Absinthe
October 11, 2004 1:16 PM Subscribe
So... I bought a bottle of Un Emile 68 (guided by la Fee verte), cost with shipping ended up being more than US$100.
And I don't think I would get another bottle. I mean, it's nice on a warm summer night, but... it's just liquorice flavored booze. Am I missing something?
posted by danny the boy at 2:12 PM on October 11, 2004
And I don't think I would get another bottle. I mean, it's nice on a warm summer night, but... it's just liquorice flavored booze. Am I missing something?
posted by danny the boy at 2:12 PM on October 11, 2004
Fascinating. I hadn't heard of this stuff until a month ago. The FAQ is excellent.
posted by jeblis at 2:29 PM on October 11, 2004
posted by jeblis at 2:29 PM on October 11, 2004
danny my boy,
I've heard that modern-day absinthe is wholly unlike its antediluvian counterpart: people sort of know what was in it but the expertise required to make it properly, or at least make it as it used to be made, has vanished. Maybe that explains it?
posted by kenko at 2:35 PM on October 11, 2004
I've heard that modern-day absinthe is wholly unlike its antediluvian counterpart: people sort of know what was in it but the expertise required to make it properly, or at least make it as it used to be made, has vanished. Maybe that explains it?
posted by kenko at 2:35 PM on October 11, 2004
I'm surprised that you were guided towards that, danny, as it seems more a pastis than an absinthe. The real stuff can have a shattering effect; certainly not the hallicinatory effect I've seen described, but a drunk beyond drunk, entirely detached but aware. Bog-awful hangover though.
posted by punilux at 2:46 PM on October 11, 2004
posted by punilux at 2:46 PM on October 11, 2004
I love the stuff--and it can't be that bad for you because I can still remember that we talked about it before.
posted by muckster at 3:05 PM on October 11, 2004
posted by muckster at 3:05 PM on October 11, 2004
punilux: Un Emile 68 is most certainly not a pastis.
I'm convinced that any hallucinatory effect associated with wormwood is very minor. I haven't detected it at all in my experiences with absinthe. Of course, a liquor that tops out at 140 proof can have all sorts of "hallucinatory" effects that have nothing whatsoever to do with the pharmacology of any substance other than alcohol. Like punilux says, a drunk beyond drunk, particularly if you're drinking it like it's one of the 80-100 proof liquors that we're used to.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:52 PM on October 11, 2004
I'm convinced that any hallucinatory effect associated with wormwood is very minor. I haven't detected it at all in my experiences with absinthe. Of course, a liquor that tops out at 140 proof can have all sorts of "hallucinatory" effects that have nothing whatsoever to do with the pharmacology of any substance other than alcohol. Like punilux says, a drunk beyond drunk, particularly if you're drinking it like it's one of the 80-100 proof liquors that we're used to.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:52 PM on October 11, 2004
I think even real absinthe needs to be modified by boiling with sugar before you hallucinate. I've never hallucinated, but I've done things I sincerely regret, and had hangovers that I regretted even more.
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 4:47 PM on October 11, 2004
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 4:47 PM on October 11, 2004
I've heard that modern-day absinthe is wholly unlike its antediluvian counterpart: people sort of know what was in it but the expertise required to make it properly, or at least make it as it used to be made, has vanished.
We know exactly what was in 'antediluvian' absinthe and how it was made from period distillation texts, including La Fabrication des Liqueurs by J. de Brevans, Nouveau Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs d'Apres les Procedes les Plus Récents by J. Fritsch, Traité des liqueurs et de la distillation des alcools ou le liquoriste et le distillateur moderns by P. Duplais and Traite Pratique de Fabrication des Liqueurs by A. Bedel.
Gratuitous self-linkage here.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:16 PM on October 11, 2004
We know exactly what was in 'antediluvian' absinthe and how it was made from period distillation texts, including La Fabrication des Liqueurs by J. de Brevans, Nouveau Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs d'Apres les Procedes les Plus Récents by J. Fritsch, Traité des liqueurs et de la distillation des alcools ou le liquoriste et le distillateur moderns by P. Duplais and Traite Pratique de Fabrication des Liqueurs by A. Bedel.
Gratuitous self-linkage here.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:16 PM on October 11, 2004
Emile 68 was at the time that I bought it, one of the two best commercially available absinthes. There's now one or two more, which I hear surpass it (that retailer I link, btw, is who I used, and they were very satisfactory). The real real stuff, is available in very small batches of inconsistent quality in Switzerland. Or so I'm told.
But like I said, it's pleasant enough, and it would be a favorite if it was available in the states, but I probably won't pay $100 for a bottle again. Just get someone travelling abroad to bring some back for you.
Also, I didn't expect it to be hallucinogenic, and I wasn't disappointed.
posted by danny the boy at 5:26 PM on October 11, 2004
But like I said, it's pleasant enough, and it would be a favorite if it was available in the states, but I probably won't pay $100 for a bottle again. Just get someone travelling abroad to bring some back for you.
Also, I didn't expect it to be hallucinogenic, and I wasn't disappointed.
posted by danny the boy at 5:26 PM on October 11, 2004
That is to say, half of the cost was shipping from the UK, and conversion from GBP -> USD. I was really underwhelmed by the cheapness of the labelling on the bottle, until I realized everyone else in Europe is paying about $40 for it.
posted by danny the boy at 5:29 PM on October 11, 2004
posted by danny the boy at 5:29 PM on October 11, 2004
Apparently it's now legal in Australia. Here's a good little SMH article on it.
posted by Onanist at 8:20 AM on October 13, 2004
posted by Onanist at 8:20 AM on October 13, 2004
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I'd like to try Absinthe. The various sites I've read say that the "interesting" effects attributed to Absinthe (courtesy thujone) don't really exist. Instead, it's a mental lucidity. Now, is this just to soothe the reputation in order to pave the way for broad reacceptance, or is it really true?
posted by Gyan at 1:54 PM on October 11, 2004