La fée verte

[CDNSushi]

Has anyone had any experiences drinking the green fairy (absinthe)?

I have a bottle of the real deal (of pre-ban thujone concentration) -- something I picked up in (literally) the back room of an underground wine cellar in Prague. The bottle, as it was explained to me, does not say "absinthe" because by labeling it as such, there is a maximum concentration of thujone they are allowed to have in the mixture. However, apparently a loophole in the law does not limit the quantity of thujone if it's not sold as absinthe... So apparently, this stuff has some crazy high concentration of it....

The bottle's been sitting, unopened in my liquour cabinet for over two years now.. Been scared to try it... lol. Should I be?

[Cynthia]

I highly recommend this site and their FAQ:

http://www.feeverte.net/

[Spc. Scott]

I had a friend that had a bottle much like the one you have. He enjoyed every drop.

I found this on the wiki (as much as one can trust it anyhow)

Thujone is most famous for being a chemical in the drink absinthe and some modern producers list their supposed thujone levels on the bottle. At one time it was estimated absinthe contained up to 260–350 mg/L thujone,[9] but this has been shown false through testing. A 2005 study recreated three 1899 high-wormwood recipes and tested them with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highest contained 4.3 mg/L thujone. A 1930s Pernod Tarragona was also tested and contained 1.8 mg/L thujone.[10] These results match earlier findings showing a vintage 1900s bottle contained 6 mg/L.[11] GC-MS testing is important in this capacity, because gas chromatography alone may record an inaccurately high reading of thujone because of other chemicals present that interfere and add to the apparent measured amount.[12] Through these tests it has become evident that authentic absinthe contains very little thujone. Anyone bingeing on absinthe would die of alcohol poisoning long before the thujone could cause any life-threatening effects.[13]

[Spc. Scott]

I highly recommend this site and their FAQ:

http://www.feeverte.net/

Good link Cynthia.

[shanetown]

Another good site:

http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/

Just remember, absinthe has a very high alcohol content, and is meant to be diluted...

[Zardoz]

Absinthe was portrayed by the media in the 19th and early 20th century as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. The chemical thujone was singled out and blamed for its alleged harmful effects. Although absinthe was vilified, and banned in Europe in the 1900's, no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Its psychoactive properties have been much exaggerated.

I have a few friends that like the stuff, I've tried it a few times, including some old contraband European stuff. I don't care for it, but my friends and I did not suffer any unusual effects. Your mileage may vary!

You generally see absinthe prepared by melting a sugar cube over it, this is not the traditional way. It should be done by placing a sugar cube on top of a special slotted spoon and then placing the spoon over the glass which has been filled with a shot of absinthe. Ice water is then poured over the sugar cube so that the water is slowly mixed into the absinthe, producing a sort of cloudy mixture. The rule of thumb is 1 part absinthe to 3, up to 5, parts water.

[Tartan Hiker]

Just like kilts, a drink that requires that much paraphernalia and has such a storied history will attract certain people.

Others drink Bud Light.

[CDNSushi]

I highly recommend this site and their FAQ:

http://www.feeverte.net/

Thanks, I'll read that. Have you ever tried it yourself?

[JRB]

I've tried absinthe. It was about 6 years ago. A friend of mine brought it back from the Czech Republic. I think he had to smuggle it in but I'm not positive about that. Anyway, I did not dilute it or use sugar cubes or any paraphernalia, but drank it neat (because that's how it was given to me). It was incredibly strong and sweet. The major major flavor was anice or licorice. Now, I happen to love the taste of licorice so I found the flavor quite good. Now for the bad news...upon swallowing there is a bitterness the likes of which I have never experienced in my life. It came on very late in the taste so it didn't interfere with the lovely strong licorice candy flavor. However, the bitterness that slid down my throat was so powerful that it drowned out the intense alcohol burn of the well over 100 proof drink. What's worse, that bitterness stayed in my throat for a good 20 seconds after swallowing. I assume it must have been from the wormwood but I don't know for sure. Overall I really liked it and drank a couple more glasses of it before the evening was out. Keep in mind, though, that if you don't like anice flavor you will not like absinthe. And if extreme bitterness makes you gag you will not like absinthe. I don't recall having any unusually side effects but it did get me very, very drunk. I almost never get trashed when I drink (I have learned when to say when) but the absinthe really snuck up on me. I'd love to try it again and will most likely purchase a bottle of my own at some point. I noticed the other day that Marilyn Manson has his own brand of absinthe called "Mansinthe". I might give that a try because it's just tacky enough to pique my interests.

[Cynthia]

Thanks, I'll read that. Have you ever tried it yourself?

Many times I love the Jade line, Edouard is good (Ted Breaux has taken some of the old pre-ban stuff and reverse engineered some recipes for it).

Let's see... I've had Francois Guy, Un Emile, Edouard, and at least one or two others.

Check out the reviews on that site, too.

We even have an absinthe fountain, glasses, and spoons. I don't know if I have any photos online that I could post to show you (I do on Facebook, but they're friends only, so I can't link to them).