Is Absinthe really as dangerous as it's reputation? Has anyone ever had it?

Question

I know that it is illegal in many places. And that real absinthe is rare and expensive. Anyone got any tales to tell?

Answer 1

Its not dangerous.

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

No, it's not as dangerous as it's reputation.

The bad rep for absinthe has two sources. Firstly, Absinthe has an EXTREMELY high alcohol content., Secondly, the original absinthe had no standardized recipe, and distillers often added very toxic ingredients to it to make it green (Copper Sulphate was commonly used)

The amount of wormwood in absinthe is nowhere near enough to cause hallucinations, and it's reputed hallucinigenic and addictive qualities have since been chemically disproven (any effect of absinthe is the result of acute alcohol poisoning). The modern brands do not contain toxic additives. Many brands have similar alcohol content to Vodka these days.

Answer 3

Absinthe, like any other drug can be dangerous in excess. Most people who do absinthe live to tell the tale but can't really remember the entire tale. My nephew went to an absinthe party and still can't recall the entire nite. He got home stumbling...his dad thought he was just drunk but his eyes were "like a wild man's". He had a headache for about a week.

Answer 4

I have had it once..... ONCE.. And never again. See Answer #1 regarding the worm-root. Its a powerful halucinogen and not a fun ride.

Treat Absinthe like any other alcohol.. Only 1 or 2? You should be fine outside of a bit of a more intense head buzz.. But once you get into 3+ shots you could be in serious trouble.

Answer 5

I drank about 6 shots of it and went to my niece's baptism without any problems. Except that it was in a french church and I had no Idea what they were saying. I think the real dangerous stuff was the freestyle recipes of old with questionable ingredients.

Answer 6

True Absinthe is made by soaking a root (wormwood) in grain alcohol. Wormwood is a serious hallucinogen, and it can be as addictive as heroin. Its the addictive properties that make it illegal in the United States.