Absinthe

[schwammy]

Has this topic been brought up before? I'm only a part-timer here, so I may have missed it. It actually predates the 'golden era' of the 1930s and 1940s, but somehow I think it fits right in on this form. I read a book about it recently that got me curious, and there's a new company that reverse-engineered an old, old bottle of good absinthe and is now marketing it to connoisseurs. I am quite curious to have a swig.

http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/Jade.html

 

[Nathan Flowers]

What is it supposed to taste like?

 

[havershaw]

I read a big article about absinthe quite a while ago, where a writer tried it. I can't recall what he said it tasted like...but he said that the rumors about it causing temporary blindness (the result of an absinthe hangover) were true.

Isn't it...you know...poison, essentially?

 

[PrettyBigGuy]

I've never tried it either, but I understand that it is very bitter. That is why it was poured over a sugar cube before it was consumed.

 

[schwammy]

Originally posted by havershaw


Isn't it...you know...poison, essentially?

Apparently not. There is some ingredient that causes damage at super-high levels in lab animals, but this is true of many things, including alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and aspirin.

From what I've read, the (pretty much worldwide) banning of absinthe coincided with a general mood of prohibition in the early part of the twentieth century. There seems to have been little scientific basis for it. Absinthe is just a mixture of herbs that is highly alcoholic. It was orignially supposed to be medicinal. Hemingway loved it, as did most of the artists who hung out in fin-de-siecle Paris.

I read that most people are scared off by the word 'wormwood,' which makes them think of worms gnawing away at your brain, but of course wormwood is just a plant.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

I would try it if I could get my hands on a bottle. I'm more then willing to be the lab rat for the cause.

 

[kent]

From what I've heard it's largely hit-or-miss regarding the brands. Some things don't do anything, others do all sorts of stuff. Czech Absinth is generally where I've heard react properly. Customs is also pretty random on allowing shipments of the stuff in the country, so it's not tough to get it delivered.

The people I've seen drinking it mostly ended up passing out within the hour, but they were drunk before they got into the stuff. The guy who had it says mixing it with booze doesn't have the same effect as drinking it alone.

 

[MK]

I think I am missing the point of it all. What am I missing?

We hear very little and understand even less.

 

[kent]

The point of it is, so you can see pretty things, and cut off your ear. Then paint starry night or something.

 

[jamespowers]

Originally posted by kent
The point of it is, so you can see pretty things, and cut off your ear. Then paint starry night or something.

Hmmm..... I think I will pass. LOL
Actually, if you really must know what it tastes like, and I am no expert here, then it has an odd taste that is all its own. The stuff I tasted was disturbingly cloudy---like a shaken Martini. The stuff is a yellow-green color and much like a liqueur.
It goes down fairly easy but it leaves a taste in your mouth something like black licorice. I hate black licorice but it is faint enough not to make me wince. I suppose it is a lot like Sambucca. Really hard to describe. It also smells like licorice, by the way.
The difference is after you drink it really. I do not know what the heck they put in the stuff but it does not make you feel drunk or anything like that. It acted like a neural stimulant to me. You kind of feel a tingling in your extremities and a warm feeling comes over you. Do not get up to fast after having two because your senses are a slight bit distorted. It will sneak up on you. Kind of makes the mind race a bit as well. I was never a drug user but some say it has a slight hallucinogenic effect. I am not quite sure what that means because I did not see anything that wasn't there. LOL
This is not a drink that you can hammer down like a beer. It is sweet--not as much as a liqueur but still it requires sipping. I was not quite sure I wanted to see what more than two drinks would do so that was enough for me. Pink elephants and getting sick have no place in my repertoire. LOL Not exactly a drink I would want to get drunk on.
Don't ask me how I know. Suffice it to say that there are bars in places that do serve it with cold water poured over a sugar cube into it---which makes the color of the drink deeper. It was all too witchy for me. A drink that is like black magic in a bottle. LOL
I hope this quells some curiosity.

Regards to all,

J

P.S. I am glad my mother does not read these messages. LOL

 

[jamespowers]

I forgot to mention that you can pick this stuff up off of eBay every day of the week. Here is just one example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=35658&item=3691639031&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

 

[Brad Bowers]

So James, Absinthe really does not make the heart grow fonder?

Brad

 

[jamespowers]

Originally posted by Brad Bowers
So James, Absinthe really does not make the heart grow fonder?

Brad

I would say it doesn't. Since sampling it many years ago, I have never wanted to drink it again. The strange effects do wear off after about an hour after you drink it though so plan your time accordingly. LOL

regards to all,

J

 

[Scandinavia Jones]

jamespowers wrote:

Actually, if you really must know what it tastes like, and I am no expert here, then it has an odd taste that is all its own. The stuff I tasted was disturbingly cloudy---like a shaken Martini.

That's what a good Absinthe should look like - the cloudiness, or louche, occurs when quality Absinthe is mixed with water in the correct manner.

As for the effect - yep, that's about what it does. The tingling sensation, loss of/distorted time perception, sense of euphoria. The reason for the strange effect is probably the mix of alcohol and thujone. Thujone has a similar chemical structure to Tetrahydrocannabinol (and Menthol) and it may cause addiction, although it's not scientifically proven it causes hallucinations.

Temperance is a virtue. Drinking Absinthe is not lethal - not more than ordinary booze, anyway. The difference between use and abuse...

 

[Michaelson]

If you want to really see how the REAL stuff was created, check out the movie 'From Hell' with Johnny Dep. It's the drink he makes himself when he's in the bath tub. It was a drink/habit that began in Victorian England, and was actually based from laudnum (probably spelling that wrong) abuse and use, and was a favorite of opium addicts.

If you're reading it was just herb based, it's partially correct.....I guess something that's poppy based could be considered 'herb based' in theory. It's one of those drinks that still has a HEAVY following in the dark side streets of New Orleans to this day, and quite popular with the hard core 'goth' crowd. It's not one that one should attempt in a light manner, especially if it's the real thing. It's chancy at best, and not for the faint of heart...literally. There have been several deaths connected to the use of the drink there, and is pretty much looked upon as just an overdose and substance abuse when it happens by New Orleans law enforcement. That's why you never hear much about it, as those numbers are just rolled into the overdose cases of other drugs.

Regards. Michaelson

 

[jamespowers]

Originally posted by Michaelson
It's one of those drinks that still has a HEAVY following in the dark side streets of New Orleans to this day, Regards. Michaelson

Ok, so you know where I found it all those years ago. You seem to know quite a bit about it. Are you sure you have not had a nip or two. LOL LOL :beer:
No, seriously, I do not think it is something that should really be dispensed in the strength that I had. If simply one drink can have a serious effect on your senses then just imagine what a drunk could do to himself and perish the thought of him operating a car or some other type of machinery. It has never been my intention to protect people from themselves---because it never works---but this stuff is not beer or even whiskey: its stronger.

Regards to all,

J

 

[Michaelson]

Let's just say I live in the shadows, and leave it at that. (grins)

High regards. Michaelson

 

[Retro Grouch]

I have always wanted to try absinthe. Curiosity, I guess. That and I've always been a fan of anise flavored drinks (Aguavit, Ouzo, etc)

Anyway, here is a site with some good info.

Absinthe Info

Cheers

 

[Michaelson]

Sort of like Russian roulette....it's 5 to 1 odds of winning or losing. not to different with this stuff if it's done the 'real' way. Not super good odds. Regards. Michaelson

 

[Dollface]

What--No "Green Fairy" on the bottle?