Several web sites, including this one [link deleted-bibliophage]
claim they will ship real Absinthe liquor anywhere in the world, including the U.S. where it is illegal. Have any of you done this? Did you get it, or was it intercepted?
[Edited by bibliophage on 08-26-2001 at 08:42 AM]
I’m curious about this stuff too, but as I’m unsure of the legality of it here in Australia, and as it’s illegal in the USA, this thread might not be such a good idea. I suggest you ask a mod to delete that link, and then hopefully we’ll be able to keep this thread open.
i can’t even say absinthe properly
Before y’all go getting yourself into illegal situations, let me tell you something: Absinthe, these days, does not make you feel intoxicated in any different ways than Bacardi 151. I live in Prague where they sell it everywhere and people order it thinking that it adds something to their drunk. It does add something, but not what you think: a massive hangover.
[extensive directions on how to make, prepare and drink an illegal substance deleted. Here’s a clew-if we are not going to allow a link for buying the stuff, it’s a sure bet that a recipe for the stuff is a big no-no. Czarcasm]
Take care, don’t waste your money or the lawyers fees, if you’re ever in Prague- I’ll buy you a round of the stuff.
-Tcat
[Edited by Czarcasm on 08-26-2001 at 01:05 PM]
EEP!:eek: I don’t think I’ve ever had a link deleted by a mod. Sorry Bibli, didn’t know I was breaking the rules on that one. Is it ok if folks e-mail me for the link address?
Absinth is supposed to make you insane (if you overindulge). I understand that France banned the stuff around 1900, because several horrible murders were committed (while the perpetrators were allegedly under the influence of absinth). Anyway, I was always interested in trying the stuff-supposedly the poet Baudelaire wrote some of his best verses, while under the influence of “the green fairey”.
Can any absinth drinkers report on their symptoms?
You know what they say…“Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.” …Sorry, I had to do it.
I have just always wondered what the stuff tasted like…?? Can someone give a description?
Thanks, Cosmo. If there’s a bad pun to be made, I’m gonna make it. I opened this thread only so I could say that line - but you beat me to it.
sdarr2002 i can’t even say absinthe properly
Do I know you, sdarr? My old boyfriend couldn’t pronounce it either, even though he wanted to drink it.
All I remember from my bartending days is that when you dilute it it turns a milky colour, and the subs for it are anisette and Pernod. It contains wormwood and causes derangement. I don’t think that the flavour of licorice is worth insanity, is it? YUK.
Absinthe is sold.
it is not “the absinthe” though.
It’s just an alchoholic drink.
You can get all your absinthe-related info here.
The main reason it’s illegal in the US is because it contains thujone, a chemical found in wormwood. Thujone is similar in chemical structure to THC and can cause hallucinations at high enough doses. I’ve never drank that much absinthe to vouch for this. This aforementioned site suggests that absinthe’s illegal also has to do with its bad image in the late-19th/early 20th century. Also, according to the web site, it is legal in British Columbia and Ontario.
For the record, I’ve had absinthe before, of the Czech variety, 140-proof, with the wormwood and really didn’t experience much of anything except a burning sensation while it went down. It tastes like anise/licorice and, if the point is getting high, there are much more effective ways of doing it.
That said, if Tomcat’s suggestion which was deleted was simply about the little sugar ritual, that’s fairly innocuous. It just makes the stuff sweet, nothing else. You can just as well drink absinthe on the rocks, it’s just not how it’s really done.
My research reveals this to be false. What people considered “insane” in 1912 was probably just extreme intoxication. Absinthe is aout 140 proof, almost twice as strong as American whiskey.
I have also found that those who have had absinthe in Europe tend to be disappointed. Many of the European absinthe brands contain low levels of thujone, the magic ingredient. Czech Republics brand “Hills Absinthe” only contains 2mg of thujone. For best effect I’ve been told the liquor should have at least 10mg or higher. One brand in I’m told contains 75mg! That’s the stuff I want to try! (in a country where it is legal, of course!;))
My favorite bar in New Orleans is called the Old Absinthe House, so I guess at one time it was legal here. Course, the red-headed bartenderess there was about the craziest bitch I ever did meet. It’s full of aging and rare sports memorabilia… old football helmets, Cubs pennants, etc.
I remember reading about this stuff in a Maxim mag about two years ago. They mentioned that the day after you have the stuff (and they gave ingredients, preparation instructions, da hole enchilada…), you have a hangover bad enough to convince you that you’ve been poisoned which, in fact, you have.
As a few have mentioned above, you can get a version of it in Europe. But come on… we’re talking about stuff that passed EU regulations and is sold legally. 'nuff sed.
I have a bottle of the stuff in my kitchen. It’s still almost full. Only two of my friends have actually ventured near the bottle, one even refuses to touch it.
It’s just a horrible-tasting concoction that’s great for starting off a party night. Two shots of that and you become a wild little monkey with knitting needles. But you stop at two. Any more and you are asking to write off the next day… under thick curtains, wearing a blindfold, earplugs, and having swallowed enough painkillers that’ll make your brain say “Maybe I’ll lie down for a second”.
…the horror the horror…
Personally, I like it, but in moderation. Maybe it’s an Adrenaline-junkie thing…
Don’t bother trying to import it; You’ll just get ripped off. It’s really not worth it.
Instead, take four shots of Ouzo, take a look in the fridge, then slam the door hard against the back of your skull once or twice.
…same thing.
I was at a party in Europe where absinthe was served. What made it so potent was the way it’s served…you light the fumes and inhale them - that’s where the hallucinogenic part comes in. Then you drink the drink itself (which I believe also had sugar added to it). I didn’t try it myself (I found the thought of barfing in Europe to be too crass - of course, I’m not too keen on doing it at home either).
So, is absinthe actually dangerous to your health, or is that all just hype?
Uh, no. The hallucinogenic part is thujone, a chemical related to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Lighting things has nothing to do with the hallucinogenic properties of what you’re lighting. I could light my farts and inhale the fumes, but I certainly wouldn’t start hallucinating from it.
Absinth sold here in the EC must have a thujone content of 10 parts per million or less. The absinth drunk by all those 19th century swishy poets had a lot more wormwood in it, therefore a much higher level of thujone.
There is an awful lot of hype about absinth.
How good is the stuff you can make yourself? Suppose I buy a bottle of ouzo or anissette, and throw a few sprigs of wormwood into it? Will this have ebough thujone to provide an acceptable high? Anybody ever make theirown absinthe?
I imagine you’d be breaking the law if you did.