Absinthe + You?

Question

Anybody have an personal experiences with Absinthe?

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

Original vs. modern-day drinking rituals Originally, the absinthe drink was intended as an aperitif. The bars and cafes of fin de siecle Paris celebrated the "Green Hour", a late-afternoon period when Parisians downed their pre-dinner glass (or three) of the green liquor. With water: In the age of the original absinthe fever, the drink was always diluted with water and sweetened with sugar before consumption. First, a cube of sugar was placed on a perforated spoon resting on the top of a glass of neat absinthe. Then, chilled water was slowly poured over the sugar until it dissolved and the required level of dilution was achieved. Special absinthe fountains -- decorated containers that dispensed iced water -- had their firm place in most drinking establishments of that time. With fire: A few variations on the traditional drinking ritual have popped up since. One recent method involves pouring absinthe itself -- rather than water -- over the cube of sugar, then setting fire to the absinthe-soaked cube. Purists and absinthe snobs condemn this method and resolutely declare that one should never drink absinthe like that. But that hasn't stopped some drinkers taking the "fire ritual" further still: the sugar cube goes out of the metaphorical window, and the emerald liquor itself is set on fire (just like sambucca). Although involving absinthe with fire may have the desired visual effect in a hip cocktail lounge or on the movie screen, it does deny the drinker the full experience of the more noteworthy mind-opening, perception-enhancing absinthe effects. The traditional ritual of 1890's Paris had a purpose: as cool water drips into a glass of the chartreuse green liquor, it liberates the all-important essential herbal oils that make absinthe the special drink it is. Straight up: For the same reason, absinthe is seldom drunk straight-up like scotch or brandy. Newcomers to absinthe often drink absinthe neat, but this is rarely for the taste, but simply because they do not know there is another way. Even modern-day bartenders sometimes produce a whisky glass with a shot of the green liquid when asked for "absinthe". If this happens to you, at least request a wine glass and a bottle of chilled water -- then pour the shot of absinthe into the wine glass and slowly dilute with water. If you are one of those people who actually like to drink absinthe neat, by all means continue doing so, and do not let anyone tell you of the "right ways" or the "wrong ways". Freedom, after all, is the very essence of the Green Fairy, so be free to enjoy her company as you wish. If you are new to absinthe and want to try the drink straight-up (who knows, you might develop the taste for it?), note that meeting the Green Fairy can prove an intoxicating experience in more than the metaphorical sense: absinthe does contain a lot of alcohol, 50 to 70 per cent being the norm (in contrast, a decent scotch is "mere" 40%).

Answer 3

Yes. I have tried several different brands of Absinthe and I am very fond of the french brands. as well as a new brand from south africa called Doubs. If you have more questions check out my absinthe yahoo group or my webpage www.freewebs.com/absintheurs

Answer 4

pour the Absinthe over ice in a glass. it'll go cloudy. that's the only way to drink it.

Answer 5

All the people I know who have drunk absinthe are dead. But they all died with smiles on their faces.

Answer 6

morons, morons, morons
all of ye
absinthe in my body be
fly to greece and bottle me
yet change the label to olive oil
and other worlds you'll see.
By mail or UPS or other trans,
no inspection of oils will pass hands
be sure to send a case
not just a bottle,
cause when you get it here
I vision the share with we
whatever you do, send it to
your neighbors house
while they are out of town,
and I'll fly to wherever you are
so we can party down.

Raj Jah Raj
Jumpin' Jesus
Hare' Hare'
Jim,Jack,Jose

Answer 7

I didn't really like the taste, tasted like really strong tea (I tried the Hill's brand). I definitely didn't get the "high" you often hear about, neither the 3 others I was with. I don't think they make it same as they used to.

Answer 8

Horrible stuff... Tastes like herbs and liquorice

Answer 9

Yeah it was horrible, I kept hearing things so I cut my ear off, and sent it to my girlfriend.

Answer 10

i did not know it was a drink i thought it was something you told teenagers to do so they would not get pregnet