The Miracle of Absinthe

[thewolverine]

Have had great experiences with ordering from these folks but my Absinthe is not from them. They have a few selections.
http://www.dandm.com/advanced_searc...ries_id=&inc_subcat=1&pfrom=&pto=&dfrom=&dto=

 

[NicknNora]

Our first taste of absinthe was unfortunately Le Tourment Vert. To be kind let's just say that our favorite part about the experience was admiring the ornate bottle it came in. Not only was it bad tasting but we had a tremendous hangover the next day. We've heard that in the U.S. Lucid and Kubler are both good brands. Any other brand suggestions or comments about these two brands?

 

[NicknNora]

I love this reproduction absinthe fountain.

Anyone own a cool absinthe fountain?

 

[NicknNora]

bump...any absinthe drinkers in the house who can recommend a good brand you can buy in the U.S.?

 

[Mike in Seattle]

[bad]
DEAR GOD NO!!!!
90% of my school would be dead within a day or two of its re-legalization. There already have been 7 deaths from underage over-drinking this year. It's sad really, they can't have a good time sober, so they have to drink themselves stupid to enjoy themselves. Back to the subject though, the kids here have ways of getting alcohol.
"Hey Frank, I bet you I can pound down a whole bottle of this Absynthe stuff in one gulp."

But is it not better that these types remove themselves from the gene pool before they can spawn?

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

If those 'kids' (or anyone else actually) manage to drink themselves to death on absinthe, that's one expensive way to go!


NicknNora, I don't have a fountain to show; am forced to enjoy my absinthe from bottle to spoon to glass, alas. My most recent acquisition has been Meadow of Love, which I bought through Drink Up NY. It appears they're out of it now, but keep an eye out, in case they restock.

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=503

 

[Miss 1929]

bump...any absinthe drinkers in the house who can recommend a good brand you can buy in the U.S.?

Fedora Gent gifted us with a fine bottle, "Vieux Pontarlier, Absinthe Francaise Superiere" from Distillerie Emile Pernot. It's yummy. Doesn't even need sugar.

I am not sure where he got it, but it was in San Francisco = and they mailed it!

So PM him and ask.

 

[sproily]

I think I'll have to get a bottle of absinthe to with my new smoking jacket

I still have a drop left. In Finland we have an alcohol monopoly. And only one brand of absinthe is sold. And it's crap.

So I'll have to use Pernod!

 

[NicknNora]

If those 'kids' (or anyone else actually) manage to drink themselves to death on absinthe, that's one expensive way to go!


NicknNora, I don't have a fountain to show; am forced to enjoy my absinthe from bottle to spoon to glass, alas. My most recent acquisition has been Meadow of Love, which I bought through Drink Up NY. It appears they're out of it now, but keep an eye out, in case they restock.

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=503

Thanks for the tip. We'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[NicknNora]

Fedora Gent gifted us with a fine bottle, "Vieux Pontarlier, Absinthe Francaise Superiere" from Distillerie Emile Pernot. It's yummy. Doesn't even need sugar.

I am not sure where he got it, but it was in San Francisco = and they mailed it!

So PM him and ask.

Thanks Miss 1929. We will do that.

 

[C-dot]

Anecdote: Traditional absinthe is illegal to sell in the US, because it contains a chemical called Thujone, extracted from wormwood, which is banned by the FDA. As a result, American companies are now finding ways to filter out this chemical, and sell their brands of absinthe.

It's always been legal in Canada, but I don't know many people who drink it. It always seemed like a vampire's drink to me (anyone remember IT Crowd? lol). I've tried it before, and I thought my esophagus was vapourizing.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

I believe the laws have changed in the past year or two, C-dot. It used to be the only thing on my liquor store's shelves was 'absente', which was, indeed, the thujone-free stuff. That's why I had my first bottle of LaFee brought over from England. Now, though, European companies ship their product to the USA without a problem, and through Drink Up NY you can ordered absinthes from all over the globe (though some are not worth messing with). I could buy a bottle of Swiss Kubler down the street if I wanted to. The Meadow of Love that I recently got is distilled in New York state, and has received glowing reviews, but it is not a weakened, or toned-down drink.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Anecdote: Traditional absinthe is illegal to sell in the US, because it contains a chemical called Thujone, extracted from wormwood, which is banned by the FDA. As a result, American companies are now finding ways to filter out this chemical, and sell their brands of absinthe.

No, Greendevil is a scam, selling crappy herbs to fools thinking you can macerate herbs in alcohol, and call it absinthe.

Traditional Absinthe is infact being distilled in the USA, distillation is the only way to make absinthe, anyone else that tells you otherwise is a liar.

Thujone is allowed in absinthe in the USA, what the scammers like Greendevil won't tell you is that the majority of thujone stays in the still after distillation.

For what it's worth, thujone is largely irrelevant, you body can't tell the difference between 5gm, 10mg, or 100mg. A large number of false claims have been made by the Eastern European "Absinth" sellers, don't believe the B.S.

 

[C-dot]

Well, peel my tangerines!

Sorry for the Greendevil link. I did a Google search, and all the sites seemed to say the same thing. I'd heard about Thujone before, and that site was the most authoritative. [huh]

It's a good thing the laws are changing now, and that American absinthe is not "weak" or watered-down.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Actually this one is a better reference:

http://www.thujone.info/

Absinthe has been off the banned list now since 2007, the majority of U.S. distillers are making pretty fair absinthe now, and are improving steadily.

The only ones propagating the myth that American & Modern absinthe is watered down, are the sleazy Eastern European "Absinth" scammers, and the steeping herbs in alcohol crooks that are seeing their market share dry up when consumers taste how awful their swill tastes.Avoid the make your own kits, unless you want to make yourself sick from consuming undistilled wormwood....:eusa_doh:


There are a number of people in the USA, that have been, and continue to work quietly, on some incredible absinthe that compares well to some of the best older names from long ago.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"I'm positively Aching to try a "Death In The Afternoon", but the Chap in the Liquor store keeps putting me off purchasing it?"

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Based on what I see in the photo, I can see why.

Pick a properly distilled absinthe, avoid those industrial ones like in your posted photo.

I'm not up on what decent brands are available in your part of the World, but that blue-green swill is not anywhere near what absinthe tastes like.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"I will do a little research here"

http://absinthe.com.au/

 

[Richard Warren]

While I am certainly no expert, it seems that some time ago the product called absinthe was outlawed because of the supposedly deleterious intoxicating effects of the thujone in it. US law was recently relaxed (or possibly re-interpreted?) to allow the marketing of a product under the name "Absinthe," but it must still be thujone-free.

So the question to the imbiber who might want to experience the decadent absinthe experience is whether that special experience was dependent on the presence of thujone. If so, the experience will elude those drinking thujone-free product, whatever it is called.

It is said that pre-ban product was tested and found to contain de minimus amounts of thujone, implying that the experience is not thujone dependent. There is reason to find this sort of test result suspicious, in that it is in the interest of the testers, and it is easy to conjecture that the chemical composition of a product stored for decades changed over time.

I would say that burden is still on producers to prove that their product can deliver.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

While I am certainly no expert, it seems that some time ago the product called absinthe was outlawed because of the supposedly deleterious intoxicating effects of the thujone in it.

Except that other products, including another famous green liqueur contained thujone, yet they were not banned.

US law was recently relaxed (or possibly re-interpreted?) to allow the marketing of a product under the name "Absinthe," but it must still be thujone-free.

Except that all brands sold in the USA contain thujone. The TTB will confirm that

So the question to the imbiber who might want to experience the decadent absinthe experience is whether that special experience was dependent on the presence of thujone. If so, the experience will elude those drinking thujone-free product, whatever it is called.

And what would that decandent experience be...

Look up Fenchone sometime, and a few of the other components.

It is said that pre-ban product was tested and found to contain de minimus amounts of thujone, implying that the experience is not thujone dependent. There is reason to find this sort of test result suspicious, in that it is in the interest of the testers, and it is easy to conjecture that the chemical composition of a product stored for decades changed over time.

And other studies not made by producers, showing low thujone levels are not valid?

Or do you prefer Arnold's wild guesses? Without any hard evidence...lol

And of course any changes over the years would leave no chemical evidence of change, or degradation markers,......thujone must be really remarkable beyond the whole decadent experience.

I would say that burden is still on producers to prove that their product can deliver.

Deliver what? Kylie Minogue as the Green Fairy from Moulin Rouge. lol

Perhaps you could tell us, what product does "deliver".