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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Anyone here tried Absinthe?

My bottleshop sells "Pere Kermann's Absinthe" made in France and its 60% and includes "Wormwood Infusion" costed me $120 a bottle.... very expensive, but they have cheaper versions for like $40-60 with no or very little wormwood infusion.

I believe its the psychoactive properties called thujone found in plant called wormwood or Artemisia absinthum It induces a feeling of weightlessness and euphoria in small doses, but results in a stupor in larger quantities. Excessive consumption of the liqueur Absinthe is said to cause braindamage, but much of this may be attributed to other "additives" used last century. Not "hallucations" 8)

Last century, Absinthe was made by steeping wormwood and other herbs in brandy and then distilling the first half of the total volume. Alcohol distills over first, followed by a small amount of water which carries the essential oils across. This leaves behind the bitter principles of the herbs. The alcohol content of Absinthe is usually about 60-70%.

Cheers,

Urbanhog %)
 
We encountered Absinthe when Oli went over the road to check out this classy little club that we've always been meaning to go to.

The bartended told them they should have Absinthe, when they asked for a similar-potency drink, so they took it. The next week I went over there and tried it too.. and I was hooked. heh

The whole fire and sugar and alcohol thing is fantastic, to me it adds a classy aspect (and hey it looks cool :)). Its like drinking metho, and you can *feel* the alcohol seeping into your blood. But I found it to be a really nice clean drunken state.. not like the messy kind of drunk I'm used to.

Now one day I'm gonna get motivated to do a bit of a scour and see if any bottolo's sell the stuff.

I saw someone mention that its not illegal in Aus anymore? Is that correct? Meaning you can get it imported?

stace.
 
stacyrox said:


I saw someone mention that its not illegal in Aus anymore? Is that correct? Meaning you can get it imported?

stace.
Click to expand...

It's now legal in Australia, but it's not avaiable everywhere, you have to either ask your bottleshop to order or find one of these specialist bottleshops that specialises in imported/limited collections of grog.

My bottleshop sells "Pere Kermann's Absinthe" made in France and its 60% and includes "Wormwood Infusion" costed me $120 a bottle.... very expensive, but they have cheaper versions for like $40-60 with no or very little wormwood infusion. But it's always sold out, and takes them 4-6 weeks to re-order again, I have no idea why.

There's a website based in UK, that exports Absinthe around the world, I remembered that the site said "Unfortunately Australian Postal regulations prohibit the sending of Absinthe through the Australian post." They will still post it to Australia, but at your own risk.

PM me if you want more information.

Cheers,

Urbanhog
%)
 
Absinth

Over time I've noticed that many pubs, clubs, bars and liqour stores have been selling the alcoholic drink known as Absinth.
I don't know if they used to sell the real stuff, but I noticed that it is fairly easy to find.
The question I want to know is if it is on an increase then why?
Has Absinthe importation been Legalised, Is it legal to sell the drink, and is someone allowed to import for personal consumption. I know that many people often bring back a bottle with the from Europe but no one ever shouts it out, letting customs know.
So i'm just wondering whats the deal with absinth, is it now legal to import, was it always legal, is it just demand that has increased or has nothing changed?

Sorry if this is against guidelines or has already been asked, I couldn't find it in my searches.
 
It's tres cool to drink Absinthe


At 68 per cent alcohol, this once-banned import packs a hefty punch, writes Pat Nourse.

Let's get one thing out of the way. You're not going to hallucinate. Whatever you may have heard about the properties of absinthe, drinking it won't make you see things that aren't there. Take it from someone who has just drunk three bottles of the stuff. Walking might be a problem and speech may trouble you but pink elephants won't.

Absinthe's power to mess with the brain is obscured by a fog of romance, hearsay and misinformation. Much of this has to do with the fact most people don't know a lot about it - not surprising when you consider it has been banned in most countries since World War I.

In the 19th century absinthe was widely drunk but it fell off the map after French authorities blamed the green liquor - and more particularly, wormwood, the herbal extract that gives absinthe part of its kick - for declining social standards.

People may have had problems with absinthe but it probably had more to do with it being 68 per cent alcohol than anything else.
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In December 2000, Australia shifted absinthe from the prohibited list to the restricted list. Importers keen to bring absinthe into this country, however, still require a special licence and the concentration of thujone, the active ingredient in wormwood, must not exceed 10mg a kilo in any alcoholic beverage.

What is absinthe?

Originally a herbal medicine, absinthe was imported into France from Switzerland in 1797 by Henri Louis Pernod. Absinthe's distinguishing characteristics, according to Food Standards Australia, are the compounds derived from wormwood - thujone (which acts on the part of the brain that governs the firing of neural synapses), absinthin (a bitter white crystalline compound) and chlorophyll (which imparts the drink's emerald hue). Bitter and aromatic, absinthe has a distinct aniseed flavour.

How do you drink it?

Many newcomers down the stuff straight. At nearly 70 per cent alcohol, this is not a good idea and any effect that the thujone may have is certainly going to be eclipsed by the booze.

Bartenders around Sydney have experimented with absinthe with varying degrees of success. Cocktails such as Julian Serna's applesinthe at Hemmesphere use citrus to balance the intensity of the aniseed flavour.

As pleasant as such concoctions are, however, traditionalists say the original drink wins hands-down. A measure of absinthe is poured into a long glass, then a slotted absinthe spoon holding a sugar cube is placed across the glass's rim. Water is poured over the sugar cube, dissolving it, sweetening the drink and diluting it to roughly one part absinthe to five parts water. The addition of water makes the liquid cloudy - a process the French used to term "the crossing of the eyes".

As theatrically appealing as methods involving setting absinthe-soaked sugar cubes alight may be, they have no basis in the French tradition.

Which absinthe?

With its less aggressive flavour, Czech The Green Fairy is a good place to start but its different formulation means it doesn't cloud when watered down. Pernod's return to the absinthe market with Pernod Aux extraits de Plantes d'Absinthe is given added weight by the company's long association with the drink. La Fee is popular with Sydney bartenders and walks the line between the intensity of the Pernod absinthe and The Green Fairy.

Regardless of which brand you choose or your chosen method of drinking, don't forget that it's much stronger than most and, even diluted, can be a bit of a handful. That said, whether it's the power of suggestion or actually something in the drink, getting tipsy on absinthe seems marked by more euphoria and introspection than, say, downing your own weight in schooners at a pub.


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/21/1066631424572.html?from=storyrhs
 
^^^
My orginal post has been devastated by Wazza's brilliance above.. please disreguard my existance.
=D
PEACE
 
im pretty sure most absinthe available on shleves across OZ, doesn't contain tuogen.
but overseas (czech replublic mainly) it the real deal.
french people would generally add pernod to water and drink it like cordial.
 
I had some lads give me some of this for my birthday last month, being acutely aware of my penchant for Bacardi 151

I just checked the bottle out and it's The Green Fairy that Wazza mentioned

It's more drinkable than Bacardi 151... I'm looking forward to downing it with some mates after a big night

You know who you are

;)
 
yeah french herion.. they made pernod to ween the men off the stuff, ive tried REAL absinthe oversea's with devestrating results,
 
I have a green faery in my userpic :) hoorah.

Anyway, there is a proper way to drink it, but it tastes even better with lime softdrink.
 
Just curious...

When bartenders talk about absinthe...is it always absinthe with a wormwoob extract...or is there also an alcoholic drink thats branded itself 'absinthe'...

One bartender I bought it off was telling me it is 80 percent and isn't actual absinthe but just a strong alcoholic drink or some shite liek this (I was rather mashed so I'm foggy now)...is there any thread of truth to this at all?
 
so whats to do.... /sigh

So, IF it is indeed the fact that there "is no real absinthe" left for us to drink blah blah blah (sounds a bit like jaded raver syndrome yeah?), and if there is only a list of products that may/or may not, in some fashion, resemble original Absinthe characteristics, then lets level and ask the question:

WHAT IS THE NEXT BEST THING??

Seriously. All cynicism and scorn aside for the marketers of the 'imitations', if one simply MUST have an ABSINTHE-like experience:

WHATS the closest of all of them to the original beverage?

*all the purists out there, sit down and shut up*

let the middle folk speak...
 
the Absinth sold locally is not the real stuff, it's an imitation rip-off....


the real stuff is illegal... unfortunately.... you can only get it from Europe....
 
Anyone here tried Absinthe?

i don't remember :| zzzzzz
 
The absinthe I have sitting in my cupboard contains 7.4mg/litre of thujone, as far as I know its the highest legal concentration that can be sold. From what I can gather the recipe is legit and the wormwood extract isnt fake. Its not 55% alcohol with a bit of aniseed flavouring added to it. I bought it from a very well known bottle shop not that far from my house.

The only problem I have noted about importing is that a website I considered buying absinthe from stated that Australia Post wouldnt send bottles through the mail.

stace.
 
I've recently been to Prague in the Czech Republic and the real absinthe that contains thujon is widely available. From what I saw back home the stuff they sell in shops isn't the proper stuff. Before I left I picked up a couple of different bottles and brought them back to the UK with me.

The first bottle which was the most expensive was "kings of absinthe" and cost me about 70 australian dollars, which is especially expensive in prague considering how cheap most common alcohol is. After tasting it though I could tell it is very good quality alcohol. Just like any other expensive alcohol, you pay for what you get I guess. Although it has a high alcohol content, 70%, it is actually quite smooth and I quite enjoy the taste. Definitely not as bad as shotting your average vodka and much more drinkable than the stuff I had tried back in Oz. This stuff contains 10mg thujon per litre i think. It's effects are subtle but noticeable. It's hard to explain but it felt noticeably different to simple alcohol effects. It brought this kind of presence into the room and my perception of things just seemed different, a bit like being mildly stoned but in a slightly warped way. I find it's history quite intriguing with it's associations with Vincent Van Gogh and people going mad. In a way after trying it and experiencing it's effects I can see why it has these associations.

The 2nd bottle tasted extremely foul. It was about half the price of the kings bottle and I bought it because it has 35mg/L of Thujon. I'm not sure if it is just cheap alcohol or if maybe the high thujon content effects the taste but even me someone who can drink virtually anything simply can't stomach it. I've tried to drink it several times and had to give up. I haven't really had a chance to see what it's effects are with the higher thujon content because it tastes that bad. I think this bottle will be sitting in my liquor cabinet for many years to come.
 
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I have also had Absinthe in Prague. We got a bottle for $25; 70%.

Never had enough to get hallucinogenic effects, you do have to evaporate the alcohol because you will be smashed with any decent amount drunk.

The stuff we had was shocking. Could not mix it with anything. But I agree, a weirdness to it for sure. God, I want to go back.
 
Yeh it's a great city. I loved it when I was there. Quite unique and very intriguing in places.
 
Fry-d- said:
We brought 3 bottles of the stuff back from Europe last year for our alcoholic friends. Cost us 60 pounds a bottle, at 3:1 Australian, thats bloody expensive booze. Was the 80% proof variety and theres still one bottle left :)

Never halucinated off the stuff despite drinking ourselves almost to death. It does hit you hard and fast though, numerous times after one or two shots I'd find myself lying on my back on the pavement sweating like a freak.
Click to expand...


fry-d-

i know im being a picky bastard here but i think its some good info to know

the whole "proof" thing with alcohol, is like, 200 parts
so
80 proof is 40% alcohol (you can see this on a lot of bourbons wild turkey etc)
so absinth with 80% alcohol is actually 160 proof, because the way the proof thing works is 200 parts or something. i cant really explain it properly right now because im a bit cracked but i hope you guys out there know what i mean.

example

a liquid that is 100% alcohol is 200 proof
50% alcohol is 100 proof
etc etc etc

sorry to be a c*nt but as pointless as this is, i have some burning desire to tell people the good ol proof theory

:)
 
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