the green fairy

[Salvador Dali Lama]

so, i've finally had an experience with absinthe. that is to say, after wanting to for years, i drank some (a lot) and really, really liked it.

point is, now i'd like to buy some via internet, but have no clue as to whats real and what isn't and whats good and whats bad. i've heard a lot of these sites sell bullshit fake absinthe, and others sell low wormwood or low somethingelse content absinthe, and i don't care too much for that. what i'd like to do is get some serious, real, and powerful green drink that tastes awful, burns bad, and makes me feel really nice. i'd also like to keep it around 100 bucks or less, if possible. can anyone help me with this??

thanks a bazillion if you can.

[Al in NYC]

I like Ted Breaux's stuff. Some would say he's a bit too much the artisan/scientist, and the products sure ain't cheap, but it's the real thing.

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

[john williams]

Yes, Al's right the French stuff is the best but those prices are a bit prohibitive. I've got a bottle of middling Czech stuff which does the trick but it has lower thujone content than Al's nice French gear.

I looked into it awhile back but the prices to Australia where this particular product is illegal and costs an arm and a leg to buy then sits in customs for months just put me off. The only absinthe for sale retail in Australia is the fake stuff. It's a nuisance, I'd love to try some of the top shelf drink.

Here's a very useful forum with vendors and product reviews-
The Absinthe Forum

[Uli]

When I used to drink this stuff it was illegal but highly available. It usually came from the Jura French/Swiss border region but normally did not have a brand name.

Kinda funny to look up the link Al provided. Of course we drank it more for it's potential than it's finish.

Now, I would not mind trying this:

ade Verte Suisse 65

Jade Verte Suisse 65


75cl 65% abv

This fine absinthe was almost lost forever if it had not been for the resurfacing of a few extremely rare original, and unopened bottles, which Jade Liqueurs was able to secure for study and preservation. Using proprietary analytical techniques, Jade Liqueurs has painstakingly resurrected this beautiful liquor from extinction. The original C. F. Berger absinthe was first created in Switzerland in 1830 and became so popular in France that another distillery was opened in Marseille by 1874. 'Swiss-style' absinthes (a term used to describe the manufacturing technique and not necessarily the origin) became the standard for quality, so much so that French distilleries often used the term 'Suisse' to designate their finest absinthes and virtually all French absinthes carried a Swiss cross on their labels.
Verte Suisse 65 is an ideal aperitif, with spicy, herbal aromas and a full, intense taste that truly shows why its ancestor was one of the top 5 absinthes of the 19th century.
As a digestif, its lingering taste will even compliment your favorite Cuban cigar.
This absinthe was featured on the hit Travel Channel show, 'Anthony Bourdaine - No Reservations' - and its distillation was featured in the New Yorker magazine. See our News & Reviews link.

C

Is this stuff sweet-tasting, or what?

[Salvador Dali Lama]

anybody know anything about this? http://www.absinthmexico.com/product.htm

i'll be passing through cancun in a few weeks.

[Gary Sisco]

Love it. Haven't had any in years. I also didn't know it was legal in the States.

Once I helped a very wealthy friend move some stuff from Long Island, where he'd sold his grandfather's estate on the Sound, to Vermont, where he kept a farmhouse. Part of the stuff we moved along with furniture and so forth was the contents of his grandfather's wine cellar (needless to say), all of which was old and dusty but waxed so we figured it would still be good. In that stash were two bottles of absinthe. There were four or five of us there, musicians all, hard-drinkers all, especially in those days (late 70s). My friend didn't know anything about absinthe so I told him about it. He decided that we'd crack one bottle and drink it, but keep the second the way it was. So we did and got a good absinthe buzz going. We were having a good time and all that. In the midst of the buzz, my friend decides he wants some more and cracks the second bottle. Most of us had enough sense not to get any deeper into it than we were so only dabbled from the second bottle.

Next morning, my friend wakes up, naked, on his kitchen's old, wide-board, pine floor, the rest of us stepping over him, making coffee and so forth, as people do in the morning. He wakes up, realizes he's naked and had passed out on the floor, looks all around and suddenly says, "Hey! Which one of you assholes opened the second bottle."

"You did, man."

I wish I had a photograph.

[moneyp]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Love it. Haven't had any in years. I also didn't know it was legal in the States.

Just illegal to sell, but not illegal to possess or imbibe, necessarily. It can be confiscated by customs, though.

[Enforcer]

My 6th grade teacher used to yell at me all the time about this stuff. Yes, it was a problem for me as early as grade school.

"Mr. Nagel, that's the sixth time you've been absinthe this month alone!"

Ba-dum CRASH

Thank you, thank you! We'll be here all week. Try the veal and don't forget to tip your waitress!

[Doc Martin]

Look for Absinthe with at least 100mg of Thujone per 0.7L bottle, just like this one:

[Gary Sisco]

So we're talking ordering imported Absinthe?

Man, if we can do that, now, I might be in trouble ....

[Doc Martin]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

So we're talking ordering imported Absinthe?

Man, if we can do that, now, I might be in trouble ....

Your in trouble!

http://www.absinthe.bz/store/absinth...-Reason150x200

[Gary Sisco]

I'm going to pretend I never saw this thread.

[Lore]

In high school I had a great art history class that was taught by a painter named Harrison Burns, who lectured in a lovely southern drawl.

One day he was showing us a slide of one of Lautrec's paintings of the absinthe drinkers. Someone in the class asked Harrison if he'd ever taken absinthe, and he said, "Once. Last thing I remember was putting my fist through a bathroom mirror. I woke up in jail."

RIP, Harry!

[Gary Sisco]

My best friend tagged along last year on his partner's business trip to Berlin, where he entertained himself looking up WW2 locations and such -- and finding an absinthe bar in E. Berlin. Said he didn't like the buzz but the bar had the most interesting hipsters he encountered during his trip.

I used to drink it when stationed in Japan. You have to be careful with that stuff, though, seriously.

So does this stuff taste sweet, dry, or what? Does it vary in tastes similar to wines?

[Dennis Gonzalez]

I have a bottle of it on the shelf in the kitchen...brought it back from Lisboa. I used to go to the Bar Lisboa every night to have a shot glass of it. Having never been a drinker (I never even drink beer), it would take me all night to drink it, but as has been stated before, I met some very interesting people while drinking it.

Most modern-day absinthe is nothing like the drink imbibed by poets and artists. It's been denatured a bit. Still tastes like anise seeds (kind of like a strong licorice), and is not dry at all...maybe a bit sweet.

I did notice after a while that the contents of my bottle-on-the-shelf were slowly dwindling away...Aaon finally fessed up and said that he and a friend, as well as Stefan's girlfriend were tossing down shots of it one night.

I have a slight, but annoying, summer cold. I'm beginning to lose my voice...ah! Absinthe! Just what the doctor ordered!

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

I did notice after a while that the contents of my bottle-on-the-shelf were slowly dwindling away...Aaon finally fessed up and said that he and a friend, as well as Stefan's girlfriend were tossing down shots of it one night.

Fine young men, those two, and normal!.................

[Gary Sisco]

Good thing they didn't add water, the old (and lame) trick when raiding the old man's bottle.

[Gerardo A]

Originally Posted by Salvador Dali Lama

anybody know anything about this? http://www.absinthmexico.com/product.htm

i'll be passing through cancun in a few weeks.

Wow, had not idea about that. I've never tried absinth myself (in Spanish is called "ajenjo") but I'd do it.

Hey Salvador, if you can swing to Merida from Cancun let me know!

[saltwatersnow]

so what is the buzz like. i am a fan of all substances but really cant stand alcohol. Is it like being drunk, MOre like an opiate, or more like a psychedelic???
j
anyone have any good links for getting opiate pills? oxycontin, codeine etc.?

[shrugs]

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

I have a bottle of it on the shelf in the kitchen...brought it back from Lisboa. I used to go to the Bar Lisboa every night to have a shot glass of it. Having never been a drinker (I never even drink beer), it would take me all night to drink it, but as has been stated before, I met some very interesting people while drinking it.

Most modern-day absinthe is nothing like the drink imbibed by poets and artists. It's been denatured a bit. Still tastes like anise seeds (kind of like a strong licorice), and is not dry at all...maybe a bit sweet.

I did notice after a while that the contents of my bottle-on-the-shelf were slowly dwindling away...Aaon finally fessed up and said that he and a friend, as well as Stefan's girlfriend were tossing down shots of it one night.

I have a slight, but annoying, summer cold. I'm beginning to lose my voice...ah! Absinthe! Just what the doctor ordered!

Dad's are notorious for noting a decline in the level of their liquor bottles!!

Originally Posted by jazzbluescat

So does this stuff taste sweet, dry, or what? Does it vary in tastes similar to wines?

So I'm being ignored, eh. Fuck y'all too.

[Salvador Dali Lama]

Gerardo, man, i'd love to, but i'm one of 7 and they want to get the hell out of cancun ASAP and down to tankah bay. with this particular group i doubt i can do it, but i'll see. i'd love to come kick it with you. i definately plan on this being the first of many trips to the area.

jazzbluescat- taste? it tastes horrible. and burns like a motherfucker for about 5 minutes. esp. if you're too messed up to do the sugar thing, which i definately was at the time. definately not something to drink from the taste. it gets you absolutely out of your mind but you think you're smarter and can see things more clearly, mildly hallucinagenic. in other words, wonderful. i could see it easily becoming my drug of choice.

[Phil_Meloy]

Originally Posted by jazzbluescat

So does this stuff taste sweet, dry, or what? Does it vary in tastes similar to wines?

No-one's ignoring you - it's just that they can't actually remember.

Originally Posted by Salvador Dali Lama

....jazzbluescat- taste? it tastes horrible. and burns like a motherfucker for about 5 minutes. esp. if you're too messed up to do the sugar thing, which i definately was at the time. definately not something to drink from the taste. it gets you absolutely out of your mind but you think you're smarter and can see things more clearly, mildly hallucinagenic. in other words, wonderful. i could see it easily becoming my drug of choice.

Thanks for the description. I best stay away from that shit. I can't stand hospitals and jails.

Originally Posted by Phil_Meloy

No-one's ignoring you - it's just that they can't actually remember.

What a buncha wussas.

[Gary Sisco]

jbc -- You can read, can't you? Dennis answered your question, already, in post 17. Duh?

[rollhead]

Okay, what do you recommend for a starter kit? A bottle and a spoon? what bottle, what spoon?

(exactly what is the spoon for?)

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

[rollhead]

Originally Posted by Doc Martin

Look for Absinthe with at least 100mg of Thujone per 0.7L bottle, just like this one:

this is from the wormwood society website:


Thujone is not a narcotic either. Thujone, the primary volatile oil in wormwood, is present in only in very small amounts in absinthe and is negligible in its effects. The current "high-thujone" and "strong" hype on many sites selling absinthe (usually absinth) is merely a marketing gimmick aimed at the gullible in search of a new high. Thujone's role in the so-called "secondary effect" is greatly exaggerated, as are the secondaries themselves. Thujone is not a narcotic either.

• The thujone molecule, while geometrically similar to that of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) does not interact with the cannabinoid receptors in the brain, as touted by many distributors of fake absinthe and fake absinthe kits. This was demonstrated as early as 1978. Neither thujone nor absinthe have a similar effect to marijuana.

[Doc Martin]

Originally Posted by rollhead

Okay, what do you recommend for a starter kit? A bottle and a spoon? what bottle, what spoon?

(exactly what is the spoon for?)

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

The spoon is part of the bourgeois ritual, in which water is poured over a sugar cube, which sits on the “ritual” slotted spoon; this changes the color from green to scummy white.
I like it on the rocks, with an accompanying “fat one”, but that’s just me.

I do not recommend absinthe.