Absinth, Anyone?

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » June 13, 2007, 3:44 pm

Does anybody here have any experience drinking Absinth?

A buddy and I just ordered a bottle from somewhere out of the country - it was $70 for a .5 Liter bottle of 140 proof.

Does it live up to the hype or are we in for a let down?

Regardless, I've always wanted to try it so that alone is worth the $35.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2007, 4:04 pm

http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/view ... =1&t=10749

I hope you didn't get the Logan Fils Extrait D’Absinthe Suisse Blanche

Country unknown, 68% alc. vol. (136 proof), 1.0 liter
...
I can’t compare this substance to any other Blanche Absinthe, because Logan Fils Extrait D’Absinthe Suisse Blanche is NOT Absinthe. The high alcohol content might appeal some who are looking for only that. The incredibly exorbitant price ($149.90) of this inferior product will appeal to no one.

noel · Post by **noel** » June 13, 2007, 4:07 pm

To the tune of "SPAWN MORE OVERLORDS"

THREAD NEEDS MERGE

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » June 13, 2007, 4:11 pm

Nope, we didn't get that. It's called "Absinth 35" - which has 35mg of Tujone instead of the normal 10mg, a more "herbal" flavor but is still drank with melted sugar added as well as ice water.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2007, 4:25 pm

I hope something like this doesn't happen to you after drinking it!

Step on it! Man drives down Rome tourist treasure

Wed Jun 13, 11:45 AM ET

A man was arrested before dawn on Wednesday as he drove his Toyota Celica down the Spanish steps, one of Rome's most popular tourist spots where visitors are usually banned from drinking and singing, let alone driving.

Photographs showed police surrounding the sports car as it neared the bottom of the sweeping 18th-century staircase, almost reaching the Piazza di Spagna.

Police told Italian media the driver was a 24-year-old man of Colombian origin who had turned left at the Trinita dei Monti church at the top of the staircase, apparently mistaking the steps for a road.

He was found to be twice above the legal limit for alcohol, media reported.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » June 13, 2007, 4:33 pm

1. It doesn't smell particularly good.
2. It has a much higher alc content, so take precautions.
3. The hallucinogenic bit is an old myth.
4. It's always spelled Absinthe to my knowledge.

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » June 13, 2007, 4:40 pm

I've seen and tasted it before, but never was able to drink more than a sip.

It tastes kinda like black licorice to me, sorta like Zambuca or Sambuca or however that one liquor is spelled.

I've heard that the hallucinogenic part isn't true, but I've also heard that the herbs in it cause subtle mental stimulation, which counteracts the "cloudy" feeling you get when you're intoxicated and makes for a more clear - headed feeling. Though motor skills are still obviously impared, mental capacity isn't so much.

Does that sound accurate?

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 13, 2007, 4:48 pm

Depends on the brand...

Our company, after a lot of struggle on many fronts, is launching a new product, Absinth 35, on the market. Why another absinth again? We tried to get out of barriers called the absinth ones in the past. We wanted to prepare both the design and the taste for the future. We used exactly the amount of the drug THUJON corresponding to that mentioned in the name of the product, i.e. 35 mg, which can be recognized at once: for the taste is bitter, very fine and contains a considerable relish of herbs. However, the lovers of aniseed may be a little disappointed, for this absinth contains only little of this spice. Its colour is natural, we put nothing there in this direction and thus, it is a "pure natural product".

Personally it's a beverage I never had any interest in trying. Mmm kerosene!

noel · Post by **noel** » June 13, 2007, 4:50 pm

helpnezirothgetfuckedup.org

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » June 13, 2007, 5:01 pm

http://www.bestabsinthe.com/index2.htm

Ted Breaux is THE man when it comes to absinthe.

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » June 13, 2007, 5:18 pm

from Arb's link:

That being said, if one goes seeking an absinthe that claims to be ‘high in thujone’, he will almost invariably find himself purchasing inferior ‘absinth’ of Czech or Eastern European origin, bearing little to no resemblance to traditional absinthe, and whose claims of ‘high thujone’ are almost always false, misleading, and irrelevant regardless.

lol oops =( Shoulda researched a little more, since I assume the 35mg of Thujone is considered "High"

Oh well, at least we'll still get drunk

Edit: It's spelled either way - some countries traditionally drop the E at the end, and others don't. Both are correct.

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » June 13, 2007, 5:51 pm

Thujone is almost totally absent in traditional Absinthe...It remains in the still...

...

The lack of the "e" in the spelling is significant by the way...if it has no e then it is something different. France Switzerland and Italy control the naming of alcoholic beverages and use it as a guarantee of the origin and production process. Champagne for example is only produced in Champagne (the region) via method champenoise...produced anywhere else in France it is simply a Method Champenoise Sparkling Wine. Apellation Controllee' is your friend...

...Not just snobbery...Basically it is like an IEEE Standard for Booze...

Nick · Post by **Nick** » June 13, 2007, 5:59 pm

A few gulps get you mighty fucked up.

Its great

Siji · Post by **Siji** » June 13, 2007, 7:09 pm

I've tried a few brands from different countries and found that they basically tasted and smelled the same.. as above, black licorice. If you like that, a lot, you'll like it. It's definitely not something I'd want to find myself puking up as it can be sickly sweet.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » June 13, 2007, 8:00 pm

Siji wrote:I've tried a few brands from different countries and found that they basically tasted and smelled the same.. as above, black licorice. If you like that, a lot, you'll like it. It's definitely not something I'd want to find myself puking up as it can be sickly sweet.

So there is stuff you'd want to find yourself puking up? Eww

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » June 13, 2007, 8:32 pm

As everyone else said, tastes like Black licorice. You don't get a traditional high, but you can definitely get a good feeling off of it. Absinthe is made in so many countries and in so many styles, hard to say. I have not tasted the one you got, but I have been told Spain has some of the best brands. Also have been told the oil based version is particularly rancid.

eabsinthe.com has a large selection and the wormwood society has a forum with reviews from members.

Siji · Post by **Siji** » June 14, 2007, 1:46 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:
Siji wrote:I've tried a few brands from different countries and found that they basically tasted and smelled the same.. as above, black licorice. If you like that, a lot, you'll like it. It's definitely not something I'd want to find myself puking up as it can be sickly sweet.
So there is stuff you'd want to find yourself puking up? Eww

Louis XIII.. cause if I were puking it up, it would mean that I got to have some..

Truant · Post by **Truant** » June 14, 2007, 2:03 pm

Siji wrote:
Dregor Thule wrote:
Siji wrote:I've tried a few brands from different countries and found that they basically tasted and smelled the same.. as above, black licorice. If you like that, a lot, you'll like it. It's definitely not something I'd want to find myself puking up as it can be sickly sweet.
So there is stuff you'd want to find yourself puking up? Eww
Louis XIII.. cause if I were puking it up, it would mean that I got to have some..

I'd probably kill myself if I vomited that up. Might as well just empty your checking account and flush it down the toilet. That shit is like nearly $2k a bottle. Then again, I prefer Scotch to Cognac, so we'll disagree anyways.

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » June 14, 2007, 5:31 pm

Hi noel sorry you don't like my threads.

But you opened it... twice... to take a shot at grabbing some attention anyhow.

There's a little something to keep you interested, too.

Deward · Post by **Deward** » June 20, 2007, 12:39 pm

I could be wrong but isn't real absinthe illegal? Anything you buy will just be fake absinthe. The real stuff has some narcotic or illegal substance that causes hallucinations in it. If you can get it shipped to you through the mail then it is likely you are getting the fake shit as the real stuff would probably get you thrown in jail.

If it is the fake shit then you might as well save some money and just drink Sambuca. I love that stuff.

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » June 20, 2007, 2:48 pm

Deward,

The real stuff is illegal to sell in the US and many other countries. If it has the Thujon (I believe the plant is called Wormwood) then it is real.

Why was it illegal? It has minor hallucinagenic qualities according to some. The best comment I have heard about it is that one should never drink more then three glasses of it. Why? The first glass makes you see like as it could be, the second glass makes you see life as it should be and the third glass makes you see life as it really is and this depresses people.

I brought some back from our European Vacation and poured out 5 glasses for friends, none of them liked the taste and since I was looking at 100 dollars sitting on this table about to be poured out, I drank all 5 glasses. We then went out and the biggest thing it did was make me drunk enough to be talking to someone while telling myself in my head that I sounded great and not the least bit drunk. The lights in the club also spun a little slower, other then that, not much different from regular alcohol.

Many famous authors and artists drank the stuff while writing, Hemingway was a big fan.

Here is one version of why it was banned.

http://www.feeverte.net/faq-absinthe.html#B2

2. Why was absinthe banned?

Because that stuff makes you crazy!! After all, the French slogan goes "Absinthe rend fou!", and they ought to know, right?

One French politician who supported the ban claimed that if absinthe remained legal, half the population would eventually be employed in fitting the remaining half with straightjackets as a result. The facts are less lurid. A number of purportedly scientific studies performed in France in the latter half of the 19th century claimed to prove that absinthe was harmful to human health. The foremost of the researchers who carried out these studies was one Dr. Valentin Magnan, whose specialties were alcoholism and insanity. Due in large part to the efforts of Dr. Magnan and his supporters, a political struggle ensued between the liquor industry on one side and prohibitionists on the other. The prohibitionists were eventually victorious, forcing the passage of laws that banned the manufacture and sale of absinthe in Switzerland in 1910, in France in 1915, and in many other western countries in which it was popular, including the United States in 1912. It must be noted that in some countries, such as Spain, Portugal, and Britain, absinthe was never banned.
3. Was the banning of absinthe rational?

The short answer is no.

The question is simple but arriving at an intelligent answer is complex, requiring consideration of cultural and scientific factors well beyond the obvious - the banning of absinthe did not take place in a vacuum.

In the first place, although Dr. Magnan made progress for his time in the treatment of alcoholism, he saw absinthe with tunnel vision. He thought that the French "race" was in a downward spiral of degeneration, fueled by absinthe. He thought that absinthe had deleterious effects on the drinker over and above those produced by alcohol alone, based upon experiments that today would be considered laughable, and which, even in Magnan's time, were considered dubious by intelligent, objective observers. Magnan was also convinced that alcohol was the main cause of insanity, and that absinthe-induced insanity was hereditary, capable of being passed on in the genes from parents to children! Magnan considered absinthe to be a curse upon France that had to be lifted at any cost.

The motives of Dr. Magnan's supporters must also be considered. For the French temperance movement, absinthe was the poster-child for the evils of drink - stronger than any other liquor, cheaper than brandy, increasingly popular with the working class, and “proven” by one of the most eminent scientists in France to be uniquely dangerous. Since banning all alcohol was for practical purposes impossible in France – wine was regarded as food from the soil, and part of the French national heritage – absinthe became the primary target of French prohibitionists. In this struggle, they were actively aided by the wine industry itself, which had no use for absinthe, considering it an "industrial" alcohol, an usurper of wine's rightful place in French culture, not to mention in the French economy. The vintners were only too happy to climb upon the prohibitionist bandwagon. Consider that in 1910, 36 million liters of absinthe were consumed in France, part of an apparent trend toward consumption of hard liquor as a whole, not a healthy thing in the eyes of the wine producers, who still smarted from the sting of a plant disease that had all but wiped them out at the end of the 1870’s.

Sensationalism and yellow journalism also played their parts. A particularly lurid set of domestic murders, committed by a Swiss laborer named Jean Lanfray in 1905, was laid at the door of absinthe, in spite of the fact that Lanfray was a hopeless alcoholic who drank whatever wine or liquor he could get. All of Europe read about these crimes, and absinthe's fate was sealed.

It must also be noted that the term "absinthe" cannot be used to describe any and all products sold under that name before the ban as though they were all the same thing. For every carefully distilled product, made with the finest natural ingredients, there were any number of shoddy, even dangerous, concoctions made with poorly rectified alcohols, essences of doubtful manufacture, dyes unfit for human consumption and other harmful chemical additives. So we have bad science, selfish financial incentive, cultural bias, ignorance and scare tactics. Do these make for good law? Unfortunately, even today, legislation is sometimes enacted for exactly the same reasons. Some things never change.

The fact is, you could buy the American version of Absinthe, go to any local Nursery and buy some wormwood, ferment it in the bottle and make the illegal stuff. Unfortunately, you would probably kill yourself if you did it too long, put too much in, etc..

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » June 20, 2007, 3:06 pm

Tyek wrote:Why was it illegal? It has minor hallucinagenic qualities according to some.
>>
The fact is, you could buy the American version of Absinthe, go to any local Nursery and buy some wormwood, ferment it in the bottle and make the illegal stuff. Unfortunately, you would probably kill yourself if you did it too long, put too much in, etc..

The part of the wormwood plant that makes you hallucinate is a neurotoxin, a little makes you feel high. The line between high and dead\damaged is pretty thin, I can't imagine that repeated use even at "proper" dosages can be all that good for you.

Making it yourself would be like self training to be a Fugu chef.

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » June 20, 2007, 4:04 pm

Most research has shown that the amount of Thuron in an actual bottle is minimal. You would die from the Alcohol long before any Thuron effects got you. I don't know the exact timeframe the stuff stays in your system, but I would bet the alcohol would also kill you long term more then the Thuron.

I agree 100% making your own is suicide. Kinda like a plant that we have here in So Cal, I assume it grows in lots of other places. It is called Jimson Weed and is supposed to give an amazing high, again if cut wrong, it would kill you.
http://www.desertusa.com/aug97/du_datura.html

It also smells like a high school boys locker room.

Back to Absinthe though, I know people who drink it all the time, they buy the Thuron versions and I have tried all sorts of them, I cannot think of one time I had a true "high" feeling. Most of the ones that claim to have high Thuron are marketing it to get kids to buy them hoping to get high.

Siji · Post by **Siji** » June 20, 2007, 4:26 pm

Deward wrote:I could be wrong but isn't real absinthe illegal?

When you order it, and you'll do so online from a company not based in the US (e.g. Sebor).. what you're buying is a collector bottle (that's actually what the receipt on the box will say). You're not getting fake anything, but technically you're buying a collectable.

Don't ask me, I'm not a lawyer - just telling you what my receipt said, and what I was told on the phone when ordering. The other bottles I have were bought and brought home from Italy. They all mostly taste the same, and I concur that the whole hallucinogen stuff is b.s. It's alcohol plain and simple.

redeemed · Post by **redeemed** » June 20, 2007, 5:15 pm

Siji wrote: They all mostly taste the same, and I concur that the whole hallucinogen stuff is b.s. It's alcohol plain and simple.

I thought wormwood did in fact have some hallucinogenic properties...

anyway absinthe reminds me of this old story..
http://www.tuckermax.com/archives/entri ... .phtml#280

That devil juice is brewed from the urine of Lucifer. Now I know why Van Gogh cut off his ear and why Toulouse-Lautrec painted funny looking midgets; it wasn't mental illness, it was that goddamn absinthe.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » June 20, 2007, 5:35 pm

It also smells like a high school boys locker room.

I never understood the appeal of absinthe, but I guess I do now!

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » June 20, 2007, 5:36 pm

redeemed wrote:I thought wormwood did in fact have some hallucinogenic properties...

Yup all members of Artemisia have varying degrees of a number of alkaloids which are hallucinogenic and toxic. The distillate of the infused herbs (Absinthe) contains no measurable psychoactives. You are more likely to get them in a nice tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) vinagrette...

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 20, 2007, 6:11 pm

Lalanae wrote:
It also smells like a high school boys locker room.
I never understood the appeal of absinthe, but I guess I do now!

I understand it but never had the desire to try it myself. It's like one of those 'cool' things to do because of the history of the product. I personally think it's a waste of money but whatever floats your fancy.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 20, 2007, 6:21 pm

Someone mentioned it tasting like black licorice which is one of the nastiest tasting "foods" on earth so I doubt I'll ever try this stuff.

I just discovered another great tasting German wine though a few weeks ago!

rhyae · Post by **rhyae** » June 20, 2007, 7:40 pm

Speaking of Germany, every time we go we have Fernet Branca. Also an herby licorice taste, strong alcohol stomach bitters. You can have a shot after a full meal and you instantly feel better.
They don't have the same recipe for it in the US due to opiate restrictions. I didn't know it was wired. But it's good stuff.

miir · Post by **miir** » June 22, 2007, 10:19 am

Someone mentioned it tasting like black licorice which is one of the nastiest tasting "foods" on earth so I doubt I'll ever try this stuff

Anise is wonderful.

Sajko · Post by **Sajko** » June 22, 2007, 10:27 pm

Absinth's fucking disgusting.
I've had 80% Absinth, it was fucking disgusting.
I've also had 40% and 60%, still disgusting.

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » June 23, 2007, 1:48 am

I'm not a fan of that flavor (maybe too many Jager shots in my youth)..

Intersting conversation though with a buddy today. He was thinking of brewing up an uber-hoppy batch of IPA with some wormwood thrown in (if he can find).

Thoughts? I think it sounds kinda disgusting, although the overkill on hops may balance it a bit. I have not brewed in years, and was never an expert....

Abelard · Post by **Abelard** » June 23, 2007, 5:17 pm

My friend just came home from Ireland yesterday, and of course she brought back goodies. I did a couple shots last night. I found it mildly dissapointing and didn't really dig the taste.

Deward · Post by **Deward** » June 29, 2007, 4:37 pm

Canelek wrote:I'm not a fan of that flavor (maybe too many Jager shots in my youth)..

Intersting conversation though with a buddy today. He was thinking of brewing up an uber-hoppy batch of IPA with some wormwood thrown in (if he can find).

Thoughts? I think it sounds kinda disgusting, although the overkill on hops may balance it a bit. I have not brewed in years, and was never an expert....

What is IPA? As an occasional brewer myself, I hate high hop brews. Just makes beer way too bitter for my tastes. A good alternative if you like a little more bitter than usual is to use chocolate beans in the recipe.

As far as wormwood, it is it an actual wood or grain/edible? Wood alcohol makes you go blind so if that is the case, be careful.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » June 29, 2007, 4:44 pm

Wiki wrote: India Pale Ale (IPA, a variation of which is known as Imperial Pale Ale) is a distinct style of beer and is characterized as a sparkling pale ale with a high level of alcohol and hops; the hops lending it a distinct bitterness.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 29, 2007, 4:53 pm

I tried IPA once. Didn't like it!

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » June 29, 2007, 9:14 pm

Deward wrote:
Canelek wrote:I'm not a fan of that flavor (maybe too many Jager shots in my youth)..

Intersting conversation though with a buddy today. He was thinking of brewing up an uber-hoppy batch of IPA with some wormwood thrown in (if he can find).

Thoughts? I think it sounds kinda disgusting, although the overkill on hops may balance it a bit. I have not brewed in years, and was never an expert....
What is IPA? As an occasional brewer myself, I hate high hop brews. Just makes beer way too bitter for my tastes. A good alternative if you like a little more bitter than usual is to use chocolate beans in the recipe.

As far as wormwood, it is it an actual wood or grain/edible? Wood alcohol makes you go blind so if that is the case, be careful.

I don't know what wormwood's consitency is, or if it not placed in cheesecloth first. But wood alcohol, I wouldn't think it is--would need to distill that!

I believe others have used it before, although I have no references to site.

And yeah, if you don't like hoppy beers, steer clear opf IPA--although IPAs vary HUGELY, and of course the brewer is a huge factor. But not going to completely derail this with brew discussion--may bring that up in its own thread!

Wonko Wenusberg · Post by **Wonko Wenusberg** » June 30, 2007, 2:30 pm

Absinth makes you happy and more happy. Then you end up in a fetal position naked on the kitchen floor! Hugzies!

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » June 30, 2007, 4:36 pm

It has arrived, we haven't really got into it yet, there hasn't been any time for drinking lately.

However, I did try a sip and holy hell is it strong. The type we got has 70% alcohol, but it's stronger tasting than anything I've ever drank, including 151.

Does anybody know exactly how it's supposed to be drank? Ice water + melted sugar, right? But at what ratio?

Siji · Post by **Siji** » July 1, 2007, 2:07 am

Seriously.. g o o g l e

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

Traditionally, absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice-cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted 3:1 to 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water, mainly those from anise, fennel and star anise, come out of solution and cloud the drink. The resulting milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. 'opaque' or 'shady', IPA [luʃ]). The addition of water is important, causing the herbs to 'blossom' and bringing out many of the flavors originally overpowered by the anise. For most people, a good quality absinthe should not require sugar, but it is added according to taste and will also thicken the mouth-feel of the drink.