I ordered a fifth of the green stuff from overseas (it's illegal to sell it in the U.S.). The first time I drank some, and not much, I had horrible nightmares throughout the night...quite disturbing stuff, but during my waking drinking I didn't notice anything that different from a normal evening of drunkeness. Tonight, I've been finishing the bottle - and while I'm aware that I'm completely drunk, I'm also quite lucid. I assume this has something to do with the thujone content in the drink. Has anyone else tried real absinthe? What was your experience like?
I've heard "real" absinthe is very difficult to get, and most of the stuff you buy from overseas isn't the real deal. I would be willing to give what you have a shot though...email me a link.
It's not that hard to get, but it's gonna be expensive. My buddy dances with the green fairy once in a while (not a gay reference!), and most of the bottles he buys are at least $100. I haven't tried it myself though.
Did you melt a sugar cube through a slotted spoon into your glass before you drank it? If not, then you lose. There are a lot of fakes out there. Real absinthe is a mild hallucinogen...but it is not nearly as crazy as the reputation.
I had a few shot glasses of it in Thailand last year and didn't really feel anything different - probably a fake - but then I was in the midst of a week long drinking bender with my buddy and it would have taken horse tranquilizers to faze me at that point.
very mild hallucinogen... also, as another poster suggested, you're supposed to "filter it" through a cube of sugar. i had a strange evening with some friends in chicago over a bottle of absinthe a couple of years ago. strange indeed...
I've never had it, but they had a guy talking about it on Attack of the Show a few weeks ago. You might be able to find it on their podcasts.
it cuts down the sharp bitterness of the herbal extracts. the flavor of absinthe is pretty overwhelming. also, i think it's supposed to help get the chemicals into the bloodstream faster. absinthe has more legend surrounding it than the original jagermeister, so it's difficult to separate fact from fiction.
Preparation Traditionally absinthe is poured into a glass over which a specially designed, slotted spoon is placed. A sugar cube is then deposited in the bowl of the spoon. Ice cold water is poured or dripped over the sugar until the drink is diluted 3:1 to 5:1. During this process, the components that are not soluble in water come out of solution and cloud the drink; that milky opalescence is called the louche (Fr. "opaque" or "shady"). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe I remember when I was a wee lad of 5 or 6 and we lived in Madrid in the late 60s, my parents would come home on a Friday or Saturday night and be all giddy and silly. It was only later in life when they explained to me that they had been drinking Absinthe. My mom in particular told me stories of feelings of euphoria and how light was almost too bright while seeing geometric patterns forming on the walls and floor.
1) You want to make sure to buy a bottle of absinthe that has enough of the active ingredient. There are a lot of countries that have a ceiling on the maximum amount of the active ingredient. 2) You only want to drink 2-3 shots of absinthe or the effects of the alcohol will overpower any hallucinogenic effects you will get. If you want to get full-on drunk, then drink something else.
If you want to see God and dont want to spend 100 bucks on sketchy eastern european booze, just leave some fish on your back porch for a day or so. Then eat. DISCLAIMER: May see real God.
So my brother was in Prague a couple of months ago and the only thing I requested was a bottle of Absinthe, if possible. Well he was able to get it, but just a travel bottle. I hear it's difficult to get it in this country and ordering online and having it shipped here is damn near impossible (customs called my friend and said he could pick up his bottle in Orlando if he could prove he had the legal right to have it in the US). Regardless... As you can see I haven't had it yet; for one thing I'm waiting for a "special occasion" and another, I'm not convinced it's the "real" stuff. Maybe someone can translate the back? And does anyone know anything about this brand?
