# Canadian Dopers: Absinthe?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-absinthe/404612>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 18, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-absinthe/404612 "2007-05-18T16:11:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-absinthe/404612/1 "2007-05-18T16:11:00Z")

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I will be making my annual summer trip to Canada in a few months, and I am interested in your thoughts and/or recommendations about the absinthe that is available.

As you are no doubt aware, it is not legal in the US. According [this article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe) in Wikipedia (emphasis mine), it _is_ legal in certain Canadian provinces.

> [@](#):
>
> **Canada**
> 
> In Canada, liquor laws are the domain of the provincial governments. British Columbia has no limits on thujone content; Alberta, Ontario and **Nova Scotia allow 10 mg/kg thujone** ; Québec allows 15 mg per kg (according to the SAQ)[citation needed]; and all \*\*other provinces do not allow the sale of absinthe containing thujone \*\* (although, in Saskatchewan, one can purchase any liquor available in the world upon the purchase of a minimum of one case, usually 12 bottles x 750ml or 8 x 1L). The individual liquor boards must approve each product before it may be sold on shelves, and currently, only Hill’s Absinth, Czech Absinth s.r.o., Elie-Arnaud Denoix, Pernod, Absente, Versinthe and, in limited release, La Fée Absinthe are approved. Other brands may appear in the future.

I will be travelling to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. According to the article, I could only get absinthe with thujone in NS, assuming that it is actually stocked.

Which labels would you recommend, either with or without thujone?

thanks, plynck

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**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-absinthe/404612/2 "2007-05-18T16:44:55Z")

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I have seen no brands up here (BC) that I would pay money for (I usually see Hills, Czech, Pernod and Absenthe at the store). The other marks listed I don’t know much about-- they might be the better bets. You might check absinthe fanboy sites for ratings and go with the least awful.

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**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-absinthe/404612/3 "2007-05-18T21:29:21Z")

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The [absinthe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe) that’s readily available in Canada (at least where I live) is shit. It’s not really absinthe at all, in my opinion.

There are many different kinds of “absinthe” today and too many find their origin in absinthe’s recent surge in trendiness. The worst absinthes today are little more than ethanol blended with artificial colour, flavour, and oils.

The best brands are traditionally distilled. I would recommend:

[Jade Liqueurs](http://www.bestabsinthe.com/index2.htm)  
[La Fee](http://www.lafeeabsinthe.com/index.php)  
[Emile Pernot](http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/Pernot.html)

Arrange to import some of these to Canada while you’re up here. Also, it would be proper to commit to the ritual that surrounds preparing and consuming absinthe so you’ll need to set yourself up with supplies, as well.

Take note: absinthe is powerful stuff and you can find yourself shit-faced drunk in no time if you aren’t careful. A raw potato fight in a spiral staircase at 4AM comes to mind… But as for the thujone, the effect is largely a myth as you will die from alcohol poisoning long before the thujone kicks in.

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**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-dopers-absinthe/404612/4 "2007-05-18T21:45:06Z")

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Be careful: Remember why this stuff was banned in the first place. Continued use tends to make the user asbinthe-minded.

[:: d&r ::]