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Anyone drink Absinthe?

Yeah, +1.



Edit: I also recommend Kubler 53 as a great, available-locally absinthe to start with. It's a real, reputable Swiss absinthe, and has a somewhat lighter flavor profile and proofage that makes it a bit more accessible.


Sorry I missed that quote of yours...But thanks I think I will try this. Its inexpensive and I can buy it here and not have to have it shipped overseas. Although I really want to try a bottle of jade.
 
Sorry I missed that quote of yours...But thanks I think I will try this. Its inexpensive and I can buy it here and not have to have it shipped overseas. Although I really want to try a bottle of jade.
Just make sure to read up on proper preparation, first, or your first experience will be of revulsion. Absinthe was and is never meant to be drunk neat.

The common starting point is three parts icy-cold water drizzled slowly into one part absinthe over a sugar cube. The glass you do this in should be chilled. The slow drizzling isn't technically necessary, but it's traditional and allows you to appreciate the iconic "louche" form, which is really quite magical.

Have fun!
 
Yeah, +1.

Czech absinthes, and their version of traditional absinthe culture, is almost entirely an artificial construct tailored for tourists. Amongst real absinthe enthusiasts, their products are, generally, given short shrift and considered a gimmick.

In general (there are always exceptions), Swiss and French absinthes are the best regarded and tend to be the most traditional. In particular, the ban only drove absinthe underground, in Switzerland, where it continued to be illegally produced. Now that it's legal there again, those distilleries have resurfaced and can boast an unbroken tradition of absinthe made in the correct way.

Anyway, it's an interesting, complex spirit with a fascinating history that only increases its appeal. I highly recommend anyone interested do a lot of thorough research to get the real facts, as there's so much misinformation out there. I'll again point out this website, which has long been considered an authority on the subject. Wikipedia also has a good article.

Edit: I also recommend Kubler 53 as a great, available-locally absinthe to start with. It's a real, reputable Swiss absinthe, and has a somewhat lighter flavor profile and proofage that makes it a bit more accessible.

Hmm, I'll give the French a try. I quite enjoyed the Czech Absinth and found it to be quite palatable. I have not, and do not intend to, put sugar in it; it simply doesn't need it. I drink it with iced water - I'd drink Pernod in a similar fashion come to mention it. When I drink something it's because I enjoy it - not because of any associated image. I accept that this may not be the case for everyone.
 
There is no basis for this, though, so it's just as though you told us you got a euphoric effect from dijon mustard. Maybe there's something different about your body chemistry that makes it so... or, more likely, it's placebo effect, which can be powerful. A person can experience drunkenness without touching a drop of alcohol, so long as they think they have and are suggestible.

This is verbatim marketing speech courtesy of the US alcohol lobby. They are scared of the mighty FDA/ TTB and you are another of their many victims. The lobbying campaign has had millions poured into it and there is all the bogus science you could wish for courtesy of Messrs Breaux and Nathan-Maister (a manufacturer of "thujone free" (usa safe) absinthe and the biggest ecommerce absinthe baron respectively) You quote wikipedia. Do you know who wrote that article? A student from California.

Alcohol is a GABA agonist. It stimulates the production of this neurotransmitter which causes drowsiness and sleep. Thujone is a GABA antagonist. It prohibits alcohol from performing that part of it's function. Absinthe is therefore a type of 'speedball', it's chemical constituents at once promote the production of GABA and opens its receptors, while also closing those receptors off. This explains the 'green fairy' effect that absinthe has, as oppossed to just normal drunkenness. Anyone that has enjoyed REAL absinthe knows about these effects and Berkeley has confirmed them.

Here is what Professor Arnold, Biochemist, University of Kansas said last year when their campaign to deny thujone's effects, and dance to the regulators tune, began:

But the biggest controversy surrounding the liquor--once dubbed "one of the worst enemies of man"--is about not its resurgence but rather its authenticity. Enthusiasts claim the thujone-free brands, which contain less than 10 parts per million (p.p.m.) of the chemical, are made with the same relatively small amounts of thujone as the old brews. But scientists wrote in the British Medical Journal that absinthe bottled before 1900 packed up to 260 p.p.m. of thujone--which may not sound like much, but consider that only 15 parts per billion of lead in drinking water is enough to scare regulators. "They are playing pretend," study co-author Wilfred Arnold says of the liquor's new cheerleaders. "It is nothing like the old stuff.

Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 Time Magazine

Don't play pretend...
 
Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder." I don't know the origin of that quotation but it's good stuff, Maynard. Anise is also excellent with beef.
 
Burnwood-

You can suffer the exchange rate and order from Europe or try some of the recently legalized offerings of US producers. I have heard St. Georges, out of CA, has an odd taste but is an otherwise fine appellation. But for the money they want you can order from the Continent!
 
an imposter in our ranks.



but back to absinthe, do many of you in the states drink it? I am curious to have a sip but not the swill sold here.

At the risk of comitting blasphemy, it tastes almost exactly like Italian anisette to me.

(strong anise/black licqorice flavor)
 
This is verbatim marketing speech courtesy of the US alcohol lobby. They are scared of the mighty FDA/ TTB and you are another of their many victims. The lobbying campaign has had millions poured into it and there is all the bogus science you could wish for courtesy of Messrs Breaux and Nathan-Maister (a manufacturer of "thujone free" (usa safe) absinthe and the biggest ecommerce absinthe baron respectively) You quote wikipedia. Do you know who wrote that article? A student from California.
You seem to be rather absorbed in a conspiracy theory, here -- and, as the only two posts you've made are on this subject, you joined our forum specifically to espouse your highly unusual and opinionated views on this topic. I accept that Wikipedia is not always the most reliable source of information, although it is generally good. However, every reputable study that has been done has shown that not only does thujone not cause any significant psychoactive effects, but that there is and was very little thujone in traditionally created absinthe. You cite a person who is in turn citing the inaccurate, older estimations of the amounts of thujone. The way they used to test for it was inaccurate.

To ease your concerns about Wikipedia, here is instead a study published in an extremely reputable, peer-reviewed, scientific journal on the thujone content in absinthe. I don't know why you're so convinced that "big absinthe" is distorting the facts, but I can link you to reputable studies and conclusions all day long. They're just harder to read and understand, so I figured I'd link the nicely-summarized Wikipedia article.

Edit: and, by the way, I have in fact imported a wide selection of the best absinthes, over the years. I've never felt anything more than the enjoyment of a fine spirit and the familiar effects of alcohol.
 
To ease your concerns about Wikipedia, here is instead a study published in an extremely reputable

http://chrisperridas.blogspot.com/2008/06/absinthe-and-thiujone-modern-study.html

Don't you think that thujone might degrade after say 100 years? The paper dismisses this inconvenient possibilty. The paper was of course the product of the absinthe industry and the obscure German scientist involved is well known for his contradictory and bizzare outbursts about the subject. He has written quite a few papers in partnership with an ex South African hotelier who just happens to be the worlds largest absinthe ecommerce baron.

Isn't it strange how people change their tune?

Using every bit of information I’ve processed over the past seven years, my calculations indicate that quality original Pontarlier labels contained anywhere from 50-100mg/kg total thujone. I do agree that I feel that thujone is not the only player in the secondary effects, although I’m convinced it plays an important role. I also have some evidence that indicates that the presence of other essences and even manufacturing methods is influential.T.A. Breaux

June 5, 2000

That was when Breaux was manufacturing absinthe in Bangkok. Now that he is selling absinthe in the USA he has that pesky rule to deal with. According to the FDA, alcoholic beverages must be thujone-free pursuant to 21 CFR 172.510.

Anyway I am sure Lucid is just like the old stuff and I should just go and buy some:rolleyes:
 
http://chrisperridas.blogspot.com/2008/06/absinthe-and-thiujone-modern-study.html

Don't you think that thujone might degrade after say 100 years? The paper dismisses this inconvenient possibilty. The paper was of course the product of the absinthe industry and the obscure German scientist involved is well known for his contradictory and bizzare outbursts about the subject. He has written quite a few papers in partnership with an ex South African hotelier who just happens to be the worlds largest absinthe ecommerce baron.
What I think is that multiple studies by multiple scientists, which studies were then reviewed by a jury of their peers looking for bias, correct procedures, and accurate conclusions, are probably a lot more reliable than my or your hunches, thoughts, or suspicions on the matter. You are using ad hominem attacks to discount their research, which same research a prominent, respected scientific journal focused on chemistry and food research found fit to publish after thorough review. They know more about this stuff than me and you.

There is resounding agreement in the scientific community on the small amount of thujone in traditional absinthe, as well as the fact that thujone isn't psychoactive anyway making its concentration a moot point as long as you stay below its LD50. The only reason to consider its concentration is because of the archaic laws still in place in many countries (including the US) that were never lifted after discovering the innocent nature of thujone.

Anyway, I am just about done arguing this particular point. We've discussed it enough to let the others come to their own conclusions. Let's focus, instead, on helping people new to absinthe best enjoy their first experience.
 
Let's focus, instead, on helping people new to absinthe best enjoy their first experience.

Or telling them what they didn't expereince...:rolleyes:

Originally Posted by Confuzius

No hallucinations, but there is a certain sparkle and clarity to the field of vision along with a slight feeling of euphoria.

gilrain:There is no basis for this, though, so it's just as though you told us you got a euphoric effect from dijon mustard. Maybe there's something different about your body chemistry that makes it so... or, more likely, it's placebo effect, which can be powerful. A person can experience drunkenness without touching a drop of alcohol, so long as they think they have and are suggestible.

Of course Confuzius is correct for the reasons I have explained.

If you have not tried any high thujone absinthe I advise that you do a test. Get a bottle of Luicd - the zero thujone mass market USA safe absinthe - and a bottle of high thujone and see for yourself.

The very best high thujone absinthe comes from the HG tradition at about 150 + Although there are some quality commercial high thujone absinthes made with potent grande wormwood and not oils. Thujone is a naturally occuring terpene in grande wormwood and the cultivation, harvesting, and drying of the plant is the key to this high thujone content. Very difficult to get right though as these skills are largely lost.

Did you ever even try a high thujone absinthe, gilrain? If so, which one?
 
Absinthe: attention performance and mood under the influence of thujone.
Dettling A, Grass H, Schuff A, Skopp G, Strohbeck-Kuehner P, Haffner HT.
Institute of Forensic and Traffic Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

CONCLUSIONS: As they are apparently opposed to the effect of alcohol, the reactions observed here can be explained by the antagonistic effect of thujone on the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor. Similar alterations were observed for the other mood state dimensions examined.

Of course if you drink the TTB approved version you must put up with this (Note how they even use inverted commas!

TTB'S POLICY REGARDING THE USE OF THE TERM "ABSINTHE"

Thujone-Free.

We approve the use of the term "absinthe" on the label of a distilled spirits product and in related advertisements only if the product is "thujone-free" pursuant to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulation at 21 CFR 172.510. Based upon the level of detection of FDA's prescribed method for testing for the presence of thujone, TTB considers a product to be "thujone-free" if it contains less than 10 parts per million of thujone. However, should the FDA set a new standard for "thujone-free," in accordance with 27 CFR 13.51, COLAs that are not in compliance with that revised standard will be revoked by operation of regulation.

Now back to the lobbying campaign by the US alcohol lobby which is being proselytized on this forum. Here's the reason:

Any artwork or graphics on the label, advertising, and point of sale materials using the term "absinthe" may not project images of hallucinogenic, psychotropic, or mind-altering effects. 27 CFR 5.42(a) and 5.65(a)
 
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