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Absinthe

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dawp said:
per us regulation it can't have any thujone so it wont be real absinthe.
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"thujone-free" = less than 10ppm. The concentrations of thujone was overestimated in the past. It's also doubtful that thujone had any real psychedelic effect anyway; versus the poisons that were added as filler back at the turn of the 20th century.

The stuff available in the US is, indeed, "real absinthe".
 
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wow--so the myth that absinthe can cause psychoactive reactions still persists?

amazing.

It is strong liquor, that is all. It tastes weird.

the history of its "psychoactive" properties simply derive from the fact that it was one of the more potent alcoholic beverages around. People would get trashed beyond their noggins from drinking much less.

Added to the fact that it was most popular amongst artists, who tend to be fringe, extra-societal wackadoos more often than not; you have a combined effect of strong alcohol + interesting/bizarre people = myth.
 
I heard that drinking absinthe causes a caseinous cardiac buildup. 😱

What? Isn't it true that absinthe makes the heart grow fondue? 😛
 
The whole absinthe "green fairy" or whatever is just a big myth and hoax people. The "wormwood" is not going to do anything to you. There are a couple reasons why absinthe got a bad repuation and "banned".

1. The wine makers back in the day were losing money and business to absinthe, so they stated to spread rumors and blame it for mental disorders, violent crimes, epilepsy. People basically used to drink decent amounts of wine, but were now instead drinking huge quantities of absinthe. Taking moeny away from wine makers and also making people drunk as crap b/c they were not used to the high alcohol content.

2. There were stories where they would pour the absinthe through a sugar cube, but the sugar cube also contained Opium. The Opium caused the weird effects, not the wormwood.

3. The final straw was - In 1905, it was reported that Jean Lanfray, a Swiss farmer, murdered his family and attempted to take his own life after drinking absinthe. The fact that Lanfray was an alcoholic who had consumed considerable quantities of wine and brandy prior to drinking two glasses of absinthe was conveniently overlooked or ignored, therefore placing the blame for the murders solely on absinthe. The Lanfray murders would prove to be the tipping point in this hotly debated topic, and a subsequent petition to ban absinthe in Switzerland collected more than 82,000 signatures. A referendum was subsequently held on banning the drink on 5 July 1908. After it was approved by voters, the prohibition of absinthe was then written into the Swiss constitution.


So yes, you can buy "real absinthe" in the US, but it isn't going to make you see things. It's just a strong liquor that tastes like anise and fennel.
 
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TheNinja said:
3. The final straw was - In 1905, it was reported that Jean Lanfray, a Swiss farmer, murdered his family and attempted to take his own life after drinking absinthe. The fact that Lanfray was an alcoholic who had consumed considerable quantities of wine and brandy prior to drinking two glasses of absinthe was conveniently overlooked or ignored, therefore placing the blame for the murders solely on absinthe. The Lanfray murders would prove to be the tipping point in this hotly debated topic, and a subsequent petition to ban absinthe in Switzerland collected more than 82,000 signatures. A referendum was subsequently held on banning the drink on 5 July 1908. After it was approved by voters, the prohibition of absinthe was then written into the Swiss constitution.


So yes, you can buy "real absinthe" in the US, but it isn't going to make you see things. It's just a strong liquor that tastes like anise and fennel.
Click to expand...

Heh, I was going to post this story earlier. My host in Switzerland related the same history to me.
 
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Also, Absinthe was the strongest and one of the most popular liquors at the time, so it became the number one target of the prohibitionist movement.
 
The stuff I tried in Japan while in the Navy in the late 60s was 180 proof; completely illegal in the U.S., but several guys snuck it in in their sea bags. Two guys in our unit were treated for alcohol poisoning from it.
 
I'm going to have one of these cocktails tonight: Xi Gua Spritz Gin, Kirsch, Absinthe, fresh lemon, watermelon juice. Very tasty!

KT
 
I've tried some imported, a couple brands, both straight (sip, shots), fancy (over sugar cube/etc) and flashed. It's alright. Some are too strong with the anise, but generally nice.

Not worth the extra cost though imo, except on rare occasions
 
I can't even stand wine, let alone hard liquor anymore. Heard about absinthe, seems like TV likes to glamorize it. No thank you, but good luck, have fun.
 
I saw it on sale for a very limited time at one of the two Costcos I visit often (Yes, I live between Costcos. It was one of the requirements when I was house hunting). I didn't buy it because I have too much liquor for a social drinker. Glad I didn't buy it now because I don't drink anymore.
 
I've had the real stuff and hands down it was the best type of buzz I've ever had. I wish we had absinth bars in the states. They're great!

I've drank it once out of the bottle though and you don't want to do that. That was horrible. I didn't know how to drink it at the time. The problem is that most people simply don't know what the hell they're doing when they get it. You need to drink it right by dissolving sugar in it and mixing it with water. Otherwise you will be miserable.
 
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