Green Fairy Friday makes Sassy Ann's even sassier

Brennen Dylan and Stacie Dodger at Sassy Ann's "Green Fairy Friday."

Nga Nguyen, Michael Clapp, Jamison Walker and David Allen skip the "Green Fairy" promotion for a traditional PBR Friday at Sassy Ann's.

Sassy Ann's makes a good gathering place for Andre Phinnessee, Devan Perry and Zo Lyons to catch up with each other.

Chip Morris and Hannah Daugherty have some laughs at the Sassy Ann's bar during a recent "Green Fairy Friday."

Brennen Dylan and Stacie Dodger at Sassy Ann's "Green Fairy Friday."

If life in Knoxville has been a little too sane for you recently, you might want to consider heading to Sassy Ann's on a Friday night. Always a bastion of insanity, Sassy's is now offering absinthe on "Green Fairy Fridays."

That's not a typo. They're offering a substance whose legality and safety are - historically - both questionable. They're serving it. At the bar. On Fridays. They boast the fact that they serve absinthe. They shout it from the rooftops. It's all over their Myspace and it's on their voice mail recording.

Absinthe, for those who don't know, is an alcoholic-type substance which (allegedly) causes hallucinations and a "tripping" sensation. And it's been illegal in the US for over a hundred years - until recently.

Touting the beverage as the "green fairy" (its traditional nickname dating back hundreds of years), Sassy's also brags about being the only place in town to offer the substance, though club owner Vicki Vinson says by now other clubs may offer it as well, since the substance has been legal in the US since '07 and venues aren't required to have a special license to serve it.

Hearing Sassy's serves absinthe could make anyone skeptical, but such is the nature of Sassy Ann's. The majority of the venue's advertising exists through word of mouth. Their website hasn't been updated in far too long. They never answer their phone (and even though they have an informative voice mail, it's still outdated by a month). The fact that it's clearly an old, large house in a residential neighborhood keeps it all the more low-profile, despite the disposition of the crowd it holds.

It's notoriously hard to find, and as if that doesn't make one question the mere existence of the venue, Mapquest also notoriously gives you wrong directions, telling you to go down streets that don't exist.

Yet the tales of the debauchery at Sassy's travel far and wide. Their extremely popular dance nights on Thursday and Saturday are the subject of many regaled tales among the 20-somethings. Everything you hear about Sassy's makes you skeptical, yet you really, really want it to be true.

Discovering they sell absinthe makes the place even more mysterious.

And since absinthe's prohibition was due mostly to the belief that it causes insanity, Sassy's is the perfect venue to serve such a thing. Sassy's embraces insanity. It thrives off of it. It's impossible to go and not have a wild night. And I'm not talking frat-boy, beer-pong kind of wild. I mean you'll dance until your feet hurt to songs you're ashamed you know the words to but couldn't be happier to hear.

If you've ever been, you know it's true. Green Fairy Fridays are no exception.

The beverage, called Lucid, is mixed with a sugar cube and water. Vicki Vinson, who was bartending on a recent Friday night, admits that the substance is probably a more watered down version of what they sell in European countries, but that it's still something special nonetheless. If nothing else, it's over 120 proof, which is extremely necessary to keep in mind while consuming it. Believe me.

The $7.50 beverage (not a bad deal considering a bottle of it at a liquor store is $60) tastes strongly like cough syrup. I've heard it explained as a "licorice" taste but it really just tastes more like Nyquil. It's not easy to get down, but it could be worse.

The effects are almost immediate. Whereas there aren't hallucinations, per se, it causes a dreamy sensation and everything, well, just simply looks prettier. It's very euphoric and distinctly different from a typical buzz.

Even though Vicki also admits that Green Fairy Fridays haven't fully caught on yet, the insanity is already brewing, and in the best way possible.

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Chip Morris and Hannah Daugherty have some laughs at the Sassy Ann's bar during a recent "Green Fairy Friday."

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