It has been legal in the US for around a year or so. My state (Oregon) run liquor stores stock it, and even a couple of local craft-distillers are producing their own interpretations.
Absinthe
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It has been legal in the US for around a year or so. My state (Oregon) run liquor stores stock it, and even a couple of local craft-distillers are producing their own interpretations.
Awesome, I'll have to pick some up then.
That's not even absinthe. That give you wormwood tincture. Real absinthe puts the wormwood in the distillation pot. Is absinthe made from green devil absinthe kits as strong as the kind in Europe?
If you can get it, try Vieux Carre Absinthe, from Philadelphia Distilling (the makers of Bluecoat Gin).
ill have to see if i can hunt some down, thanks for the heads up.
This has been an interesting thread.
I had always been under the impression that "veritable" absinthe - that is to say absinthe that contained wormwood - had been banned years ago - on the premise that if you ingested enough wormwood it would eventually affect your brain, and it was also alleged to make women horny.
That is why I thought modern absinthe - for example Pernod - did not contain any.
It used to be the case that the best Pernod in London was served in a pub in Soho called The York Minster when it was a rendezvous for the Free French during WWII, when the landlord was Gaston Berlemont.
So much so that the place eventually changed it's name to The French House.
I found myself in there once some time ago - long after Berlemont's time, but I thought that in view of the location I might order an absinthe.
The (English) barman looked at me askance and said "It'll rot your bottom" before giving me a glass containing a measure of Pernod and inviting me to help myself to the jug of tap water on the counter.
I have not been back.
Research time!
Cordially, AvT.
I had always been under the impression that "veritable" absinthe - that is to say absinthe that contained wormwood - had been banned years ago - on the premise that if you ingested enough wormwood it would eventually affect your brain, and it was also alleged to make women horny.
That is why I thought modern absinthe - for example Pernod - did not contain any.
It used to be the case that the best Pernod in London was served in a pub in Soho called The York Minster when it was a rendezvous for the Free French during WWII, when the landlord was Gaston Berlemont.
So much so that the place eventually changed it's name to The French House.
I found myself in there once some time ago - long after Berlemont's time, but I thought that in view of the location I might order an absinthe.
The (English) barman looked at me askance and said "It'll rot your bottom" before giving me a glass containing a measure of Pernod and inviting me to help myself to the jug of tap water on the counter.
I have not been back.
Research time!
Cordially, AvT.
It was banned at one time. The absinthe bans were the opening salvo of the prohibition movement which reached its zenith here in the states decades later.
The original claims that absinthe causes insanity were based on some studies done with wormwood oil and mice; high consumption of the oil caused epileptic seizures in the mice, and since absinthe also contained wormwood these effects were attributed to absinthe as well.
Since then (1) the prohibitionist fever has partially subsided (2) thujone has been discovered in high concentrations in other fairly common (and unregulated) substances like sage and juniper (3) samples of vintage absinthe have recently been analysed and found to have barely detectable levels of thujone, and further testing reveals that very little thujone makes it out of the still (4) the FDA clarified its rules on wormwood, ruling that thujone was banned from absinthe but wormwood was not.
In the US it is legal for absinthe to contain wormwood but it cannot contain thujone. There is some wiggle room due to allowable margin of error in the instruments, and apparently this requirement can be met simply with careful control of the distillation process. Even with vintage absinthes most of the thujone was left behind in the still, and better equipment and a bit of fine-tuning enables modern producers to get rid of the rest.
Ironically, according to everybody's favorite quantum encyclopedia Sage EO may contain up to 50% thujone, and yet is classified as safe by the FDA.
The original claims that absinthe causes insanity were based on some studies done with wormwood oil and mice; high consumption of the oil caused epileptic seizures in the mice, and since absinthe also contained wormwood these effects were attributed to absinthe as well.
Since then (1) the prohibitionist fever has partially subsided (2) thujone has been discovered in high concentrations in other fairly common (and unregulated) substances like sage and juniper (3) samples of vintage absinthe have recently been analysed and found to have barely detectable levels of thujone, and further testing reveals that very little thujone makes it out of the still (4) the FDA clarified its rules on wormwood, ruling that thujone was banned from absinthe but wormwood was not.
In the US it is legal for absinthe to contain wormwood but it cannot contain thujone. There is some wiggle room due to allowable margin of error in the instruments, and apparently this requirement can be met simply with careful control of the distillation process. Even with vintage absinthes most of the thujone was left behind in the still, and better equipment and a bit of fine-tuning enables modern producers to get rid of the rest.
Ironically, according to everybody's favorite quantum encyclopedia Sage EO may contain up to 50% thujone, and yet is classified as safe by the FDA.
This just reminded me I've had a bottle laying around my basement for almost a year now. It's never been opened!
I'm going to have to get on that!
I'm going to have to get on that!
I've got in my bar in order of preference;
La Fee 68%
Versinthe
Xenta
Seebor
I'm pretty sure that the "wormwood effect" is placebo, although I have also experienced similar from drinking wormwood tea (never, ever do this, it's probably the most bitter plant on earth, but it was done in the interest of... research). I've been very very drunk before, as have I been intoxicated on other psychedelics. Being very drunk on absinthe is slightly different than other alcohols, but just as being very drunk on tequila is different than being very drunk on beer....
I'd chalk it up to 98% placebo and 70% ABV.
La Fee 68%
Versinthe
Xenta
Seebor
I'm pretty sure that the "wormwood effect" is placebo, although I have also experienced similar from drinking wormwood tea (never, ever do this, it's probably the most bitter plant on earth, but it was done in the interest of... research). I've been very very drunk before, as have I been intoxicated on other psychedelics. Being very drunk on absinthe is slightly different than other alcohols, but just as being very drunk on tequila is different than being very drunk on beer....
I'd chalk it up to 98% placebo and 70% ABV.
I bought some Grande Absente, It was like $70 for the bottle. I'll let you know how I like it.
If any of you have tried it please compare it to some of the other brands though.
If any of you have tried it please compare it to some of the other brands though.
Well, after trying absinthe I have to agree with zane from three sheets.
It is truly one of the nastiest things I have ever tasted. Although the bottle is $70 I'm going to ask all my friends if they like it and if they do give them the bottle. It tastes like licorice flavored schnapps.
If you're interested in absinthe I'd say go to an absinthe bar first and make sure you like it because I sure didn't.
As a thought, it might make a good aftershave (it does smell nice).
It is truly one of the nastiest things I have ever tasted. Although the bottle is $70 I'm going to ask all my friends if they like it and if they do give them the bottle. It tastes like licorice flavored schnapps.
If you're interested in absinthe I'd say go to an absinthe bar first and make sure you like it because I sure didn't.
As a thought, it might make a good aftershave (it does smell nice).
When I made my own Absinthe, there was a mild stimulus effect from the wormwood, but I put a lot of wormwood in it. It was double what the recipe specified. You can buy wormwood in health food stores.
I noticed some Absinthe in the liquor store. I think I will pick up a bottle.
Dave
I picked up a bottle in Europe a few years ago and have yet to open it. I suppose I should try it someday...
First of all, go ahead and try it. There are many opinions about Absinthe, so form your own! That being said, I have sampled my fair share of bottles. I would NOT recommend picking up anything that is available here in the states. Most of it just plain sucks. Here is a link to where I get mine:
http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/index.php/language/en
This is a great site as:
1. You get your product. The first time I ordered, I was worried, but it arrived via FedEx within a week. They usually send some goodies along with your order.
2. There are customer reviews on the site for all the products, which IMHO, is a very nice touch.
3. They know their product, and you can satisfy all your Absinthe needs. From pipes to fountains, spoons to sugar, they've got you covered.
My personal recommendations:
Absinthe Absinthe Amer: Good representation, good louche, nice warm effect
Strong 68: Good if you like licorice, and want a strong drink
Absinthe ALANDIA Suisse La Bleue Clandestine: This is always suggested, pretty good, pricey for what you get, IMHO
Absinthe Tabu: Not terribly expensive, STRONG.
Go check out the site, and you will find loads of information. I would suggest buying several bottles for two reasons, it gives you different ones to try, and shipping cost is lower per bottle that way. A good thing to consider doing is getting one of their starter kits, that has a spoon, flat sugar cubes, maybe a glass, and then supplement that with a couple of single bottles different than the one included in the kit. This could turn into another AD though!
http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/index.php/language/en
This is a great site as:
1. You get your product. The first time I ordered, I was worried, but it arrived via FedEx within a week. They usually send some goodies along with your order.
2. There are customer reviews on the site for all the products, which IMHO, is a very nice touch.
3. They know their product, and you can satisfy all your Absinthe needs. From pipes to fountains, spoons to sugar, they've got you covered.
My personal recommendations:
Absinthe Absinthe Amer: Good representation, good louche, nice warm effect
Strong 68: Good if you like licorice, and want a strong drink
Absinthe ALANDIA Suisse La Bleue Clandestine: This is always suggested, pretty good, pricey for what you get, IMHO
Absinthe Tabu: Not terribly expensive, STRONG.
Go check out the site, and you will find loads of information. I would suggest buying several bottles for two reasons, it gives you different ones to try, and shipping cost is lower per bottle that way. A good thing to consider doing is getting one of their starter kits, that has a spoon, flat sugar cubes, maybe a glass, and then supplement that with a couple of single bottles different than the one included in the kit. This could turn into another AD though!
Unfortunately they take out the "funny" things from this stuff same like the Coca Cola...U can try any of them I think
