Absinthe

Yes. It is legal. My friend and I picked up a bottle at the local BevMo. We got a bottle of Mansinthe, which was developed in cooperation with Marilyn Manson (my friend is a big fan). It is 66.6% alcohol. And it is amazingly good...

First tried it with sugar and cut with water. Absinthe does a cool thing where it turns cloudy when mixed with water. Very smooth. Kept expecting it to be bitter or just kill you with a horrible aftertaste, but it doesn't.

Then tried a very little bit strait. Wow. Don't try to drink very much. But if you take the tiniest sip onto your tongue, it's like it turns to vapor and fills your mouth. Really incredible.

I heard the US stuff doesn't contain the THC or whatever.

Umm... there was never THC in Absinthe. The thing that makes it different is that it is distilled from Wormwood. They recently changed the laws so that a particular variety of wormwood is legal, but others aren't.

The folklore about it being hallucinogenic is just urban legend. Although, many of the people who traditionally drank it may have been ingesting other interesting substances at the same time.

Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, if you know what I'm sayin'.

i hate that stuff!! I had a shot, next day - worst hangover ever!!! and i dont get hangovers...

When I was in Japan in the '80s, anyone over the age of (whatever the legal age is in Japan) could buy it. HOWEVER, if you were an American, the liquor store took your money and then alerted the authorities.....or so I was told. I was also told then, that there were at least 2 different strengths (proofs?)....sorry, I don't drink much.

I thought the "deal" about absinthe was that it rotted your.....(brain? or some digestive organs?) and was somewhat addictive.

Yeah, I guess I'm naive and somewhat non-worldly, for someone who has travelled to Europe and Japan a few times........sigh.

I want to try some....any michigan vendors?

Grtechguy wrote: I want to try some....any michigan vendors?

Not of the Mansinthe, sorry. I'm not sure what other vendors there might be of real absinthe.

Grtechguy wrote: I want to try some....any michigan vendors?

http://www.drinklucid.com/get_lucid_absinthe.cfm

TR3only wrote: When I was in Japan in the '80s, anyone over the age of (whatever the legal age is in Japan) could buy it. HOWEVER, if you were an American, the liquor store took your money and then alerted the authorities.....or so I was told. I was also told then, that there were at least 2 different strengths (proofs?)....sorry, I don't drink much.

Alcohol laws are based on the region you're in, not your nation of origin.

Absinthe comes in a pretty wide range of proofs. It is generally an over-proof spirit (more than 80). Most spirits achieve that by being watered down to the correct proof. I think Absinthe just doesn't get watered down.

I thought the "deal" about absinthe was that it rotted your.....(brain? or some digestive organs?) and was somewhat addictive.

Yeah, I've heard that if you drink too much, it's really hard on your liver. All of that is by virtue of the alcohol, and not specific to Absinthe. Absinthe is a wood alcohol though, and I've heard that adds another level of toxicity.

I'm pretty sure that all of the things associated with it had to do with how popular it was with Bohemians, artists, and other such ne'er-do-wells.

I have some my freinds brought from Europe. And it tatse like something I use to strip metal. I did cut it with sugar and ater and wow, still nothing. I was told to drink some before heading out and it will keep you mellow.

TR3only wrote: I was also told then, that there were at least 2 different strengths (proofs?)....

Similar story: Was in the mediterranean in the late '70s/early '80s courtesy Uncle Sam's Yacht Club and the rumor went around that ouzo sold in Greece had heroin in it...given the Greek attitude towards drug trafficking I thought it somewhat unlikely

"Alcohol laws are based on the region you are in, not your nation of origin."

Apparently you have never been overseas as a member of the military. U'S. military personnel serving in many countries were not well liked in the '80s (in some countries, that is still the case) and any chance to embarrass/harrass said military personnel is not passed up. Besides, I was told that local authorities were told to be sure military police were also notified when arrests were possible.

TR3only wrote: "Alcohol laws are based on the region you are in, not your nation of origin." Apparently you have never been overseas as a member of the military. U'S. military personnel serving in many countries were not well liked in the '80s (in some countries, that is still the case) and any chance to embarrass/harrass said military personnel is not passed up. Besides, I was told that local authorities were told to be sure military police were also notified when arrests were possible.

And military bases are U.S. Soil, and you'll presumably be back on them fairly shortly. Plus I suspect that has more to do with the whole being in the military thing than any regional laws.

PHeller wrote: I heard the US stuff doesn't contain the THC or whatever.

Thujone is the chemical that was blamed for absinthe's psychoactive qualities, but it was eventually found to be present in infinitesimal quantities. Thujone is a regulated chemical in food and drink in most countries (no more than 10mg/liter in the US).

If you're looking to try absinthe for the first time, and while it's not for everyone, I personally enjoy it, I'd steer clear of Lucid. It's the most readily available, but it's also pretty low quality. I'd recommend St. George absinthe, made in Alameda, CA by the same distillery behind Hangar One vodkas, among others. That's some good stuff.

Although, anything imported from Switzerland, its country of origin, is a safe bet, too.

(To give you an idea, Pernod and Chartreuse are in the same ballpark of flavors - highly aromatic, vaguely anise-flavored. If you blanch at black licorice, you'll probably have a hard time with absinthe.)

alex wrote: (To give you an idea, Pernod and Chartreuse are in the same ballpark of flavors - highly aromatic, vaguely anise-flavored. If you blanch at black licorice, you'll probably have a hard time with absinthe.)

Pernod? I thought that was just something made up by Rootboy Slim....

Salanis wrote: And military bases are U.S. Soil, and you'll presumably be back on them fairly shortly. Plus I suspect that has more to do with the whole being in the military thing than any regional laws.

They sell it at the class six here on Fort Lewis, I don't think it's an issue anymore.

My father ran a still when we lived in a country that, shal we say, frowned on alcohol consumption . The gin and vodka he made would turn warm and cloudy for a few seconds when cut with water to make it consumable. It came out of the still at around 190 proof. He would trade it to the locals for goods and services we needed. How he never got caught is beyond me.

porksboy wrote: My father ran a still when we lived in a country that, shal we say, frowned on alcohol consumption . The gin and vodka he made would turn warm and cloudy for a few seconds when cut with water to make it consumable. It came out of the still at around 190 proof. He would trade it to the locals for goods and services we needed. How he never got caught is beyond me.

That's cool. I bet you have fond memories of running from the corrupt county "boss" and his lackey police chief in a brightly festooned Charger. Could you hear the narration from the car, or was that just for us?

jg

Additionally, did you often find yourself in a whole heap o' trouble?

porksboy wrote: My father ran a still when we lived in a country that, shal we say, frowned on alcohol consumption . The gin and vodka he made would turn warm and cloudy for a few seconds when cut with water to make it consumable. It came out of the still at around 190 proof. He would trade it to the locals for goods and services we needed. How he never got caught is beyond me.

I have more than a few moonshiners in my family. In fact on my 21st birthday my first drink of the day was from a bottle of the family made stuff. Made the tequila I was drinking the rest of the night taste like water

We still get moonshine; not really a big deal. Even when I was a kid it wasn't a big deal. We didn't trade it (well, we didn't trade for it), but it was a nice gesture to bring someone a jar if you had some to spare. My dad was given about a half dozen jars of 'shine in my entire life. One would last a looooong time in our house. Like I said, it wasn't a big deal. We lived in a very rural area so if a person wanted to throw a batch together, they could. Ingredients were bought just about anywhere and nobody bothered anybody; law included. What I am saying is that if you tried to trade it or sell it you would be laughed at and beaten. But this is where I am from. It was basically no bigger deal than making coffee when someone showed up...........just the thing to do if someone showed up.

-Les

Oh yeah, I would like to try Absinthe. I have heard that it does have a very "full" flavor (is that the correct term to use for alcohol when I mean "pungent"). Honestly, I am up for trying anything that tastes better than Milwaukee's Best..............wait..............well, not anything that tastes better (that leaves WAY too much on the list).

-Les

Since this is a family channel I will not directly link to Tucker Max and the story of Absinthe

fastasleep wrote: Honestly, I am up for trying anything that tastes better than Milwaukee's Best..............wait..............well, not anything that tastes better (that leaves WAY too much on the list). -Les

hey....whats wrong with the beast?