Absinthe Anyone?

Have any of you had Absinthe? If so, please tell your story involving this mysterious cocktail. Have you made it and what was your method? Was yours ice cold or flaming? Can you recommend a brand as I understand there are a number of variations on the ingredients. How about those opium dens…
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Yes. Hated it.

We tried all the main ways with multiple attempts at the spoon, sugar, and lighter way and the shots.

All that happened is we finished a bottle and a half and all of us got sick. No fairies were involved.

 

Another half bottle and you would have seen the light!
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Right after it was legal again, I tried it with the sugar and water. It was like drinking black licorice & bleach. Not for me. I guess I like my drinks to be fruity and with little paper umbrellas in it! 😃
T

 

Go see the show in Las Vegas. You will laugh your azzz off.

 

I've heard the same thing! I've heard great things about this show at Caesar's Palace.
T

 

when I was 15-17 I found some in an old house wine cellar. I thought it was very tasty. I found some in 1964 while traveling through Europe. a 8 month trip. again I liked the stuff, uncut and not mixed. I was young. have had very little to drink since I was maybe 30. just stopped except for a few classic dinners in Europe.

 

Have to get the right stuff and it's different than normally getting drunk (in a good way). Tastes awful imo,but I hate licorice and it's like drinking black licorice. Not worth the effort it takes to keep it down. The two times I drank it was mixed with water to get the loushe (sp?). Would not want to attempt to drink it straight.

 

Absinthe tastes of herbs, Anise and Fennel. It tastes very similar to Pernod, but is much higher in Alcohol, hence it needs to be diluted with a bit of water.
As it contains Wormwood, it has a minute amout of a hallucinogen, but to so little that you would die from Alcohol poisoning before you you get high.
I like the taste, it is nice on a hot day, refreshing!

In Sweden we like to make our own flavoured Vodka, the one flavoured with Wormwood is great with fish and crayfish!

 

is my favorite way. the Paris hangout of Hemmingway still service the stuff. I saw that today on the travel channel

 

One of Hemingway's favorite bars in Paris was 'Closerie des Lilas' on Blvd Montparnasse (see his book "A Moveable Feast"). At Closerie they serve absinthe correctly...in special glasses with slotted spoons holding a sugar cube...water from an absinthe machine is then slowly drizzled over the sugar cube until the absinthe turns white...great stuff!

My wife bought me an absinthe machine for Christmas a few years ago...it's great fun at a dinner party.
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know how to make the ordinary special. their vacuum glass coffee process is a true wonder

 

I tried it once. It was not horrible but it was just a sip of it after a bartender had used it in a Sazerac. I liked it better in the drink although I do like licorice.

 

Nice decanter! ..I used to make my own Absinthe when it was illegal in the US..the US Absinthe version Thujone levels produced and imported in the US version are detuned compared to Europe..Europe brands taste much better...
The Absinthe bars in Spain and Paris are a lot of fun...

 

Tried it straight, but prefer it in a Sazerac.

 

Traditional absinthe with methyl alcohol is not legal anywhere - that is where the haluciogenic properties came from.... You may still be able to find very old Absinthe in France and Belgium but would not drink it ... Not only is it dangerous but also contains a lot lead for the refining process

Get some Ricard Absinthe it's good but needs water and sugar to truly make it palatable. It is very close in play or to Pernod or Ricard.

 

I do not think any alcoholic beverage was ever made with Methanol.
It is an urban legend / old wifes tale.
To get properly drunk on that would probably kill you, make you go blind for sure and give you some serious liver damage.

It was the content of Wormwood extract ( containing a toxin called Thujon) that was the readon for banning.

In Sweden we have been drinking Vodka infused with Wormwood for centuries, without getting high or hallucinations.
As I wrote before, old or new style Absinthe's only effect was that you got drunk.
The Thujon level has always been too low for a clinical effect.

 

As Dr. Jan said, I think it's the thujone turpene that is responsible. Methanol (AKA wood alcohol) it is my understanding, leads to blindness...T

 

That's brave. I could barely choke down two small tumblers of the stuff, even with the sugar, water, etc...T

 

Even when diluted and sweetened, it still has something around 40 - 50 % Alcohol, which is pretty nasty to drink for most people.
In Sweden we of the old generation drank unflavoured and flavoured Vodka chilled and neat, so we are used to it.
But we have a technique where we throw the content if the glass down the throat rapidly.

If you can get hold of the herb ( Wormwood) in the US you should try and flavour Vodka with it.
Nice and bitter, excellent ( chilled) with sea food!

Btw, just as a curio, do you guys know that the Russian name / word Chernobyl meand Wormwood?
Apparently that area had lots of the herb growing.

I guess Wormwood picked today at Chernobyl used the flavour Vodka also makes it glow in the dark........
Merry Christmas to you!