato chips as a snack.”

And, of course, absinthe prescriptions are filled nightly at The Doctor’s Office, with a little dose of love.

The Doctor’s Office: 5312 Holmes Blvd #B, Holmes Beach, 941-213-9926; doctorsofficeami.com.