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Thread: Absinth?

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    Veteran Member BlondeLocks's Avatar
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    Default Absinth?

    Ok I have been wondering if anyone has tried Absinth. I have and it was pretty gross. I bought some in Europe and brought it back, not sure if that was legal or not but I do know it IS legal to have it in your posession in the US however you cannot buy or sell it here in the US. So anyone, what's your take on it?
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    You're supposed to water it down, straight it's too thick. Personally, i find it nasty either way.

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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I had it in Amsterdam....the slotted spoon, the sugarcube, the whole deal. It still tasted like ass. And all it did was make me really really sleepy. I know some brands are better than others, due to the concentration of wormwood or whatnot, but I was disappointed.
    waffles are just pancakes with little squares on them.

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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I've had it several times. The easiest way to drink it is to dillute it 50% in ice water. When you pour the Absynth into the ice water, use a spoon with some sugar in it and pour the absynth over the sugar so it then falls into the glass. As Christopher mentioned, you usually use a slotted spoon to do this with a sugar cube so if you have that ability, it works a little better. Personally, I used to just drink it with about a 1/4 teaspoon of sugar mixed in with the whole thing which make it more mellow. So with some sugar and dilluted in water, it's okay. It's not a gulping drink, it's a sipping drink much like drinking straight whiskey. I'm actually pretty sure possesion of it in the States is illegal though as it is considered a dangerous hallucinogen. The "Green Fairy" they call it.

    I've had some mild hallucinogenic effects after drinking quite a bit of it, but nothing like taking shrooms and the like though. Remember, this stuff is extracted from a poisonous source and can have a variety of negative effects so be careful with it.

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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I adore Absinthe. I miss the old days of Absinthe parties in NYC. If I could get my hands on it... life would be grand.
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Wow new one to me which is very odd !

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    Tart
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    The parties in NYC paige did you go in late 90's like 96-99 ? In chelsea ?

    That would be insane if we were at the same friggin ones !!

    not that i'd recall

    OH to be the art student again ...

  8. #8
    Yekhefah
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I had it once in Australia. It tastes revolting, but then I don't like licorice. It has a VERY strong licorice flavor. I second what DW said; you are supposed to dilute it 50/50 with iced water (no actual ice in the glass though) with sugar. It made me hallucinate like crazy but then so does everything (even codeine). I didn't like it; I hate to hallucinate, it freaks me out.

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    Featured Member scorpio's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I have a nice bottle of it now, straight from Germany. I just haven't found the right time to open it. My friend said it made him feel "loopy"

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    Featured Member Tiff_7_17's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Paige, come to Canada and visit Scarlett and I and pick some up at your local liquor store, it's legal here

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    God/dess MrChristopher's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Tiff, from the way I understand it, the stuff you can get in Canada is not the same as what you get in certain countries in Europe. You can get a version of it here in the US too, it just doesnt contain the wormwood. I believe they spell it slightly differently, like "Absenthe" or something.
    waffles are just pancakes with little squares on them.

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    Veteran Member BlondeLocks's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Mine is from the Czech Republic...I got the slotted spoon and the whole spiel....however I did it the ghetto way bc i did not have a sugar cube at the time...just reg. old sugar...i thought of it as being reallllly herbal and def. bitter...I did feel a strange sensation that I have never gotten before but since I didnt get too much down it didnt last very long...has anyone ever mixed absinth with another mixer instead of water to make it taste somewhat descent?
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Czech republic huh? I just tried some recently in Prague and it was very strong! I had 3 or 4 shots and i was well wasted. My husband had a couple more than me and he doesn't remember much of that night. Apparently the Czech republic still serves full strength absinthe. The alcohol content is very high and i believe that they still have the full levels of wormwood, which is illegal in most other countries.
    As for watering it down yourself, i've not heard of this.

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    Veteran Member BlondeLocks's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    yea i am looking at the bottle now and it's 72% alcohol and it does have all of the wormwood i believe. I know the company I got it from is one of the companies that still make their absinth like the original. I want to enjoy it but it's just so yucky...I won't lie I did buy it for a pretty penny just to see if you got all crazy from it...
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    Veteran Member BlondeLocks's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    yea i am looking at the bottle now and it's 72% alcohol and it does have all of the wormwood i believe. I know the company I got it from is one of the companies that still make their absinth like the original. I want to enjoy it but it's just so yucky...I won't lie I did buy it for a pretty penny just to see if you got all crazy from it... I also got 'cannabis vodka' as a smaple with the absinth purchase...it has marijuana seeds at the bottom of it...anyone know what that's about...I am a little reluctant to try it
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I know this is an old thread, but I have an Absinthe question & didn't know if I should start another one or not. Has anyone made their own absinthe? I recently bought a kit from someone where everything was premixed in 2 separate bottles & you just have to add the water & vodka. But the last time I bought a kit with the seeds & I tried to do it myself I didn't do it thoroughly enough, so I only had a taste & didn't like it. I was just wondering if I should try to make it w/ a flavored vodka this time? If anyone has tried that, please let me know what flavor you've used. Thanks.

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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I adore Absinthe. I miss the old days of Absinthe parties in NYC. If I could get my hands on it... life would be grand.
    The parties are back, thanks to Lucid ...

    Also, these days it's technically not illegal for Americans to order foreign Absinthe for private consumption purposes ( 3 bottles max per US customs )...

    Plus there is now a HUGE Absinthe revival in the NY area thanks to the likes of Marilyn Manson, who has arranged with a Swiss distiller to produce a special recipe called ManSinthe (which tastes like ass IMHO ... too much wormwood plus too much anise = licorice taste). But it has certainly drummed up a whole lot of new interest in Absinthe as well as in extreme partying !


    Has anyone made their own absinthe? I recently bought a kit from someone where everything was premixed in 2 separate bottles & you just have to add the water & vodka. But the last time I bought a kit with the seeds & I tried to do it myself I didn't do it thoroughly enough, so I only had a taste & didn't like it. I was just wondering if I should try to make it w/ a flavored vodka this time?
    ^^^ yes I used to work with the Green Devil kits years ago. The biggest problems were being able to filter out enough of the 'solids' so that the stuff doesn't taste like toxic herbal tea, and finding ethyl alcohol to mix up which didn't introduce an extra taste of its own (best I could come up with was EverClear, but that's hard to find as well). Once the internet based Absinthe sellers started using 'courier delivery', such that good foreign Absinthe essentially became readily available to US customers, I stopped screwing around with the kits.


    It tastes revolting, but then I don't like licorice. It has a VERY strong licorice flavor
    not all absinthe brands have a strong licorice taste. This comes from the heavy use of anise. There are also several brands that are anise-free and don't taste like licorice at all ...

    also, just like Chateau Latour versus Ripple wines or just like Stolichnya vs Mr. Boston vodkas, there is a wide range of quality between different brands of Absinthe. The problems for Americans (and other countries where absinthe isn't widely sold domestically) is that it's hard to tell the 'cheap shit' from the 'top shelf' stuff !

    For me the dead giveaway is whether the Absinthe is actually distilled, or simply macerated (herbs ground up), mixed and filtered. Distillation really removes lots more impurities and makes for a lot smoother taste ... but distilled Absinthes are always more expensive.

    Mine is from the Czech Republic
    the Czech absinthe formulas typically don't use a lot of anise ... thus they don't have an overwhelming licorice flavor. But there is some truly terrible stuff being exported from the Czech republic these days too. I am told that the truly terrible Czech absinthes were able to stay in business because for many years the Czechs were about the only country that didn't ban Absinthe manufacture. The only really good Czech absinthe I have run across is La Boheme. IMHO all of the other Czech absinthe's should be confined to charcoal lighter duty !


    My personal favorite lately is Swiss La Bleue Clandestine. Switzerland was the original birthplace of Absinthe, and since Switzerland has now recently re-legalized the manufacture of Absinthe, the Swiss distillers are really putting out an extremely high quality product. And the La Bleue's (blue formula) go lighter on the licorice taste, whereas the La Verte's (green formula) taste like 'classic Absinthe'.

    The absinthe 'connoisseurs' tell me that the absolute best 'classic Absinthe' product available today is Jade Verte Suisse 65 ... . According to them, this particular absinthe is an authentic recreation of an extremely popular Absinthe produced in the 19th century ... which was chemically 'reverse engineered' when a handful of unopened dust covered bottles of the real McCoy were recently discovered in somebody's cellar. Personally it has too much anise = licorice flavor for my taste, but this is supposedly the very same stuff that Tolouse Lautrec and Ernest Hemingway used to hammer down / get hammered on !!!


    It also appears that Australia has re-legalized Absinthe as well ... which means that Aussie girls can now try some of the 'good stuff' ...

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 11-17-2007 at 01:56 AM.

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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Ugh....


    I've had a taste of clear American Absinthe (at least... I think it wasn't European). It was absolutely Horrendous! Terrible licorice nasty-ass crap. It smelled sweet... looked clear.... and tasted like *barf*.

    I've also tried Absinthe in a Moscow cafe (both straight and with the water/sugar preparation. That was okay.... still I wouldn't make a habit of drinking it.

    It looked way more fun in Moulin Rouge...
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    ^^^ yup, that's a big problem with the Absinthe that typically makes it to American parties ... the people buying it and/or bringing it back are usually getting suckered into buying the 'charcoal lighter' crap brands ... whereas foreign bars know better than to try and sell anything that isn't relatively good stuff.

    I'm also in total agreement about not making a regular habit of drinking this stuff ... even the good stuff takes a hell of a toll on your brain and your liver ! However, it's a hell of an experience until the 'pain' sets in.


    I've had a taste of clear American Absinthe (at least... I think it wasn't European)
    there are really only two American made 'Absinthes', Herbsaint (which isn't a true absinthe, and it's chock full of anise = licorice taste ... instant *gag*), and the recently released Lucid (which is also pretty heavy on the anise = licorice taste). Neither one is anywhere near 'top shelf' despite the relatively high price that liquor stores are charging for them.

    If you really can't stand the licorice taste, if you ever get a chance perhaps try the La Boheme from the Czech republic ... which has no anise in it at all, but is still 'top shelf' quality !

    ~
    Last edited by Melonie; 11-17-2007 at 03:41 AM.

  20. #20
    mermaidnz
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    It also appears that Australia has re-legalized Absinthe as well ... which means that Aussie girls can now try some of the 'good stuff' ...

    hmm i never realised it was illegal here, we have had bottles of it on our liquor trolley for years now. it must have been made legal over 4 years ago.

    tbh, ive never had it the proper way, im too lazy. we just shot the absenth straight, no wonder ive never hallucinated!! lol


    its tastes like ass too. chartrusse is better

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    Veteran Member retiredangel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I love it and I "don't drink" as a rule...

    First had it in Hong Kong years ago and I love the intrigue and process of drinking it.Very seductive and the "good stuff" is just that in taste!

    It's not for everyone...

    There a many myths and mis-conceptions about it,"legally" you cannot sell thujone-containing Absinthe in the US.(thujone the chemical that is produced in a true Absinth comes from wormwood)

    It is not illegal to purchase thujone-containing Absinthe for "personal use" in the US however.

    The type that they are selling here now "Lucid" and such...) does not contain thujone.
    Wormwood is on the list of "un-safe" herbs banned in 1912 then banned as a food-additive in 1972.
    It is illegal to produce (ooops!) import/export or buy/sell a true thujone-containing Absinthe in the US.
    HOWEVER,it's not illegal to possess or consume it,LOL!

    These laws are so screwed.

    A true-Absinthe will not get you "drunk" but rather give a heightened sense of awareness to some as if it were a slight expansion of consciouness.
    That's why so many "artist types" enjoy the ritual of drinking it.


    The "kits" are not a true Absinthe,which is distilled from the actual herbs themselves (besides wormwood there are several others)but they can be fun to mess with.

    My husband actually double-distills and creates the "real stuff" from fresh herbs and it's really great! He's a "mad scientist of sorts" and is very good at making wine,beer,and liquors.



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    Default Re: Absinth?

    I had some in Greece over the summer and we mixed it with champagne. It was disgusting and it made me feel drunk but kind of edgy. I won't be drinking it again . Blech.

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    Default Re: Absinth?

    Absinthe was banned in Europe for many years (and is still illegal in France for example).

    The original contained wormwood, which has halucinogenic properties. That was the main reason it was banned. You not only got drunk, you got mildly high as well.

    The recent absinthe's contain wormwood essence - which gives you the flavour, but not the effect.

    The other problem with absinthe is its strength. Many are around the 70% mark, and I've seen one or two at close to 80%. This is about twice the strength of a standard short, so you can get drunk fairly quickly if you don't realise it.

    Me personally, I drink it straight - and like it. (Very much a minority POV). You are meant to do the sugar/water routine to dulute it.

    As with most other drinks, it's a matter of personal taste.

    (Should also mention I love liquors - have over 60 indoors).

    Phil.

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