Has anybody here ever had Absinthe?

Question

I'm talking about the real "honest to God, full strength" Absinthe, not the "toned-down" version avalible in some places over the web.
Is it really as strong as they say it is? Did you experience any strange after-effects from drinking it?

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

Answer 2

Yep a number of different top brands.

There is no such thing as "full strength" absinthe, and any place advertising such should be avoided. Either it is absinthe or it isn't. Absente which is available in the US is not absinthe but pastis, the majority of absinth available in the czech republic (or made in the czech republic) isn't absinthe but a type of bitters. Absinthe is an anise flavored beverage made from green anise and wormwood, plus additional herbs. If it lacks either of those it isn't absinthe.

Any after effects are minor and not experienced by everyone, don't fall into the myths, it wont make you hallucinate or anything like that. For those that experience "secondaries" it is often described as a clear headed drunk. I have found normal alcohol feels very heavy after drinking absinthe.

Answer 3

yes i have had it a few times everytime ive been drinking before i started drinking the absinthe (a lil buzzed already before we made the absinthe concocktion) but ive always had a great time.. only once i woke up not remembering what the hell happend,. but i was at a place whre i new nothing would go wrong so if u decide on tryn it.. be somewhere safe and with people u enjoy being around.. its super fun and it may make u see things that arent really there! lol

Answer 4

I've had it several times and while it is fun and certainly different to any other drink I've ever had, it can leave people incoherent and 'trippy'. I did things on it that I would never do normally.

Tastes exceptionally aniseedy - if it's a taste you like great, if not whack it back and think of England as they say. Don't forget the sugar.

Would I do it again? Yes probably but only because it's been about 5 years since the last time I had it.

Hope this helps

Answer 5

Oh, sure. It's great stuff. But then, I live in the Czech Republic and it's legal here. Just walk into any liquor store and buy it. 70% alcohol if you want it that potent.

The stuff you get in the US is not the real deal. Real absinthe is illegal there because of the interesting...ummm...formula it has.

It gives you a similar effect to certain herbs that you can obtain in certain places. (This site is open to minors so I shouldn't really say a lot more than that, if you follow.)

If you ever come to Prague, try it!!

Lenky:)

Answer 6

Yeah i've tried it..it's really strong but it has the same smell as Ouzo(Greek traditional drink)Nothing happened to me.=0)

Answer 7

I've had the toned-down stuff, just like getting pretty wasted. My buddy was in Germany for the military and tried some, he said he was trippin balls for a while.

Answer 8

Yes I have had it, and had it properly prepared with ice and sugar strain and it's powerful. It have me a good upper (kind of like jauergmeister) but last a fair while longer.

Answer 9

In the 19th century it was oulawed in France, because it was addictive, poisonous, and became very popular.

Answer 10

my boyfriend did, and as a result can't remember new year 2002