We’ve had threads about Scotch, Bourbon, and Beer. We even had one for your favorite poison. What about Absinthe? I’ve never had it but really want to. I’ve read the wikipedia article about it and a local liquor store carries it. I can’t find it for less than $45, not that I’d necessarily want to drink anything cheaper than that.
What I want to know to is what should I be looking for in a good absinthe and where can I get it? Also, what can I expect to pay for a good bottle?
I’ve read that thujone is the ingredient that really makes the difference and to have a noticably different effect that just plain old liquor the thujone levels should be high. I know it doesn’t cause hallucinations and that most of the hype is unfounded myth.
What are your experiences? Should I bother giving it a try?
I’ve never had the chance to try it. But Wiki has a detailed article and there’s an interesting chapter in Taras Grescoe’s book The Devil’s Picnic about absinthe.
It’s fun as a novelty and if it were cheaper and more readily available I’d drink it more often. To me, it just tastes like an anisette with a strange aftertaste. I like the buning sugar cube ritualwhen prepping a drink. You could buy a cheap bottle of absinthe in the Czech Republic back when I was visiting for $5, which was much more my style.
I’m not overly fond of absinthe – but I’m not a fan of liquorice/anise, either, and that’s what it tastes like, mostly.
Our local wine shop has the actual bottle (for about $45, IIRC) of Le Tourment Vert brand (I had to go check our pantry to be sure; I don’t care for it, but the hubby likes it, so we have a bottle), and they also have a $7 “taster” bottle. You might see if any of your local stores have the small/taster bottles just to try it.
It’s nothing more than a strong, high alcohol central European version of Sambucca, Pernod or Ouzo, none of which I’m a big fan of myself. It usually has a really high alcohol content, so it can knock you on your ass, but it’s something with a lot of mythological cred that it doesn’t rightly deserve to my thinking. File that one under “another random apertif” and stick it under the bar.
You want actual liquor that can make you more than just your normal drunk seek out some authentic Habu Sake. I swear that stuff will make your head spin in a new and different way.
Having read through the threads posted by TWDuke and read some of the info on the links from those articles I’ve found that Lucid seems to be a good start. Does anyone have any comments on the quality of Lucid or personal recommendations for a good absinthe? Thanks again to TWDuke those links were immensely helpful.
I’ve had a couple different brands. I take mine straight; the little rituals with sugar cubes and such are done only for company. The major + it has to offer for me is the technicolor dreams I have after drinking it.
I drank it and promptly ran and barfed in the bathroom sink, then used toothpaste and brushed my mouth with a finger to try to get rid of the vile taste.
On a recent trip to San Diego, I saw an ad in the local tourist magazine for a New Orleans-themed bar that supposedly does the whole absinthe ritual on certain nights. I was a bit surprised because I was not aware that the ban on absinthe had been lifted. Can’t remember the name of the place–perhaps some area Dopers could help.
Anyway, I never got there because I couldn’t fit it in my plans for the few days I was there. I’d like to try it next time I go, just to say I’ve done it (even though I don’t particularly like anise, either).