2fanakapan
I've tried it once but unfortunately for me it tastes of aniseed which I can't stand. I much prefer tequila!
4PensiveCat
Sounds like fun: ukuleles rock!...but do the US versions of Absinthe contain wormwood? I've only recently seen them reintroduced to the liquor stores.
5alexa_d
I don't know about any specific American absinthes, but I do know that they can only have a thujone (which comes from wormwood) content of 10 parts per million.
I'm trying to find a place around London that serves up real absinthe in the traditional way (slotted spoons, sugar cubes, the works!)
I'm trying to find a place around London that serves up real absinthe in the traditional way (slotted spoons, sugar cubes, the works!)
7PensiveCat
Talk about Bohemian Absinthe! :
8GojirasHejira
Absinthe was banned in turn-of-the century anti-alcohol hysteria and furor. It's ban is probably more closely related to Prohibition in the U.S. and it's deleterious side probably has more to do with lead poisoning, contamination and over-all poor distillation practices from 100+ years ago.
But that doesn't stop people from getting a hold of something green and squawking to their friends for years that they took a sip and were chased down the street by a 9-assed Absinthe demon.*
These are the same people who get all messed up when someone slips them an oregano joint.
I have a bottle of Fruko-Schultz smuggled over from a friend coming home from the Czech Republic. My only observation is that 140-proof anything will mess you up pretty good.
If nothing else, here's a good Wired article:
http://wired-vig.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/absinthe.html?pg=1&topic=absi...
~Jimm
*stolen from PJ O'rourke
But that doesn't stop people from getting a hold of something green and squawking to their friends for years that they took a sip and were chased down the street by a 9-assed Absinthe demon.*
These are the same people who get all messed up when someone slips them an oregano joint.
I have a bottle of Fruko-Schultz smuggled over from a friend coming home from the Czech Republic. My only observation is that 140-proof anything will mess you up pretty good.
If nothing else, here's a good Wired article:
http://wired-vig.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/absinthe.html?pg=1&topic=absi...
~Jimm
*stolen from PJ O'rourke
9mcecil
The EU just changed the rules about thujone content. Last year at this time you could only get 10ppm stuff in places like England or France; you had to go to the Czech Republic to get anything stronger. Now you can get up to 35ppm thujone Absinthe if you look hard enough - for instance if you order from www.absinth24.net. It's kind of expensive (shipping costs can be as much as the product) but you get what you pay for. I'm looking at a bottle of the stuff right now.
I'm not sure about the legality of Absinthe in the U.S. I think that the way the laws are written that you're aloud to drink it, but you can't sell it - but I wouldn't quote me on that, so I can't comment on the legality of these types of sites. All I can say for sure is that the stuff is pretty vile. Be sure to go easy: you don't want to have this come back up.
I'm not sure about the legality of Absinthe in the U.S. I think that the way the laws are written that you're aloud to drink it, but you can't sell it - but I wouldn't quote me on that, so I can't comment on the legality of these types of sites. All I can say for sure is that the stuff is pretty vile. Be sure to go easy: you don't want to have this come back up.
10PensiveCat
They're making special ads for Absinthe in the liquor stores around me (NY), but though it's probably not the same as the EU version, it's just as well: I'm a lightweight. I'd like to try a little just once and then go back to my mojitos or something along those lines. I'm quite curious as to how Absinthe would go over in a karaoke bar. Would it affect the choice of song? I hope.
11mcecil
I don't think the Absinthe they sell in stores (there's one called Vincent, I believe, after Van Gogh) is real; ie it has no thujone. However, I could be wrong... the rules having been changed and all. Check any bottle you buy; it should have the thujone concentration listed. If it doesn't, I think it's safe to assume that it's not real.
By the way, where in NY do you see these ads? I live in Hell's Kitchen and I've only ever seen them in the Village.
By the way, where in NY do you see these ads? I live in Hell's Kitchen and I've only ever seen them in the Village.
12PensiveCat
There's a window display on a store at 41st and Madison. It's quite recent; I haven't had the time yet to check it out.
13GojirasHejira
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/10/AR2008031002846....
They called it the green fairy, and they said it could drive you to peaks of manic creativity -- that is, if it didn't first drive you mad. Countries banned it. Teetotalers reviled it. Meanwhile, aficionados built an entire black market around it.
But after decades steeped in mystery and myth, absinthe is forbidden no more, and people are lining up to see for themselves what the green fairy is all about.
It took a legion of lawyers and four years of legal wrangling with U.S. regulators to get it back into the country legally. Since the ban was lifted last year, a handful of companies have been vying to cash in on what they hope will be a new generation of absinthe lovers.
To that end, a small army of Maryland's tastemakers and liquor industry heavyweights assembled yesterday at a Baltimore restaurant, Ixia, for a taste of the notorious drink -- an invitation-only affair organized by one of the three major brands now approved for U.S. distribution.
"After the first glass you see things as you wish they were."
-- Oscar Wilde
But absinthe is more than what comes out of the bottle. An entire ritual surrounds its consumption. At yesterday's event, as in centuries past, about an ounce of absinthe was poured into a glass. The liquid, a Swiss brand called Kubler, looked as clear as water. An absinthe spoon, with intricately carved holes, was balanced over the glass, and a cube of sugar was placed on the spoon. Then, icy water was poured over the sugar, which melted into the liquid below.
The liquid, once clear, turned more milky with each drop of water, a process known as the louche, which in French means "shady."
"It's like a jolt of black licorice," Reagan Warfield, 27, a Baltimore DJ, said after his first taste.
Then he took another sip. "I mean it's fine, but where are the hallucinations? I haven't seen anything except the fairy models floating around."
The fairy models -- in short skirts, pink wings, green body paint and little else -- flitted about without tasting the absinthe.
"We're not supposed to drink anything, so I don't know what it does to you," said Shannon Semesky, 23, of Baltimore. "We're on the job, you know."
"After the second you see things as they are not."
-- Oscar Wilde
But if there are no hallucinations, why was absinthe banned in the first place? At the end of the 19th century, it was the drink of choice, wildly popular among artists in Europe. Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh created paintings in which the drink figured prominently. Ernest Hemingway created his own concoction, mixing the green liquid with cold champagne to make what he called "Death in the Afternoon."
Some think absinthe's very popularity led to its downfall. After the roots of grape vines in France were badly damaged by small insects in the late 19th century, absinthe surged in popularity, which might have made the wine industry uneasy.
"That's when they began a smear campaign, and they needed a reason, which is how the rumors started," said T.A. Breaux, an environmental chemist who spent 14 years analyzing absinthe bottled before the ban.
"They said people were drinking so much that they became fou ," or crazy, said Franck Choisne, owner of the Combier distillery in France, which has produced liqueurs since it was established in 1834. "But it was not due to the absinthe itself -- non, they simply drank too much."
Absinthe, it was said, could cause hallucinations, epilepsy and madness. It was thought to have caused Van Gogh to cut off his ear. Then came the trial of a Swiss man accused of killing his family on the day he had two absinthes and other alcoholic drinks. Soon after, the drink was banned in Switzerland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Brazil and, in 1912, the United States.
At the time, scientists attributed the problem to wormwood, the bitter herb used in making absinthe. Studies have shown that in large doses thujone, a toxin found in wormwood, sage and cedar leaf, can cause convulsions or kidney failure.
Modern experts, however, say early absinthe contained so little thujone that a man would die from alcohol poisoning long before being hurt by the toxin. U.S. regulations today allow no more than 10 parts per million of the chemical in absinthe.
"Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."
-- Oscar Wilde
With the scientific data in hand, distillers in Europe began working to lift the ban. But efforts in the United States went nowhere. "This was one of the holy grails in liquor laws," said Robert Lehrman, a Washington lawyer who spent four years trying to lift the absinthe restrictions.
In February 2007, he made a final push, gathering distillers from Switzerland, a liquor importer from Texas and representatives from the Swiss Embassy for a meeting with officials of the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau.
Among his arguments was that people were already selling absinthe throughout the country, albeit illegally, largely online. To make his point, he had with him a bottle of absinthe obtained through such illicit channels.
"It was a hail Mary pass," he said, "but it worked."
Kubler, the Swiss distiller that sponsored last night's tasting, hopes to parlay the almost cultish curiosity about absinthe into a place in the mainstream liquor market. After receiving label approval in Maryland last month, it has secured 500 accounts among bars, restaurants and liquor stores. Kubler has won approval in the District and Virginia and expects to launch sales there in the next two months.
But after decades confined to the dark shadows, some observers are unsure how the legendary drink will play to the public.
"It's always been a victim and beneficiary of that bad boy image," Lehrman said. "People think it's amazing because of what has been said about it for so long, but that comes with its own burden as well."
They called it the green fairy, and they said it could drive you to peaks of manic creativity -- that is, if it didn't first drive you mad. Countries banned it. Teetotalers reviled it. Meanwhile, aficionados built an entire black market around it.
But after decades steeped in mystery and myth, absinthe is forbidden no more, and people are lining up to see for themselves what the green fairy is all about.
It took a legion of lawyers and four years of legal wrangling with U.S. regulators to get it back into the country legally. Since the ban was lifted last year, a handful of companies have been vying to cash in on what they hope will be a new generation of absinthe lovers.
To that end, a small army of Maryland's tastemakers and liquor industry heavyweights assembled yesterday at a Baltimore restaurant, Ixia, for a taste of the notorious drink -- an invitation-only affair organized by one of the three major brands now approved for U.S. distribution.
"After the first glass you see things as you wish they were."
-- Oscar Wilde
But absinthe is more than what comes out of the bottle. An entire ritual surrounds its consumption. At yesterday's event, as in centuries past, about an ounce of absinthe was poured into a glass. The liquid, a Swiss brand called Kubler, looked as clear as water. An absinthe spoon, with intricately carved holes, was balanced over the glass, and a cube of sugar was placed on the spoon. Then, icy water was poured over the sugar, which melted into the liquid below.
The liquid, once clear, turned more milky with each drop of water, a process known as the louche, which in French means "shady."
"It's like a jolt of black licorice," Reagan Warfield, 27, a Baltimore DJ, said after his first taste.
Then he took another sip. "I mean it's fine, but where are the hallucinations? I haven't seen anything except the fairy models floating around."
The fairy models -- in short skirts, pink wings, green body paint and little else -- flitted about without tasting the absinthe.
"We're not supposed to drink anything, so I don't know what it does to you," said Shannon Semesky, 23, of Baltimore. "We're on the job, you know."
"After the second you see things as they are not."
-- Oscar Wilde
But if there are no hallucinations, why was absinthe banned in the first place? At the end of the 19th century, it was the drink of choice, wildly popular among artists in Europe. Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh created paintings in which the drink figured prominently. Ernest Hemingway created his own concoction, mixing the green liquid with cold champagne to make what he called "Death in the Afternoon."
Some think absinthe's very popularity led to its downfall. After the roots of grape vines in France were badly damaged by small insects in the late 19th century, absinthe surged in popularity, which might have made the wine industry uneasy.
"That's when they began a smear campaign, and they needed a reason, which is how the rumors started," said T.A. Breaux, an environmental chemist who spent 14 years analyzing absinthe bottled before the ban.
"They said people were drinking so much that they became fou ," or crazy, said Franck Choisne, owner of the Combier distillery in France, which has produced liqueurs since it was established in 1834. "But it was not due to the absinthe itself -- non, they simply drank too much."
Absinthe, it was said, could cause hallucinations, epilepsy and madness. It was thought to have caused Van Gogh to cut off his ear. Then came the trial of a Swiss man accused of killing his family on the day he had two absinthes and other alcoholic drinks. Soon after, the drink was banned in Switzerland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Brazil and, in 1912, the United States.
At the time, scientists attributed the problem to wormwood, the bitter herb used in making absinthe. Studies have shown that in large doses thujone, a toxin found in wormwood, sage and cedar leaf, can cause convulsions or kidney failure.
Modern experts, however, say early absinthe contained so little thujone that a man would die from alcohol poisoning long before being hurt by the toxin. U.S. regulations today allow no more than 10 parts per million of the chemical in absinthe.
"Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."
-- Oscar Wilde
With the scientific data in hand, distillers in Europe began working to lift the ban. But efforts in the United States went nowhere. "This was one of the holy grails in liquor laws," said Robert Lehrman, a Washington lawyer who spent four years trying to lift the absinthe restrictions.
In February 2007, he made a final push, gathering distillers from Switzerland, a liquor importer from Texas and representatives from the Swiss Embassy for a meeting with officials of the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau.
Among his arguments was that people were already selling absinthe throughout the country, albeit illegally, largely online. To make his point, he had with him a bottle of absinthe obtained through such illicit channels.
"It was a hail Mary pass," he said, "but it worked."
Kubler, the Swiss distiller that sponsored last night's tasting, hopes to parlay the almost cultish curiosity about absinthe into a place in the mainstream liquor market. After receiving label approval in Maryland last month, it has secured 500 accounts among bars, restaurants and liquor stores. Kubler has won approval in the District and Virginia and expects to launch sales there in the next two months.
But after decades confined to the dark shadows, some observers are unsure how the legendary drink will play to the public.
"It's always been a victim and beneficiary of that bad boy image," Lehrman said. "People think it's amazing because of what has been said about it for so long, but that comes with its own burden as well."
14GojirasHejira
Of course this will just take away all desirability.
Who wants 140-proof mouthwash?
Who wants 140-proof mouthwash?
15rslynch
I had absinthe mixed with Jagemeister in Sigisoara, Romania, on my honeymoon and it was very good. I got really drunk, even though it was in a test tube (this was at the Alchemy bar, which is very theme-driven but good). There were several ways to drink it, including the green fairy, and it was true absinthe, as the EU and Romania were not together yet. There was a golden halo around everything, I recall.
On a side note, you can get it in France, as it's making a comeback.
On a side note, you can get it in France, as it's making a comeback.
16PensiveCat
I'll probably be fine with NY's version, as it doesn't take much for me to see halos - I get visual distortions from Peach Schnapps (well, I had a migraine coming.) I literally saw a man in a white jacket standing on the street I was walking on, and believe me the block was empty. Doubt I need to be driven further.
18fanakapan
I had a small taster of absinthe served in the traditional way at Vinopolis (not far from the Globe Theatre) in London and they sell it too. Maybe they sell the slottled spoons as well! Can't say it had any noticable effect on me (mind you I'd tasted my way through quite a few wines and various vodkas before I'd got to the absinthe......)
19PensiveCat
(Reviving an old thread)
I tried my first absinthe this weekend, one my friend had smuggled back from Europe. Though the taste wasn't my favorite (not an anise fan), it wasn't bad. I didn't have enough to affect me either, though after the gin & tonic I later had there was a bit of silliness.
I tried my first absinthe this weekend, one my friend had smuggled back from Europe. Though the taste wasn't my favorite (not an anise fan), it wasn't bad. I didn't have enough to affect me either, though after the gin & tonic I later had there was a bit of silliness.
20alexa_d
LOL a month late, but since it's been revived-- I finally cracked open some absinthe I bought in Italy for my inauguration party. I like the anise taste, so it was good for me. I was floating on air the rest of the day. (Though that may have just been because of the transfer of power)
21lstover
Yes, reviving an old thread...I'm drinking black tea with ginger and it's good fuel for writing...but absinthe... write it all down...book titles, ideas, etc. before it evaporates.
22Phlox72
oooo...wish I could try absinthe. I just finished reading Drood in which one of the characters used lots of laudunum. I wondered if that was similar to absinthe. The long term effects on the character were not that wholesome though. Somehow that doesn't deter me from wanting to at least try a little absinthe.
23rslynch
You can get a bottle of middle-of-the-road absinthe over here for about $40 US. If it isn't available where you shop for liquor, it can be found online.
26rslynch
I was walking around the rooms of this restaurant that was built in the 1500s with lots of stone and wood used. I imagines I was in this ancient passageway, afraid I would not find my new husband. Still, there was this adventurous euphoria. The golden halos and general glow I was seeing (not just a trick of the lighting--some was absinthe) gave the place the feeling of somewhere supernatural and golden, like a dream sequence. I felt much different than before I drank it.
