PDA

View Full Version : Experiences with Absinthe



rthomas
12-05-2007, 09:05 AM
I was reading this article in NYT about Absinthe being made and sold again in the US. And now am thinking of trying some.

Any of you have any experience with Absinthe? What kind and how dad does it taste (this article describes it as tasting like copper and looking like radiator antifreeze).

Did it make you hallucinate? How much does it take to be Vincent van Gogh.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html?ref=dining

bdh21
12-05-2007, 09:17 AM
I've heard about this... the absinthe to be sold in the US will contain minuscule amounts of hallucinogen. It'll probably kill you before you drink enough to hallucinate.

EarlJam
12-05-2007, 09:37 AM
I was reading this article in NYT about Absinthe being made and sold again in the US. And now am thinking of trying some.

Any of you have any experience with Absinthe? What kind and how dad does it taste (this article describes it as tasting like copper and looking like radiator antifreeze).

Did it make you hallucinate? How much does it take to be Vincent van Gogh.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html?ref=dining

I know I could Google it, but since I'm here and you brought it up, may I ask: What is Absinthe? I've never heard of it. What is its purpose?

-EarlJam

Cavlaw
12-05-2007, 09:46 AM
It's a liquor made with wormwood that is surrounded by a bunch of old wives tales about causing hallucinations and violent episaodes (all discredited). It doesn't taste very good, and the buzz, if properly diluted and sugared, is comparable to a glass of wine. It's like drinking a clean glass of jagermeister and ended up with the effects of having had a flat can of pbr.

rthomas
12-05-2007, 09:50 AM
I know I could Google it, but since I'm here and you brought it up, may I ask: What is Absinthe? I've never heard of it. What is its purpose?

-EarlJam

It's an alcoholic drink. Absinthe has been outlawed in the US for many years because it has been purported to be a hallucinogenic and addictive. Now it's legal again. After you drink enough of it, I think you go into stupor and see things. Sounds like fun.

jimbonelson
12-05-2007, 09:55 AM
i was giving a bottle a couple years ago it tastes like anise (black licorice) not as mush as sambuca it is weaker tasting but it burns all the way to the stomach me and my freind drank the whole bottle we did not have any hallucinations but we got tore up

EarlJam
12-05-2007, 10:12 AM
If they wanted to, could scientists come up with a digestable pill form of alcohol.

Example: Purchase a six-pack of tablets, with each tablet equaling one drink.

It would be dangerous as Hell, I know. But just wondering if it's ever been considered or would be possible. Alcohol in pill form.

-EarlJam

Cavlaw
12-05-2007, 10:34 AM
That reminds me of an old spy novel or movie in which the hero holds a tablet in his mouth that absorbs alcohol, so that he can get drunk with one of the bad guy's henchmen and steal secrets. After the interrogation, however, he accidentally swallows the tablet and has to get to the doc, quick.

Can't for the life of me remember the piece of fiction this is from.

pfrduke
12-05-2007, 10:50 AM
It's an alcoholic drink. Absinthe has been outlawed in the US for many years because it has been purported to be a hallucinogenic and addictive. Now it's legal again. After you drink enough of it, I think you go into stupor and see things. Sounds like fun.

I thought the whole reason absinthe was outlawed was because of the "toxic" effects of wormwood on the brain. I say toxic in quotes because I think you'd have to have about a bottle a day for 20-30 years before you had enough exposure to wormwood for it to do any serious damage.

The traditional way to drink absinthe is to take a sugar cube in a spoon, dip it slightly into the glass of absinthe just to get the alcohol on the cube, then light the sugar cube and drop it in the glass. The drink flames for a bit while the sugar dissolves. I'll echo the statements of the posters above - it's foul stuff, and doesn't give you Moulin Rouge/green fairy kind of hallucinations (at least not in the limited quantities we consumed).

pacificrounder
12-05-2007, 10:51 AM
IIRC, Absinthe is no longer made with wormwood, meaning it doesn't make you hallucinate, it just gets you very, very drunk very, very fast. It's 140 proof and some people enjoy the taste of it, which is just like a more alcoholic less flavored Sambuca. It's sold pretty much everywhere in Europe but I've never seen anyone but an American, Brit, or Aussie/Kiwi drinking it.

Try it to say that you've tried it, but don't expect any little green faries. And if you want to be like Vincent Van Gogh, get on a plane to Amsterdam tomorrow, eat a box of magic mushrooms, and go to the Van Gogh museum. It will change your life. (Time is of the essence, mushrooms are being pushed into the underground drug economy in the Dam because of some tourists who had accidents while on them.)

captmojo
12-05-2007, 10:55 AM
Probably a better movie reference could be Icabod Crane's usage, portrayed by Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow.

rthomas
12-05-2007, 10:59 AM
I should probably know this but what is "wormwood"? Is that a tree or what?

BlueDevilBaby
12-05-2007, 11:04 AM
Probably a better movie reference could be Icabod Crane's usage, portrayed by Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow.

Didn't he use in "From Hell", the Jack-the-Ripper movie?

captmojo
12-05-2007, 11:19 AM
Didn't he use in "From Hell", the Jack-the-Ripper movie?

You are correct!
I'm sorry. I have a cold.:o

Cavlaw
12-05-2007, 11:21 AM
IIRC, Absinthe is no longer made with wormwood, meaning it doesn't make you hallucinate, it just gets you very, very drunk very, very fast. It's 140 proof and some people enjoy the taste of it, which is just like a more alcoholic less flavored Sambuca. It's sold pretty much everywhere in Europe but I've never seen anyone but an American, Brit, or Aussie/Kiwi drinking it.

Try it to say that you've tried it, but don't expect any little green faries. And if you want to be like Vincent Van Gogh, get on a plane to Amsterdam tomorrow, eat a box of magic mushrooms, and go to the Van Gogh museum. It will change your life. (Time is of the essence, mushrooms are being pushed into the underground drug economy in the Dam because of some tourists who had accidents while on them.)
You're not actually supposed to drink it at 140 proof. It's sold in concentrate, but is intended to be dilluted as part of the preparation "ritual" in addition to the sugar melt.

FreezingDevil
12-05-2007, 08:35 PM
Ernest Hemingway drank absinthe long after it had been outlawed. I read somewhere that he would guzzle it to get himself pumped before running with the bulls in Spain. That, in my mind, automatically makes absinthe the most badarse drink on the planet. And as I always say, if Hemingway liked it, then so should I (with the exception of the whole suicide thing).

Indoor66
12-05-2007, 08:52 PM
I should probably know this but what is "wormwood"? Is that a tree or what?

Absinth Wormwood
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Artemisia absinthium


Artemisia absinthium growing wild in the Caucasus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Artemisia

Species: A. absinthium


Binomial name
Artemisia absinthium
L.
Artemisia absinthium (Absinthium, Absinthe Wormwood, Wormwood or Grand Wormwood) is a species of wormwood, native to temperate regions of Europe, Asia and northern Africa.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant, with a hard, woody rhizome. The stems are straight, growing to 0.8-1.2 m (rarely 1.5 m) tall, grooved, branched, and silvery-green. The leaves are spirally arranged, greenish-grey above and white below, covered with silky silvery-white hairs, and bearing minute oil-producing glands; the basal leaves are up to 25 cm long, bipinnate to tripinnate with long petioles, with the cauline leaves (those on the stem) smaller, 5-10 cm long, less divided, and with short petioles; the uppermost leaves can be both simple and sessile (without a petiole). Its flowers are pale yellow, tubular, and clustered in spherical bent-down heads (capitula), which are in turn clustered in leafy and branched panicles. Flowering is from early summer to early autumn; pollination is anemophilous. The fruit is a small achene; seed dispersal is by gravity.

It grows naturally on uncultivated, arid ground, on rocky slopes, and at the edge of footpaths and fields.

Lavabe
12-05-2007, 09:15 PM
Wormwood (and its derivative, artemisinin) is also being investigated for anti-malarial properties. It's a commonly used herbal medicine in Southeast Asia.
Cheers,
Lavabe

prefan21
12-06-2007, 04:37 AM
If they wanted to, could scientists come up with a digestable pill form of alcohol.

Example: Purchase a six-pack of tablets, with each tablet equaling one drink.

It would be dangerous as Hell, I know. But just wondering if it's ever been considered or would be possible. Alcohol in pill form.

-EarlJam

I don't think it's possible, as the amount of ethanol in one drink can't be condensed into pill size.

But we've already got bite-sized jello shots, which taste better and have the same results ;)

http://img.waffleimages.com/af8f24187560cd8f69edf00902bac8e8c1d15a81/JelloShots.jpg

twisterduke81
12-06-2007, 08:26 AM
I had some in London about twenty years ago and it made my tongue numb. Pretty cool.

Johnboy
12-06-2007, 09:26 AM
Ernest Hemingway drank absinthe long after it had been outlawed. I read somewhere that he would guzzle it to get himself pumped before running with the bulls in Spain. That, in my mind, automatically makes absinthe the most badarse drink on the planet. And as I always say, if Hemingway liked it, then so should I (with the exception of the whole suicide thing).

In that case, you should like Mojitos. According to this book (http://www.amazon.com/Hemingway-Baileys-Bartending-American-Writers/dp/1565124820) and this article (http://www.boston.com/ae/food/articles/2006/07/20/mojitos_make_a_splash/).

I have the book at home - it's a fun book for those who like to imbibe. Also, there's what Brian says (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_R6YpLpV90).

Personally, I prefer Crown and water.

ArnieMc
12-07-2007, 11:18 AM
Since no one else has mentioned it, Absinthe is apparently also an aphrodisiac. You know: "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder."

devilish
12-08-2007, 06:47 AM
If they wanted to, could scientists come up with a digestable pill form of alcohol.

Example: Purchase a six-pack of tablets, with each tablet equaling one drink.

It would be dangerous as Hell, I know. But just wondering if it's ever been considered or would be possible. Alcohol in pill form.

-EarlJam

Qualudes have a similar effect to alcohol, but they are no longer legal in the us. Took 2 in High School and felt as if i had consumed a case of beer.

gdAbsinthe
12-19-2007, 04:49 PM
Absinthe is now legal in the United States!
Almost, well not exactly

I seem to be getting the following question a lot lateley.

I just saw a bottle of absinthe in the liquor store, I thought it was illegal to sell absinthe in the US?

This subject is getting complicated but yes traditional absinthe is illegal to sell. But given the thirst of Americans desire for absinthe the industry is finding a way to get it to the people.

There is a chemical in traditional absinthe called Thujone, this chemical is banned in food products by the FDA. This one chemical is what makes absinthe illegal to sell. Generally Thujone comes from an herb called wormwood that is used in the production process of absinthe.

Companies and the liquor industry have found that by filtering out this chemical they can legally sell their brand of absinthe in the USA.

Seeing dollar signs many distillers and companies are now on a public relations campaign to downplay the role of Thujone and gain acceptance of this form absinthe by the American public. Many are writing articles or launching sites that promote this new view of absinthe in an effort to gain acceptance. Some make statements such as that of Lucid one of the leading brands to enter the us market states "Prohibition is finally over" giving consumers the perception that laws have changed. They are eager to promote the fact they use Grand Wormwood but downplay the removal of Thujone. It all makes for good marketing and others like Kubler and Absinte seem to be following.

Others are even trying to state that their absinthe may contain Thujone or subvertly imply this. The truth is that any absinthe sold in the USA will be determined by the FDA to be "Thujone Free" but some distillers are noting that the test used by the FDA for detecting Thujone has some level of error, or tolerance, some have put it at 10ppm Thujone but my understanding of this is there is no defined level and the test by the FDA is subject to subjective influences such as the use of the sense of sight and smell to detect Thujone.

In the end whatever absinthe you find on the shelf will be "Thujone Free" according to the FDA

Traditional Absinthe in the USA

In the United States, Absinthe was banned in 1912, following the French ban three years before, but the current US Customs restrictions on the importation of Absinthe only are dated from 1958 while the USDA and FDA regulations still ban the sale or importation of any beverage containing wormwood. Despite this and its a negative reputation, Absinthe has seemed to make a comeback in favor of citizens claiming the drink, whether they import it through customs or attempt to make it themselves. People are finding ways to acquire this green beverage.

Absinthe was originally marketed as a cure for several digestive diseases in the late 18th century and early 19th century, and then later sold to the French army as a way to ward off dysentery, tropical fever, and fatigue. Throughout time Absinthe was labeled under Pernod's name which became a staple among intellectual elites all over Europe, since it was hardly affordable for the proletariat. Eventually some incidents and anti-propaganda gave Absinthe a bad reputation. Inexpensive brands would use all type of solvents, copper and dyes to achieve the trademark green color. Those chemicals and toxins often were addressed as the cause for the murder and madness attributed to Absinthe drinking.

After the banning in the USA, it was not until the 1970's when the FDA passed the legislation that forbids the importation and sale of any alcoholic beverages containing artemisia absinthium, also known as wormwood, which is one of the main active ingredients in Absinthe. Although Absinthe without wormwood is commonly for sale in the United States and it is claimed as the favorite drink among contemporary celebrities, artists and intellectuals.

In America, Absinthe failed to attract alternative entrepreneurs, although the possession and consumption of any wormwood variety is not illegal. Today, Absinthe drinkers need to rely on customs for travelers to import Absinthe. Despite its reputation, modern connoisseurs insist that the so-called hallucinogenic effects of Absinthe are nothing but romantic stories or merely a myth, although The New England Journal of Medicine, reported a case of renal failure in a extremely ill-advised individual who drank as little as 10 ml of wormwood oil.

If you plan to taste Absinthe in reasonable, moderate quantities, there is no other city in the United States better than New Orleans. The rage among drinkers in the know is currently the brands made by Ted Breaux via Jade Liqueurs. Jade's "Absinthe Nouvelle-Orléans" is a spectacular product, not only beautifully made but sophisticated in flavor and, based in the historical Absinthe area considered as the finest consumed in New Orleans during la Belle Epoque. Jade Liqueurs also produces "Absinthe Edouard and Verte Suisse 65", reputed as the perfect example of the very highest distiller's art.

Back to the legal aspect, the prevailing consensus of interpretation of United States law among American Absinthe connoisseurs is that:

[] It is legal to sell items used in the production of absinthe and even the herb Wormwood but not as part of a food product for human consumption. This derives from an FDA regulation, as opposed to a DEA regulation.

[] It is probably illegal for someone outside the country to sell such a product to a citizen living in the US, given that customs regulations specifically forbid the importation of "Absinthe."

[] It is probably not illegal to purchase such a product for personal use in the US.

[] Absinthe can be and occasionally is seized by United States Customs, if it appears to be for human consumption.

[] A faux-Absinthe liqueur called Absente, made with Artemisia abrotanum instead of Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), is sold legally in the United States however, the FDA prohibition extends to all Artemisia species, including even, in theory, Artemisia dracunculus, known as tarragon.

However, Absinthe is sold in most US retail liquor stores, or can be acquired via internet or catalogs because the export version made for the United States does not contain wormwood.