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Swiss Absinthe

Absinthe??
Can someone explain what exactly absinthe is to me? I mean, I know it's a really strong drink that apparently fucks you up but could someone further explain this mysterious drink? What are it's effects? Is it like other alcohols? Where is it sold? Thank you! Ahaha, well that sounds kickass. Thank you for answering!
Absinthe is an anise flavored alcoholic drink that is also flavored with wormwood, fennel, and a variety of other herbs. This is how it's been traditionally (or originally depending on how you look at it) and has, despite the myth and hype, NEVER had hallucinogenic properties. Part of the hype is that thujone is a hallucinogen. False. Second, there isn't (nor ever was) sufficient quantities of it to cause one to hallucinate even if it were. Although small in quantity, there are still bottles from the 19th century available...the original formula and all. They've been painstakingly analyzed and proven to contain far, FAR less thujone than previously claimed. In fact, the results of that study was published in April. Any claims to the contrary have never been substantiated in a laboratory (and further proven false by the study). If you want to read the study, you can get your booze geek on here: http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/media/SystematicMisinformation.pdf The problem with getting to the bottom of what absinthe really is involves getting past all the erroneous myth (like its hallucinogenic properties or being an aphrodisiac) as well as the current marketing bunk such as "highest thujone" and "full effects." Not to mention, those who are cashing in on the mystique and myth would not benefit from the consumers knowing better so they work really hard at trying to perpetuate it as well as discredit those who disagree. It's a vicious cycle driven by money (as was the push for its ban in the first place). Truth be told, common culinary herbs contain higher levels of thujone than wormwood (the defining ingredient that makes absinthe "absinthe") such as sage and tarragon. You don't hear about people tripping and hallucinating from turkey stuffing, right? On the other hand, absinthe does impart a slightly different kind of intoxication. Typically it's described as a more coherent or "lucid" type of drunk, not feeling sloppy or fuzzy like other liquors can make one feel. This is where the brand name "Lucid" originated (the first brand to legally hit US shelves in May of '07). Little by little, genuine absinthes (made both in Europe and in the US) are hitting US shelves. Just about any decent sized liquor store will have it in most states (a couple are still laging behind). You can also order online, but imports are expensive (more for shipping than for the booze itself) and US sellers cannot ship to a number of states (their website will tell you which) so it can be tricky depending on where you live. As much as it vexes me for people to blindly copy and paste from Wikipedia, their entry for absinthe is actually a really well researched one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

absinthe??
Has anyone on here tried it? How is it, and is it all its rumored to be?Ex. hallucinagenic, etc.....
Yes, I've drunk absinthe several times. The last time was in November at at tasting of several different brands of absinthe in London, where it was never banned. My favorite was Pernod 68 Absinthe is an aniseed flavoured spirit that is clear until water is added to it, when it turns milky. Absinthe contains a number of herbs and spices, but the one that got it that reputation - most likely unfairly - is wormwood. Wormwood has an ingredient called thujone which has a structure similar to T.H.C. which is the active chemical in cannabis. There is a tiny amount of wormwood - used for its bitter flavours - in Absinthe, and you'd have to drink an enormous amount of it to be affected. Bear in mind that absinthe has a very high alcohol content, around 70% alcohol (normal spirits are 40%), but that it is drunk with 6 -8 times as much water, thus diluting the alcohol and active ingredients. However, it was made illegal in France and some other countries because of fear that people were made mad by absinthe. The stories about the effect of the wormwood content were over exagerated. But there was tremendous consumption of absinthe in France and people certainly drank too much. What does it do? Same as any other spirit. It makes you drunk if you have too much of it. Does it make you high? Well, it didn't affect me. I think you'd have to drink so much of it that you'd be drunk from its high alcohol content first Does it still have wormwood in it? Yes of course. Bear in mind it wasn't made illegal in all countries and even though France made absinthe illegal and thus Pernod made a wormwood free replacement drink known as Pastis, Pernod continued to make real absinthe for export. I'm not a lawyer but the absinthe merchants say that it is only illegal to SELL absinthe in the US, but legal to buy and consume it, and so companies like eabsinthe.com ship personal orders to the US and guarantee refund if a consignment is lost or seized. However, if you want to know what absinthe is like without buying it, go to any bar or pub and ask for a glass of Pernod or Ricard pastis. Pastis is the wormwood free replacement produced after absinthe was made illegal. These also have lower alcohol, so you add less water. The taste and look of pastis is the same as absinthe. This online merchant that will ship absinthe to US customers from the UK - see http://www.eabsinthe.com

What is the best absinthe commonly available in the United States?
From what I've heard, the really good absinthe is only available through mail order, but I've recently noticed that there are a few types of absinthe available at my liqour store. If anyone with some real knowledge of absynthe can recommend a brand that's available in the US (and hopefully not too hard to find) I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
There are much more than just 4 available on shelves, with more to come each week. First of all, understand that there is (nor ever has been) any truth to the claim that absinthe is a hallucinogen or that "good" absinthe is high in thujone. That's just urban legend/myth/deceptive marketing. Currently available (off the top of my head, so I might have missed a couple) are Lucid, Kubler, St. George, Sirene, Leopold Bros., Mata Hari, Obsello, Le Tourment Verte, Taboo, Grand Absente (different from Absente), La Fee, La Muse, Pernod (the absinthe, not the pastis), Clandestine La Bleue, and within a couple weeks, Marteau. The best? It's a matter of taste. It all depends on what you like. If you don't like anise, you won't like any of them. The easiest to find? Generally Lucid and Kubler are the easiest to track down. St. George is little by little becoming more widely available, and the rest are catching up. Almost all of them can be ordered on line through various suppliers (google Binny's or DrinkUpNY). So far, Kubler is the best "bang for your buck" in that it's a decent quality, it's sold as a full liter (as compared to 750 ml) and is among the lower priced (around $50-ish). Being one of the easiest to find helps, too. All of these are made in keeping with historic distilling techniques and recipes. There isn't any "thujone removal" process to "water it down" for US shelves. You'll also notice that they're all 50% alcohol or higher (mid 60s being most common) which, too, is just as it's been since the 19th century. Don't get suckered in by the "you won't trip balls without lots of thujone" line of garbage. You won't *with* lots of thujone, either...AND it will taste like utter pig vomit with all that has to be added to make the crappy ones "high thujone."

Absinthe mints is a strong, herb-infused, alcoholic beverage that was extremely popular with artists and authors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Due to its green color and purported hallucinogenic qualities, it is often referred to as "The Green Fairy." These mints are anise flavored (the predominant flavor of absinthe) and come in a cool art nouveau tin complete with flying green devil fairies.

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