2007-01-31 13:49:41 · 4 answers · asked by Mark C 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
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
2007-02-01 00:03:53 · answer #1 · answered by Pontac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absinthe is good, it's a neon green liquor with a sweet taste. It is not ouzo, in Europe they call it the green fairy (seriously). It's made with wormwood and the myth of it is that it's hallucinogenic in reality during the old days only cheap absinthe had this. Today with modern distilling the old days are no more. To see how absinthe is made I recomend watching The History Channel - Distilling 2, it tells you how it's made all of the ingrediants even the company that makes it.
2007-01-31 22:42:21 · answer #2 · answered by murduk0420 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it is like licorice and turns milky when ice or water is added....in france it is called pernod...that is stringer then the states...the european pernod is the strongest that can be purchased legally...it europe it is sometimes sold illegal and its base is laced with a morphine type base .....they drink alot of it in greece it is called oszo
2007-01-31 22:05:15 · answer #3 · answered by d957jazz retired chef 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Never had the chance to do so. can you even get it in the US?
2007-01-31 22:10:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋