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Always looking for a new way to enhance my concert going experience, I found an add in Relix Magazine regarding an Absinthe website. I remember reading about this stuff in Maxim a couple years ago, but I did not trust the idea of sending my money over seas and possibly having my booze confiscated by customs enroute back.
The fact that this company took out an add in a real, albeit minimally circulating, magazine renews my interest in this stuff. I wouldn't think that they would be legit if they would go through all that trouble.
Websites claim that Absinthe is similarly illegal to Cuban Cigars- where you cant buy them in the US, but they are not gonna be trouble to own. Its pricy (no less than $60 per bottle), but I think it would be a unique thing to bring to Roo. I also understand that it is mostly the booze that affects you, but its just a bit different. It's like 140 proof.
I am just really curious if anyone has good experiences acquiring this booze, or good or bad experiences while consuming this booze. Please share your stories.
Not to rain on your parade, but I can't imagine drinking absinthe in that kind of heat. I still don't know if the couple of bottles I've had were completely legitimate so it's hard for me to offer a ton of insight. Both times it was purchased in England (by a family member) from some liquor stores that had a back area that they sold the, allegedly, legitimate absinthe. According to the labels, it has usually been produced in some Eastern European nation. There's an elaborate ceremony using sugar, a strainer, and an open flame. After a few failed attempts at doing it properly I ended up just drinking the crap straight or dilluted with water and mixed with sugar. It goes down like a minty toilet bowl cleaner at first, but has such a distinct taste that you get used to it pretty quick. A completely unique drunk that's a bit hard to explain. I can't say I've ever hallucinated on the stuff, but I've enjoyed the fu*k out of it every time. I actually have a bottle stashed in my closet right now that I'm saving for a special occasion. It's a different brand than the last two, so we'll see.
I'm sure someone on this board knows a bit more about it than myself, but I've yet to find anyone who has been able to convince me that they really know A LOT about the stuff.
Post by jambandjohn on Feb 28, 2006 20:20:33 GMT -5
I'd always been under the impression that absinthe wasn't legal in the US but after reading your post I checked around and found this distributor with a NY address. Now I'm curious, but I'm not sure I'm $209 curious...
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on Feb 28, 2006 21:21:24 GMT -5
They can make a legal kind in the us, that doesnt have wormwood in it, which is what makes it different from any other liquoir. These are mostly just made for the taste, and you just get drunk. I tried to find some real absinthe at the roo last year, but had no luck.
I found out I have one unopened bottle and one bottle with just a splash left in it. Both were purchase for approximately $70 in the UK and were brought back in checked luggage. Both claim to contain wormwood, but I'm still not certain these things are legit. Both say they're produced in the Czech Republic. The one is 150 proof and the other is 140...yikes. It's hard to really know what the fu*k you're even "feeling" when something is so strong.
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on Feb 28, 2006 22:09:22 GMT -5
I remember in a magazine there was an article on absinthe, and they said only one, or a few, place makes it, so thats how you know its legit. I'l try and find that article and get back to you guys on it.
you can usually order it offline. a friend of mine bought a bottle and had it shipped overseas. it isn't cheap, but we got the real stuff. the taste of absinthe is comparable to black licorice.
Post by shamrockguinness on Mar 1, 2006 2:59:57 GMT -5
I'm fairly certain that you can order special packages of herbs, including wormwood (the hallucinogenic), that you can mix with a type of hard liquor of your choice and create your own absinthe. The wormwood and other herbs are legal and so is the alcohol, but when they're mixed they become illegal to sell. I may be wrong about this, so I wouldn't quote me. You might want to check out www.Erowid.comfor advice on this. Here's a direct link www.erowid.org/chemicals/absinthe/ You can find make your own absinthe kits at www.greendevil.com/ Enjoy!
I love absinthe, but it is a very tricky proposition. I was lucky enough to have my brother visit Prague while he was studying in London. He mailed some real absinthe back for me. If you are buying absinthe online, realize that REAL absinthe is illegal in almost all countries (France, Spain, USA, Canada, etc). They have and sell stuff called absinthe but it won't contain thujone; this is the stuff that usually tastes like licorice. Most true absinthe doesn't taste like licorice at all. Easiest way to get what your looking for (containing thujone) is to order it from the Czech Republic where it is legal. I suggest a brand called Staroplzenecky. It's very pleasant when served traditionally (mixed with water and the carmalized sugar). Also I hope you aren't expecting a huge hallucinogenic trip because absinthe won't do that. You would have to drink so much absinthe that you would die of alcohol poisoning long before you hallucinate (the stuff is like 130-170 proof). However, I will say it is a different and very enjoyable drunk. I never experienced any tiredness or feelings of sloth. If I could afford it, I'd buy it a lot more often
This is bugging me because I can't remember if it was a magazine article or a TV report... but it was an interesting tale about some chemist in New Orleans who studied the history of absinthe, and was able to extrapolate the original formula used hundreds of years ago by aquiring a vintage bottle found in europe and doing lab tests to ID the ingredients, and he came up with a supposedly "original recipe" that has since won top awards at absinthe "conventions" (yes they exist) and he started making and selling the stuff, but when Katrina hit, he had to pack up only what he could fit in his car and the rest of his absinthe "operation" was lost to the hurricane... but he planned to re-start it all up again....
I think this was the gist of the story.... sorry I can't remember where I heard it or what the name of his label was.... does this sound familiar to anyone? ------------- UPDATE: I finally remembered! It was an article in Wired. If you're interested in absinthe, I highly recommend reading this article titled, "The Mystery of the Green Menace - It's been celebrated as a muse and banned as a poison. Now an obsessed microbiologist has cracked the code for absinthe - and distilled his own."
They have and sell stuff called absinthe but it won't contain thujone; this is the stuff that usually tastes like licorice. Most true absinthe doesn't taste like licorice at all.
Thanks for comfirming that. I was sort of wondering about the "licorice" descriptions.
Easiest way to get what your looking for (containing thujone) is to order it from the Czech Republic where it is legal.
Woot! Well that makes me think that the bottles I have that were produced in The Czech Republic are probably legitimate.
Hey that was a great article that you found. I can just see some guy in his basement going Jurassic Park on an old bottle of booze and reproducing it. Thats great.
The site advertized in the Feb/Mar Relix Mag is the following-
This site quotes the level of Thujone in each bottle, so it is not missing that component. It also claims to be Czech made and that the product is shipped straight from their distilery in the Czech Republic for the low low shipping price of 25 dollars. That makes the cheapest venture $83. A tall price tag for an unsure venture, but considering how easily I blow fifty bucks I recon I will have to give it a try...
you can buy the absinthes this guy breaux has come up with.
it says they have had no problems shipping to the u.s. as long as it is for personal consumption. i clicked through to see how much it would be and it's about $125 total. too steep for me at this point - once i'm done with grad school that would make for a good graduation present to myself!
Post by melikecheese on Mar 4, 2006 18:20:31 GMT -5
A few months ago Wired had a really interesting article about a chemist who was reverse enginieering absinthes based on some really old stock he had gotten ahold off. I guess these days no one really makes the real stuff.
oh look here is the article - paste that shit in your browser bar
A few months ago Wired had a really interesting article about a chemist who was reverse enginieering absinthes based on some really old stock he had gotten ahold off. I guess these days no one really makes the real stuff.
oh look here is the article - paste that nuts in your browser bar
Post by Lucid Interval on Mar 10, 2006 0:33:44 GMT -5
I never tried it myself but i've heard alot about it, interesting info on this thread. Im looking forward to digging up some moonshine for a nice weekend afternoon relaxation session this June...
Post by Lucid Interval on Mar 10, 2006 13:32:52 GMT -5
Yah you dont need much thats for sure... I had a sip of this strawberry moonshine last year and i felt like a had a good beer buzz goin in like 3 minutes lol
Absinthe got it's rep because low end companies used to artificially enhance the color of the drink using toxic chemicals hence the primary reason for the ban. It's often conjectured that Van Gogh's insanity was due in part to drinking cheap absinthe in large quantities.
