| Absinthe..
Posted: 3/4/2007 11:24:13 PM | absinthe tastes like licorice (or it did to me anyway) and it's not illegal to own in the u.s. it's just illegal to purchase
also, it can come in a smaller bottle (if you know where to look) if you just want a taste and not drop a ton of money on a huge bottle you won't even finish | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 3/5/2007 5:30:42 AM | you can own it in the u.s. you just can't sell or purchase it.
i brought a bottle back from spain and gave it to a friend. we haven't tried it yet. i hope to find a traditional slotted spoon for the sugar cube.
van gogh had epilepsy, compounded by the fact that his doctor prescribed digitalis, typically a heart medication. the alcoholism exacerbated his condition. i've read many different theories on his health-related issues, as well as poe's. the absinthe didn't help, but we can't blame all their problems on one substance.
i fully intend to try the absinthe with my friend one day soon. and, by the way, i've ingested wormwood with no ill effect exept for the nasty taste. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 3/5/2007 3:01:27 PM | Yay to Junipermoon!
To blame the product for the behavior of a select number of users is what drives me nuts about some people. Heaven forbid they compound that with half-truths. Then you get the propoganda. Ever seen 'Reefer Maddness' (not the musical)? Good ol' Hearst. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 3/5/2007 5:46:10 PM | Absinthe is nothing more than alcohol. And like any other vises you take too much you get super happy and the inhibitions are released. Any one who tells you different is tossing you a line. I have been to Check/slovak & Paris seen absinthe distillers; under the impressions of what I have heard. There is no proof that it will make you hallucinate!
Wormwood will make you sick, even further if you have an allerigic reations to it.
And you also have to remember that at the time when said rumours begain, the processes of distilleries didn't have the same heath & safety regiment. No one knows exactly what things were clean with which is what they tell you in the museums.
And to add the the hoopla...Vincent the artist was Fu**ed up all the time. The man cut his ear off for christ sakes. Never had a dime to his name because he was a drunk. He wasn't popular till he died. and you can thank college aged people for buying his posters. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 3/5/2007 6:09:47 PM | I love to see how Americans approach things like this, or things like cannabis, when here in the UK people barely flutter an eyelid.
I've had absinth as it is meant to be if memory serves, which it probably doesn't, I've also had hell-shots [Hapsburg absinth 89.9 % & Balkan vodka 88%] – accompanied by various other spirits and punch I was the most sober I had ever been when I've been drinking, I'm well known for my high alcohol tolerance but considering the reputation this drink has it was a little confusing.
As a drink in and of itself absinth is a cultural thing, it's nothing magical or special in the sense of it's affects on the body.
It's alcohol, you drink it and get drunk.
Simple. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 3/5/2007 8:22:18 PM | It isn't the alchol that's regulated, it's the production. The chemical in it that makes people go nuts is what's regulated. If it's toxic, you can't sell it, that's why absinthe was banned in the first place; because it wasn't being made properly.
One of the few valuable things you can learn from reading Maxim :P | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 11:30:47 AM |
you can own it in the u.s. you just can't sell or purchase it.
You can't buy it in the States, but you can always buy it online from a liquer store overseas that sells it. I think you're limited to three bottles a year though. It just goes to show you that NOTHING is restricted on the internet (hell, you don't even have to pay taxes over the internet). | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 11:33:43 AM |
It isn't the alchol that's regulated, it's the production. The chemical in it that makes people go nuts is what's regulated
Yeah, wormswood (a hallucinogen) They don't distill it with wormswood anymore in the modern age though, so the effects are no longer the same; therefore I have no idea why it's illegal... | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 11:46:18 AM | | There is a fake absinthe called Absente on the market at most high end liquer wearhouses, but not at the average liquer store. it is $50.00 a bottle here in napa. it tastes good and comes with the spoon, however, it is not the real thing. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 11:53:42 AM | Also... IMHO... Absinthe is usually the drink of suicidal and depressed people. How many "happy" people do you know drink absinthe? It's not exactly the most "social" type of drink after all (the "ritual" itself was designed to be done in privacy). The consequences of drinking the real thing on a long term basis ultimately leads to pre-mature death; then again, death is the only thing we have to look foward to really, so why not?
The day I start drinking absinthe alone (and regularly) will be the day I've given up on life... | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 12:47:28 PM | Also... IMHO... Absinthe is usually the drink of suicidal and depressed people. How many "happy" people do you know drink absinthe? It's not exactly the most "social" type of drink after all (the "ritual" itself was designed to be done in privacy). The consequences of drinking the real thing on a long term basis ultimately leads to pre-mature death; then again, death is the only thing we have to look foward to really, so why not?
The day I start drinking absinthe alone (and regularly) will be the day I've given up on life...
As heroin was to the beat generation, Absinthe was to the victorian writers and poets. It was a ritual of privacy as it was to dream, much like Native americans and the vision quest. The 60's made everything social. Sex and drugs.
I will admit I had an absinthe party and also an Absente party. Not something I would do every day ( only did it on YULE) . I do not see it as a sucidal or fatalists drink. Only the over consumption of it becomes the depression and downward spiral. like all things in life. Best when taken in moderation. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 12:51:40 PM | I tried it years ago..in the military...
It was...Ok
The taste wasn't that hot...but it had a kick...
I didn't hallucinate though...
Perhaps it was my lack of imagination.....
It shouldn't be illegal for sale in the US.
The effects were reminiscent of downing a shot of Everclear.
Which is..of course...legal. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 10:06:25 PM | As of October 2007, the US has updated policy regarding the use of the term "absinthe" on labels of distilled spirits products and in related advertising material. They have approved the use of the term "absinthe" on the label of a distilled spirits product and in related advertisements only if the product is "thujone-free" pursuant to the Food and Drug Administration's regulations.
Absinthe containing thujone levels greater than 10 ppm cannot be sold in the US. | |
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| Absinthe..
Posted: 1/29/2008 11:01:23 PM | There was a really good article in The New Yorker about Absinthe about two years ago. Here's link to the abstract:
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/03/13/060313fa_fact_turner
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| Absinthe truth
Posted: 1/30/2008 3:35:43 PM |
Yeah, wormswood (a hallucinogen) They don't distill it with wormswood anymore in the modern age though, so the effects are no longer the same; therefore I have no idea why it's illegal...
you are right and wrong at the same time. TRUE absinthe uses wormwood in it. yes, it does cause hallucinations, but only if you close your eyes. Furthermore, if it doesn't use wormwood it's not true absinthe. American distilleries are not allowed to produce absinthe by law, but it is perfectly LEGAL to buy it online and have it shipped here. But it is not legal to sell it in a business capacity, like a bar or liquor store.
Liquor stores can order it for you, but they are not allowed to accept money from it, therefore most stores won't order it. that's why you have to order it online.
Wormwood is high enough doses is deadly, but in the levels found in a bottle. it won't kill you. the only thing it will do is clean out your system. If you look at the labels of most laxatives, some of them use wormwood in it.
here is a fake absinthe called Absente on the market at most high end liquer wearhouses,
Absente is not fake absinthe. It uses all the same ingredients, the only change is the use of White Wormwood. This stuff is non-toxic even in large enough doses. A bottle of decent absente costs from $30 - $50 a bottle.
I prefer the real stuff, which has to be imported, Canada and France make the best Absinthe, IMHO. The crap from Poland, Germany and English should be avoided. the good stuff will cost you between $60 - $120 a bottle.
the ritual consists of taking the green liquid and pouring a shot into your absinthe glass. Then placing a slotted spoon over the glass. you take your sugar cube and place it on top of the slotted spoon. some people melt the sugar with a light. I have tried this and the stupid sugar cube never dissolves evenly (at least for me). So i just pour my water over the sugar cube.
it turns the dark green liquid into a milky white-green liquid. also use cold water so it goes down easier.
the anise makes absinthe and absentee taste like liquorice. Either you like it or you hate it right off the bat.
If you want the poor man's version of Absinthe, look at getting Ouzo that's made in Greece. it tastes the same, gives the same feelings, but costs less.
For my money I prefer to dance with the green fairy with the real stuff. | |
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| Absinthe truth
Posted: 2/4/2008 4:22:29 PM | | Absinthe is not completely illegal here. Real Absinthe can be shipped to the US. Thujone is banned by the FDA in the U.S., but as a food rather than a drug. You aren't allowed to distill or commercially make absinthe, but you can legally own a bottle and even make your own as long as it isn't distilled. | |
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