whats with this absinthe ad ?

at the top of the page.......has anyone actually tried that stuff ?

I thought it was illegal in the states...

Supposedly the Absinthe sold in the us has the Thujone filtered out of it, since its banned by the FDA. Years back I was interested in trying some real Absinthe so I just imported a few bottles from the UK. Yes thats illegal also, but I took the chance, seems almost everyone has no problem doing so.

Anyhow the stuff to me anyway is fairly horrible, even drinking it the traditional way with sugar and a slotted spoon. I absolutely hate black liqorice though, and thats its flavor!

I have also read since its got such a high ABV that you will never be able to consume enough wormwood to get any real effect from it. By that point you would either pass out or die from intoxication of alchohal.

I look at it as a novelty, much finer spirits to be had for the price! (that actually taste good)

Van Gogh and those guys must not have known any better.:cross:

The absinthe produced for sale in the US has far lower levels of thujone than that produced for sale in Europe. Additionally, the absinthe sold back at the peak of its popularity is far stronger than that sold anywhere today. In fact, it is illegal to produce absinthe of such strength anywhere, I believe.

The real reason absinthe was made illegal is not because of some property of wormwood. Rather, due to price some companies were trying to rip off quality company recipes (like Pernod) by using turpentine in their beverage. Due to the fake absinthe having a large share of the market there were many unintended effects eventually leading to the near worldwide ban of absinthe.

As far as flavor goes there are many different kinds the easiest way to tell is that green colored absinthe is traditional and has anise flavors. The red/blue typically has less anise and more other flavors.

Real Ouzo from overseas is the fun liquor.

You can legally get "real" absynthe (it's a grey area). Just do a Google search. My friend got a bottle online shipped from France - like $70 shipped for a 5th. GOD is it NASTY! But you can get it. It's nice to have a "real" bottle on the bar.

I don't enjoy hard liquors of any types anyways, you drink it... nothing happens, you keep on drinking it... and then Wham!!! next thing you know you wake up in who knows where in Toronto with some unknown chicks along with the headache from hell...

Beer wont do that.

yeasty said:

at the top of the page.......has anyone actually tried that stuff ?

Click to expand...

Here is an episode of Three Sheets with Zane Lamprey where he drinks it. Funny stuff.

Hulu - Three Sheets: Czech Republic - Watch the full episode now.

Anyone think the Pete Wentz commercial in the middle of that episode reminds them of Dr. Steve Bruel?

Slipgate said:

You can legally get "real" absynthe (it's a grey area). Just do a Google search. My friend got a bottle online shipped from France - like $70 shipped for a 5th. GOD is it NASTY! But you can get it. It's nice to have a "real" bottle on the bar.

Click to expand...

I got a bottle a year ago for X-mas from the girl friend. Nasty stuff.
Tried one drink ,now it's sitting on her bar collecting dust.

cactusgarrett said:

I thought it was illegal in the states...

Click to expand...

The ban was lifted in 2007.

"December 5, 2007: Earlier this year, a lone Washington, D.C., lawyer took on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in an attempt to lift the ban. After some legal wrangling, the agency agreed - with some limits...Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau officials said they were willing to accept absinthe formulas that fall under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations that the drink contain no more than 10 parts per million of the chemical thujone, but the word absinthe on the bottle's label had to be small and used with a qualifier like St. George's Verte or Kubler's Swiss Absinthe Superieure"

Alameda distiller helps make absinthe legitimate again

flylock_jac said:

I got a bottle a year ago for X-mas from the girl friend. Nasty stuff.
Tried one drink ,now it's sitting on her bar collecting dust.

Click to expand...

I had some in Prague 6-7 years ago. It's like a higher-proof, harsher Ouzo or Sambuca (anise flavored). Not great but not nasty, unless you just hate licorice.

SumnerH said:

I had some in Prague 6-7 years ago. It's like a higher-proof, harsher Ouzo or Sambuca (anise flavored). Not great but not nasty, unless you just hate licorice.

Click to expand...

Funny thing is ... I love Sambuca . this had a very bitter after taste. Even tried the melted sugar cube but didn't seem to help. Guess it'd do to the years (30+)
of drinking Buca. Even with that I only like a couple brands. Still the bottle
and box makes for a unique conversation piece .

Absinthe is available in the US. I have a friend in Portland that is going into the manufacturing. He makes a very good product, which is really vile (IMHO, and I love licorice). The "real" stuff ran 150+ proof and had very little thujone, according to recent studies of some old bottles.

When I had it it tasted like alcoholic pesto.

Has to be the nastiest crap ever. It left me with a crippling headache, the likes of which I have never felt since.

I've had real absinthe quite a few times in France and E.Europe and actually find the taste to be enjoyable when served properly. Though no matter how much of it you drink, you will NOT hallucinate or have visions, as drinking lots of it is no different than drinking lots of any high proof spirit.

Much of the negativity of absinthe is groundless; coming from 19th century France when the wine crop failed and the wine growers with the help from the temperance movement made absinthe out to be some degenerate, evil drink. When in reality, the French were just worried that people would stop drinking wine and the bourgeois who made the wine would lose profits.

Some friends and I had some last weekend. 62% ABV (124 proof). It tasted like chewing on a licorice root. At $64 a bottle, it's the most expensive drain cleaner I've ever seen.

Anyone tried to age beer with wormwood chunks? I've seen them at my lhbs and was curious.

I have never met anyone that really "likes" absinthe, at least no one that prefers it to other liquor. And it certainly won't make you hallucinate.

Ouzo, on the other hand, will **** you up. You may not hallucinate, but it will surely KICK YOUR ASS!

Beernip said:

Anyone tried to age beer with wormwood chunks? I've seen them at my lhbs and was curious.

Click to expand...

I added some fresh sprigs to a batch at flameout. I like how it came out, it's a little herbal/medicinal though which some people may not like.