Do they sell absinthe and does it taste good and will it give you a good buzz?

Answer 1

Absynth is very dangerous. It is made out of a natural herb mixed with alcohol. I am not sure of the taste. It will take you out of your mind and leave you desperately trying to find your way back. It has driven many a man crazy.

Answer 2

The real deal tastes like crap. That's why most recipes involve a sugar cube. The "buzz" is awesome, very shroom like but not as intense. If you're in the U.S. you must order on-line or visit Canada to obtain a bottle. I recommend on-line, too many fakes in Canada and too hard to find good stuff up north (at least for a visitor). It is only illegal to manufacturer or sell in the USA- perfectly OK to posses and consume (drink). Check for thujonge (sp) level before purchasing. The higher the level the worse it tastes, the better the buzz. I'm anxiously awaiting trying a new bottle/brand/make out there with the highest levels yet.(135mg). Enjoy and be safe.

Answer 3

They still sell "Absinthe" in France and most of the rest of the world. Consumed occasionally it probably won't hurt you, but since the wormwood extract it is made from is toxic, it is has not been sold in the US for a long time. My mother talked fondly of enjoying it when she was young.

A wormwood free version is available in the US called "Absinte". It's nice but I'm sure its not the same. I suppose it's kind of analogous to root beer. Root beer was great when I was a kid, but then they banned the use of "real" sassafras and no root beer has ever tasted quite right since.

Absinte is a nice aperatif, subtle. If you like things like ouzo or sambuca but think they are very strong, you'll appreciate absinte.

As far as getting a buzz ... absinthe's are traditionally very high in alcohol 50-70%, but it's far too expensive to just slam it in mass quantities! Tradional service is to dilute it with ice water poured over a sugar cube.

As far as it's fabled halucenogenic properties, I'm afraid that is more myth and fable than fact, mostly owing to the famous people that drank it, the times that made it popular, a tiny piece of true but insignificant science, and the power of suggestion!

Answer 4

In the United States, Absinthe is not a controlled substance but its sale in bars and liquor stores is banned. Absinthe is still however legal to purchase and possess in the United States. In most of the European Union, Absinthe may be sold as long as it stays at 10mg of thujone. In Canada, Absinthe is completely legal, and on sale in some liquor stores.

Absinthe, or affectionately known as the Green Fairy (La Fee Verte), is a high alcohol volume (usually 50-70%), unique tasting liqueur infused with a plethora of flavors derived from variety of herbs. Absinthe derives its Green Fairy nickname from its color and its humble beginnings as a miraculous cure all. Absinthe’s unique coloring is the result of the chlorophyll present in the herbs. These herbs include anise, hyssop, veronica, fennel, lemon balm, angelica and last but not least wormwood. Wormwood produces the psychoactive constituent thujone, which is responsible for producing the mysterious absinthe “effects”.

Absinthe derives its name from the Greek word apsinthion, which ironically, means undrinkable. This reference clearly describes the distinctive, bitter taste of absinthe. As such, absinthe is usually drunk in the traditional method with water and sugar. When diluted with water, absinthe turns an opaque milky white in a process called louching. Louching occurs because the essential herbal oils present in absinthe do not mix with water.

Answer 5

Absinthe is a wonderful drink. Think of a subtle Pernod.

It also gives a great 'buzz' - you can be intoxicated, but still talking sense. Also, although I have never been totally legless on absinthe, I have never experienced the hint of a hangover..

Answer 6

I don't know where you are from but you can buy Absinthe legally in the UK--Tesco sell it for about £19 a bottle. Drink a whole bottle and you will hallucinate; drink enough over a long enough period and you will go blind, mad or both. Think of all that expressionist and impressionist French art, etc.

Answer 7

They do sell it....i saw this history of alcohol on history channel and although band for a long while they in some part of the world have started to sell it once more...does it give you a buzz who knows I would like to try it but they would never sell it here because of its negativism towards it.

Answer 8

absinthe in its traditional form is illegal in the US, but can be purchased easily enough from European sources, both online and in European stores. in the US, you can buy a modified recipe called Absente, which merely replaces the Grand Wormwood (Artemesia absinthium) with a cousin, Southern Wormwood ("petite absinthe"), that contains less of the volatile thujone compound (and reputedly less bitterness). i bought a gift pack of a bottle of Absente with a glass and traditional slotted spoon for around $30 USD, so not cheap but not outrageously expensive. because of the botanicals used, absinthe has a decidedly herbal flavor, but often with not-as-high-quality absinthes the anise/licorice-like flavor overwhelms. only you will know if you enjoy that taste.

much has been made of thujone's purported influence in the drink. thujone has a chemical composition very similar to the active compound in marijuana and THC. but thujone is also similar to the makeup of menthol, and it is found naturally in a great number of plants; in fact, there are a number of food and beverages that use oils/flavorings containing thujone. conflicting reports of whether or not thujone actually produces hallucinogenic effects, or is addictive, can be found in many places, but generally the modern answer is no. strangely, despite all the fuss about thujone and absinthe, wormwood is used therapeutically for stomach ailments, antiseptics, and pain relief. it is toxic in high concentrations/large amounts, but can be used safely in proper doses. and you can purchase Grand Wormwood (and dozens of other cousins in the artemesia family, one of which is the herb Tarragon) for your own home garden. wormwood's aromatic oils and bitter nature make a natural insect repellant.

absinthe has a very high alcohol content, so yes -- it will pack a punch. it was the drink of choice of many poets and artists at the end of 19th century Paris, many of whom were alcoholics and led so-called "degenerate" lifestyles. this set up a clash between classes, and between the absinthe and wine producers in France, and the banning of absinthe was as much a political move as it was for public safety. as far as safety went, most of absinthe's effects, noticed even by 19th century drs, were due to the alcohol content and people abusing it. but improper and toxic additives to cheapen production and achieve the green color also accounted for some of the purported symptoms of "absinthism."

if you want to find out more about absente, the website is below. otherwise, the 2nd link is for the Virtual Absinthe Museum, a storehouse of information. the final two entries are titles of books on absinthe, the first one being especially great (both found on Amazon).

Answer 9

IN the USA they sell a fake version without the wormwood in it if you want the real stuff you have to go to france.This fake absinthe is expensive at about 60 dollars a bottle.Its not really fake but it is not the original recipe the stuff wormwood is illegal in america

Answer 10

check this site out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

QUOTE: "The main herbs used are grande wormwood, florence fennel and green anise, often called the 'holy trinity'. Many other herbs may be used as well, such as hyssop, melissa, star anise and petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood). Various recipes also include angelica root, Sweet Flag, dittany leaves, coriander, veronica, juniper, nutmeg, and various mountain herbs.

The simple maceration of wormwood in alcohol without distillation produces an extremely bitter drink, due to the presence of the water-soluble absinthine, one of the most bitter substances known. Authentic recipes call for distillation after a primary maceration and before the secondary or 'coloring' maceration. The distillation of wormwood, anise, and Florence fennel first produces a colorless distillate that leaves the alembic at around 82% alcohol. It can be left clear, called a Blanche or la Bleue (used for bootleg Swiss absinthe), or the well-known green color of the beverage can be imparted either artificially or with chlorophyll by steeping petite wormwood, hyssop, and melissa in the liquid. After this process, the resulting product is reduced with water to the desired percentage of alcohol. Over time and exposure to light, the chlorophyll breaks down, changing the color from emerald green to yellow green to brown. Pre-ban and vintage absinthes are often of a distinct amber color as a result of this process. In rare cases it can be naturally colored red, called a rouge, by using hibiscus.

Non-traditional varieties are made by cold-mixing herbs, essences or oils in alcohol, with the distillation process omitted. Often called 'oil mixes', these types of absinthe are not necessarily bad, though they are generally considered to be of lower quality than properly distilled absinthe and often carry a distinct bitter aftertaste.

Alcohol makes up the majority of the drink and its concentration is extremely high, between 45% and 89.9%,[4] though there is no historical evidence that any commercial vintage absinthe was higher than 74%. Given the high strength and low alcohol solubility of many of the herbal components, absinthe is usually not imbibed 'straight' but consumed after a fairly elaborate preparation ritual.




QUOTE: " In the late 19th century, cheap brands of absinthe were occasionally adulterated by profiteers with copper, zinc, indigo plant, or other dyes to impart the green color, and with antimony trichloride to produce or enhance the louche effect (see below). It is also thought that the use of cheaper industrial alcohol and poor distillation technique by the manufacturers of cheaper brands resulted in contamination with methanol, fusel alcohol, and similar unwanted distillates. This addition of toxic chemicals is quite likely to have contributed to absinthe's reputation as a hallucination-inducing or otherwise harmful beverage."

Answer 11

It is legal to possess in the US, you just can't buy it here. Sucks to be us! heh You can order it online, make sure you get it from a Canadian dealer, they have the purest, therefore highest content! Good stuff! Keep in mind you will be paying alot for this stuff since there are so many places that don't allow it around the world. Enjoy!