Absinthe

[palsgraf_polka]

I want to try Absinthe. It's legal in the US now, and where I don't think it's as potent as the European stuff, I want to try it. Does anyone have any recommendations of a really good bottle I can get here? There's a liquor store in Santa Barbara that has about 20 different brands.

Comments

[ygrii-blop.livejournal.com]

I want laudanum.

[revwry.livejournal.com]

just remember absinte doesn't equal absinthe.

also? you gotta drink a *lot* to get the proverbial effects. plan on takin the next day off or not getting shit done anyways.

[emt420.livejournal.com]

I really think the Absinthe hallucinogen thing is a myth.

Now laudanum I've had...and I loved it.

[wobblerlorri.livejournal.com]

I found this site: The Absinthe Buyer's Guide. I went through it for you and picked out the brands that ranked 80 or better on their rating sheet. They're all between $50 and $80 for a 750mL bottle... I figure if you're going to try it, you should get the very best you can. I did notice that the Twin Tec Absinthe Biker Medicine was rated as a good beginner absinthe, and it's one of the least expensive at $48. That's the one I'd get for me.

I assume you know about trickling cold water over an ice cube into the absinthe and all that stuff with the ritual... the link above discusses it at some length. Apparently you have to dilute the straight stuff something like 3:1 or it's truly foul. The sugar is optional. And these imported ones at least are made according to the original recipes, so they're as strong as the pre-ban stuff.

FRANCE

1797 score 83 $72

Absinthe Roquette 1797 score 80 $72

Belle Amie score 89 couldn't find a price

Doubs Mystique Carte d'Or score 86 $57

Jade Edouard 72 score 87 $96

Jade Nouvelle Orleans score 82 $121

Jade PF 1901 score 84 $96

Jade Verte Suisse 65 score 85 $96

L'Artisanale score 89 couldn't find a price

La Coquette score 80 $72

Wormwood Blanche score 82 couldn't find a price

GERMANY

Eichelberger Limitee Verte score 84 $51

Eichelberger Verte 70 score 82 $51

ITALY

L'Italienne score 90 $72

NETHERLANDS

Helfrich Blanche score 89 $64

Helfrich Verte 68 score 81 $64

SPAIN

Serpis 65 score 81 couldn't find a price

SWITZERLAND

Absinthe Prométhée score 81 couldn't find a price

Blanche Traditionelle - Brut d'alambic score 83 $61

Brevans H.R. Giger score 82 $51

Clandestine La Bleue score 82 $64

Clandestine Recette Marianne (Franco Suisse) score 86 $64

Duplais Balance score 80 $48

Duplais Blanche score 82 $48

Duplais Verte score 81 $48

Twin Tec Absinthe Biker Medicine score 84 $48

Weinachts Absinthe 2006 score 82 couldn't find a price

USA

Meadow of Love Absinthe Superieure score 90 $80

Pacifique Absinthe Verte Superieure score 93 $72

Walton Waters Absinthe Superieur score 88 $80

[reeeeeeeeflex.livejournal.com]

This post inspired me, so I ran out and bought a bottle of absinthe and sugar cubes.

The choices are very limited here in PA, so am not sure of the quality. However, it's 67% alcohol, so can't be all bad.

[nova-42.livejournal.com]

i had some for the first time about a month ago. It was a nice kind of drunk but i didn't like the taste. Black liquorish = YUCK

[reeeeeeeeflex.livejournal.com]

Update: okay, so, the bottle I bought got very poor reviews on the net, and there wasn't much flavor or scent other than anise. However, I don't know if it was the great alcohol content or what, but it produced a very, um, serious buzz. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but different drinks provide different kinds of buzzes:

-beer: blotto, messy
-wine: descends like a cloak upon you, makes you sleepy
-gin: calming

Absinthe seemed to grab my brain and keep it sharp while at the same time really messing it up. Also, my sleep was affected.

If I drink wine just before I go to bed, I sleep soundly for a few hours then wake up with a bit of insomnia.

If I drink gin, I nod off to sleep and typically stay asleep all night.

Last night, when I went to bed, I had a very active brain and was thinking of all sorts of things; it took me a while to get to sleep. And the my entire night was filled with incredibly intense, colorful dreams. They were dreams of power: I was kicking ass in some way shape or form I can't recall now that I'm awake.

Was it due to the absinthe? I don't know.