Ever had Absinthe??? Is it for real??

Answer 1

Yes, I've drunk absinthe several times. The last time was in November at at tasting of several different brands of absinthe in London, where it was never banned. My favorite was Pernod 68

Absinthe is an aniseed flavoured spirit that is clear until water is added to it, when it turns milky.

Absinthe contains a number of herbs and spices, but the one that got it that reputation - most likely unfairly - is wormwood. Wormwood has an ingredient called thujone which has a structure similar to T.H.C. which is the active chemical in cannabis.

There is a tiny amount of wormwood - used for its bitter flavours - in Absinthe, and you'd have to drink an enormous amount of it to be affected. Bear in mind that absinthe has a very high alcohol content, around 70% alcohol (normal spirits are 40%), but that it is drunk with 6 -8 times as much water, thus diluting the alcohol and active ingredients.


However, it was made illegal in France and some other countries because of fear that people were made mad by absinthe. The stories about the effect of the wormwood content were over exagerated. But there was tremendous consumption of absinthe in France and people certainly drank too much.

What does it do? Same as any other spirit. It makes you drunk if you have too much of it. Does it make you high? Well, it didn't affect me. I think you'd have to drink so much of it that you'd be drunk from its high alcohol content first


Does it still have wormwood in it? Yes of course. Bear in mind it wasn't made illegal in all countries and even though France made absinthe illegal and thus Pernod made a wormwood free replacement drink known as Pastis, Pernod continued to make real absinthe for export.

I'm not a lawyer but the absinthe merchants say that it is only illegal to SELL absinthe in the US, but legal to buy and consume it, and so companies like eabsinthe.com ship personal orders to the US and guarantee refund if a consignment is lost or seized.

However, if you want to know what absinthe is like without buying it, go to any bar or pub and ask for a glass of Pernod or Ricard pastis. Pastis is the wormwood free replacement produced after absinthe was made illegal. These also have lower alcohol, so you add less water. The taste and look of pastis is the same as absinthe.

This online merchant that will ship absinthe to US customers from the UK - see http://www.eabsinthe.com


The person who is trying to scare you that the wormwood element in absinthe may kill you is exagerating. There have been no deaths from drinking absinthe in the UK and it is apopular drink in nightclubs here.

Answer 2

Absinthe is for real, and it's illegal in the United States. The active ingredient in Absinthe comes from wormwood, which can be LETHAL (see why it's illegal here?) I wouldn't advise trying to get some from another country and having it shipped to you here -- Customs will seize it and you'll be looking at a $500.00 fine for attempting to import an illegal drug. I would also advise you against trying it in another country because it's not regulated in any way, so you have no idea if the dose of Absinthe you get has a lethal level of wormwood derivative.

Answer 3

Yes. It is real, and now it is legal in the US. The best most authentic absinthe comes from the Czech Republic, it tastes TERRIBLE and be prepared to not do much the next day! Oh, and by the way, it wasn't called 'wormwood'. It's made from distilled wormwood.

Answer 4

MANY YEARS AGO I TASTED ABSINTHE. IT IS GENERALLY OUTLAWED IN MOST OF THE WORLD. ONE OF THE INGREDIENTS WORMWOOD IS POISONOUS AND HAS A VERY HARMFUL CUMULATIVE. PERNOD HAS BASICALLY THE SAME TASTE WITHOUT THE WORMWOOD AND IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS ABSINTHE SUBSTITUTE. PERNOD WAS ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MAKERS OF ABSINTHE.

Answer 5

Are you???? Sounds like a government distributor. You better lay off that stuff, it is really dangerous. It's older than you think it is and used in antiquity. Know what it was called then? Wormwood.

Answer 6

yes sir it's real! it's insane taste....not very sweet Hence the sugar cube!!

but i've started to see more "absinthe" type items at Bevmo...don't know if that'll "do it" for ya. it gets ya loopy pretty quick!!

Answer 7

Yes, I had it and yes it is real.

I had it when I was in Germany. A friend brought it from the Czech Republic. Strong stuff!

Answer 8

Dude that is some killer sh*t!!! It tastes like hydrochloric mouthwash!