Absinthe recommendations

smknman

smknman

Joined
Apr 4, 2006
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713
I have been thinking about trying this once popular drink, but am not sure where to start. From what I have found online bad absinthe costs the same as the good so I need someone personal experience. Does anyone have this knowledge and care to share?
 
I have read good reviews of Green Fairy from holland. The History Channel did a program on it so you may be able to go to thier website and dig up the links.

I tried the stuff and did not enjoy the effects at all. I will stick to single malt scotch.
 
Whatever you do, DO NOT try anyone's "home brew" absinthe! Usually nothing but bitter herbs steeped in cheap vodka.

The best I've had so far is called "Absente" -- it is a LEGAL beverage imported from France, and available for special order through any liquor store. Go to their website and print out the info, or the retarded clerk will refuse to order it for you, "That stuff's illegal!"

This is a distilled beverage based on an original recipe. Like the original, multiple psychoactive herbs are used -- but the high-thujone wormwood had been replaced with low-thujone "Southern wormwood." Want the forbidden thujone? Go to a health food store and purchase a vial of wormwood extract (less than $10 . . . they charge up to $50 online), and add a few drops to each drink. Very strong stuff . . . dilute with spring water and add sugar to cut the bitterness (not bitter unless you add the drops). No need for a slotted spoon and flaming sugar cubes . . . unless you're ghey. :eek:

You can get "real" absinthe smuggled through Customs, but some of it isn't very good, some is mildly toxic, and more than a few are well over $100 a bottle.
 
It's really hard stuff to drink !
You think well it's 70% proof so I can get drunk real fast but it is so hard to drink much of it that you can't get drunk fast!
Tastes like strong aniseed,like oozo on steroids.It feels like a fire ball going down your throat that explodes when it hits your stomach !!!
Too much also sends you mad,this is what caused Van Gogh to his ear off !!!
 
I have been curious to try some of that hooch but I cannot tolerate the taste of licorice.
Isn't that what it tastes like ?
 
Beat ya to it, Ed. ;)

Actually prefer prefer Ouzo if I want to taste licorice or anise. When we were in France, most people were drinking Pastis 51 - much cheaper than Pernod (but I think it is made by Pernod?) The thing about the taste of licorice - you either LOVE it or HATE it. I've never met anyone who felt so-so about it. Me? LOVE it! Licorice candy, licorice toffee, licorice ice cream.....:D
 
I'm not a big fan of licorice, but can tolerate jagermeister. Will absinthe have that type of flavor?
 
rebeltf said:
I have been curious to try some of that hooch but I cannot tolerate the taste of licorice.
Isn't that what it tastes like ?
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I tried a sip on New Year's when a friend brought it back from Europe. Not sure what kind it was, but it was in a narrow, tall bottle and was green in color. Had warnings to dilute it and not drink it straight, and I think it was around 70 to 75% alcohol.

The general consensus between me and my friends were, despite none of us caring for licorice taste, was that the taste wasn't as bad as we expected and it went down much easier than similar proof drinks we had tried. I don't think a dislike of licorice taste should keep you from trying it if you're curious.
 
smknman said:
I'm not a big fan of licorice, but can tolerate jagermeister. Will absinthe have that type of flavor?
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Different brands of absinthe have very different flavours . . . but, as nearly all include anise (only one or two do not), there will be some licorice taste -- but not as strong as Ouzo or Sambuka.

Jagermeister has a unique flavour, unlike anything else.
 
Also, it won't make you go nuts. That's a rumor started by the pissed off wine makers who had their grapes hit by a nasty disease and hated that so many people were drinking Absinthe.

The abolitionist types jumped on board, and that's how it got banned so many places. Nowadays, it's not illegal in Europe, and it's not actually outlawed here, it just hasn't jumped through all the BS hoops the FDA requires to approve it, so it's in a kind of in-between zone. Not illegal, but no legal approval for importing.
 
tyr_shadowblade

Jagermeister has a unique flavour, unlike anything else
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Reminds me of a nicer tasting Nyquil to be honest. The taste of "Jager" does not bug me at all.

Saw a show with Anthony Bourdain on Travel Channel about Absinthe , apparently one of the most important ingredients is chemically similiar to THC.
 
I like the La Fée Bohemian. It tastes more mint-y than anise-y. Bonus: you get to set it on fire. :)
 
Jager isn't licorice, is it? If you like licorice, you have to buy a bottle of Sambuca. Take it the Italian way, and throw a few coffee beans (odd number) in it. Yum!
 
Any of the Jades I think are good...try the Eduard.Here's a link http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/Jade.html

I think the LeBleu's (the clear ones)are the way to go though.I would dilute it with cold water and sugar to taste.Drinking shots of the 70% (140 proof)stuff is like drinking fire..the 55% LeBleus are tolerable straight.I wouldn't expect hallucinations,or madness...I have never encountered those effects.
 
Way back, it was made with wormwood oil which is poisonous.

I don't think you can get the stuff you read about in history books.

.
 
It's still made with wormwood...the Jades use an old recipe(as do a lot of them now that the ban was lifted in Europe in the 90s).The wormwood is what makes it so bitter(and also produces the Thujon...which is the active ingredient that is supposed to be very similar to THC)It's a bit pricey,and the shipping costs are up there too,but I still think it's kind of neat to have a bottle around in case anyone wants to try it.I like the whole history and the ritual of the dripping the ice water over it...makes it more of an event than just trying to get smashed.(though it will do that too).With a little research you should be able to find a decent bottle,that is produced in the old world style,and should be very similar to the history books
 
Actually, thujone does NOT have THC-like effects. This is a myth. Despite its THC-like molecular shape, it does not bind to the same receptors in the brain. Instead, it is a GABA receptor antagonist, which in sufficient quantities can cause convulsions and muscle spasms, but no hallucinations.

Absinthe doesn't cause any effects different from any other alcohol. If the drinker does perceive something different, it is placebo.
 
Chiro75 said:
Absinthe doesn't cause any effects different from any other alcohol. If the drinker does perceive something different, it is placebo.
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Different types of alcohol have different types of effect on different types of people. Beer is different from vodka, which is different from whiskey, which is different from tequilla.

Absente w/ wormwood extract WILL get you "drunk" . . . but there are other effects as well (trails & halos are common visual effects, the psychological effects being more subtle).
 
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