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1. The anise-flavored spirit derived from the herb Artemisia absinthium, also called wormwood, was first distilled in Switzerland but didn’t become popular until the French got hold of it in the 19th century, when it was thought to be wonderfully hallucinogenic.
2. Wormwood, as with most every other kind of herb, was first used by the ancient Egyptians as a remedy for certain ailments (then the Greeks, then the Romans - what else is new?).
3. But it took the French, in the mid 1800s to really make it popular by giving it to army troops as a malaria treatment.
4. Soon, there wasn’t a café in Paris that wasn’t serving it up. According to Wiki: “By 1910 the French were consuming 36 million liters of absinthe per year, more than they drank wine.”
5. According to Wired.com, German scientists have recently discovered that there wasn’t really anything hallucinogenic in absinthe, but at the time, absinthe addiction was blamed for everything from causing people to become delusional and insane, to provoking epilepsy and tuberculosis.
6. For these reasons, absinthe was banned in Switzerland in 1907 and the new law was penned into the Swiss constitution.
7. Other countries followed, including the U.S. in 1912 (and France in 1915).
8. But as all things historical are also cyclical, and so absinthe made a comeback in Europe in the 1990s. Now it’s back and legal in many states in the U.S. In May 2007, Viridian Spirits launched Lucid Absinthe Supérieure, the first absinthe made with real Grande Wormwood available in the U. S. in 95 years.
9. The historic reversal was the result of extensive negotiations between Viridian and the U.S. government, ultimately lifting the ban.
10. Lucid is distilled at the Combier Distillery in Saumur, France, in original antique copper absinthe stills designed by Gustav Eiffel in the 19th century and sells for around $59.99 for a 750 ML bottle.
11. It’s currently legal in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Anyone tried Lucid? Give us a full report in the comments below. And if you’ve tried any of the other brands, legal or otherwise, we’d love to know about those, too.
Shhh…super secret special for blog readers.
I haven’t tried Lucid- but I am looking forward to it. I highly recommend getting the “holey” sugar spoon and sugar cubes and going for the drizzle-over-the-cube approach. It makes drinking absinthe more of an event (like smoking a pipe). Look into it.
By the way, if you don’t like black licorice- you probably won’t like absinthe.
posted by Justin on 6-17-2008 at 8:00 am
had lucid in bath, england last year. no one told me it tasted like black licorice, which i hate. i drank it anyway, for bragging rights.
some of these recaptcha words would make great band names.
posted by shelly on 6-17-2008 at 8:13 am
I am not a fan of black licorice (at all…it’s disgusting). Yet, for some reason, I really like absinthe… I’ll be looking for Lucid on my next trip to the States!
posted by Adam on 6-17-2008 at 8:46 am
Agreed with other posters - tasted like licorice, almost like Ouzo. Good thing I like Ouzo.
I got a nice buzz off of it, but little else.
posted by mmase on 6-17-2008 at 8:49 am
I’ve had Lucid and it can contend with the rest of the “middle of the road” type absinthes made in France and Switzerland. However out of all the absinthes available in the US, I would suggest Kubler. Also Kentucky can be added to the list of states where absinthe is available for purchase.
posted by JC on 6-17-2008 at 8:49 am
I’ve had a couple of brands of absinthe while working in the Cayman Islands. As a writer, I felt I should become horribly addicted to something like all great writers of the past, and absinthe added a cool historical aspect.
Good stuff. And I do like licorice. And Sambuca. And Ouzo.
I’m not addicted to anything yet, but I’m still working on it. And it helps the writing immensely.
What I love most about absinthe is the ritual involved; the melting of the sugar in the absinthe spoon to smooth the taste, even though a quality absinthe doesn’t need smoothing or sweetening. It has a special romantic quality to it.
My recaptcha words are “Gotham me.” I kind of like that.
posted by 8rustystaples on 6-17-2008 at 8:52 am
A few liquor stores nearby started carrying it so I stocked up. They were all a bit more expensive than the MSRP, but I worried that it wouldn’t catch on and it’d become unavailable soon.
Lucky me, it hasn’t left the stores yet because I very quickly finished the bottles I bought. A little cold water over a sugar cube is all it needs and it’s perfect. Best of all, like licorice, fennel and anything else with THAT taste, it’s an amazing digestif. There’s a reason indian food restaurants put fenne seeds by the exit — being bloated on curry sucks! So I found myself having a glass after just about any large meal.
My wife still hasn’t developed a taste for it, but that’s her loss.
posted by John Hutch on 6-17-2008 at 8:53 am
Legal in NC too! Just saw it the other day.
posted by TN on 6-17-2008 at 9:09 am
I had absinthe in Prague about 3 years ago. A few friends and I all went out at once and we tried it in several available formats. Mine was mixed with orange juice…kind of an absinthe screwdriver. Then we shared one last glass prepared the traditional way (cooked sugar on a spoon stirred in). Too bad black licorice sucks.
There was a great line in a Steinbeck story (can’t remember the title…maybe The Hills Like White Elephants or something along those lines) when the female character remarks that all the alcohol she’s ever looked forward to finally drinking just ends up tasting like licorice.
posted by Fruppi on 6-17-2008 at 9:12 am
I think the flavor of anise (and black licorice for that matter) is nasty. What’s the difference between absinthe and sambuca? That taste’s like black licorice too. I found out the hard way, after downing a huge shot of it…blech!!
posted by Mary on 6-17-2008 at 9:17 am
Why all the hate for black licorice? it is delicious.
posted by andrew on 6-17-2008 at 9:27 am
I have had absinthe once; I purchased it at a duty-free store in a terminal in Nassau. It didn’t have any effect beyond the alcohol content and tasted like a sweatsock soaked in Sambvca.
posted by ellrabin on 6-17-2008 at 9:30 am
I haven’t tried Lucid yet, although I plan on sampling a bottle this weekend. Mary, Sambuca is just a liqueur, filled with a LOT of sugar and a potent licorice kick. Traditional absinthes have very little sugar in them at all, unlike the fake absinthes that have been sold in the US in the past. The method of drinking Sambuca is wholly different, whereby you put 3 coffee beans in a small glass and sip on that, or use it to flavor coffee.
Just to preface, I’m a huge fan of absinthe. I have around 20 (empty now) bottles from all over Europe. Each country and even regional areas within those countries have unique styles for absinthes, the Swiss for example tend to have more herbal, flowery Absinthes whereas the Germans seem to favor more bitter absinthes and the French, the reknowned green absinthes. I’ve tried a few attempts at UK absinthe, which was highly touted because it was legal to import pre-ban because of it’s low thujone levels. Not much of a surprise, absinthes with coloring and I’m sure anise extract added to them. I find the best absinthes are very well rounded, and definitely do not kill your palate with an explosive licorice/sugar flavor, like the fake absinthe Pernod sold in the US.
From my experience with Czech absinthes, I personally have no idea why they are famous for absinthe, they might as well put that garbage up for sale as an alternative window cleaner. It makes sense why people come back from Czech and say they tried it as a dare.
To debate the relevance of thujone however, I do believe it acts as a stimulant to counteract some of the typical alcoholic effects. You retain a certain level of clarity that seems to be absent when drinking regular alcohol. Foreign absinthes with ~35mg thujone will treat you differently from what will be available on the US market, which is
posted by Dave on 6-17-2008 at 10:00 am
Is all absinthe legalized or just Lucid? A quick search shows that that brand might be produced without Thujone.
posted by TheForgotton on 6-17-2008 at 10:05 am
I haven’t tried Lucid yet, although I plan on sampling a bottle this weekend. Mary, Sambuca is just a liqueur, filled with a LOT of sugar and a potent licorice kick. Traditional absinthes have very little sugar in them at all, unlike the fake absinthes that have been sold in the US in the past. The method of drinking Sambuca is wholly different, whereby you put 3 coffee beans in a small glass and sip on that, or use it to flavor coffee.
Just to preface, I’m a huge fan of absinthe. I have around 20 (empty now) bottles from all over Europe. Each country and even regional areas within those countries have unique styles for absinthes, the Swiss for example tend to have more herbal, flowery Absinthes whereas the Germans seem to favor more bitter absinthes and the French, the reknowned green absinthes. I’ve tried a few attempts at UK absinthe, which was highly touted because it was legal to import pre-ban because of it’s low thujone levels. Not much of a surprise, absinthes with coloring and I’m sure anise extract added to them. I find the best absinthes are very well rounded, and definitely do not kill your palate with an explosive licorice/sugar flavor, like the fake absinthe Pernod sold in the US.
From my experience with Czech absinthes, I personally have no idea why they are famous for absinthe (with no anise flavor mind you), they might as well put that garbage up for sale as an alternative window cleaner. It makes sense why people come back from Czech and say they tried it as a dare. I have an $80 bottle of that junk sitting on my shelf in case I run out of Windex.
To debate the relevance of thujone however, I do believe it acts as a stimulant to counteract some of the typical alcoholic effects. You retain a certain level of clarity that seems to be absent when drinking regular alcohol. Foreign absinthes with ~35mg thujone will treat you differently from what will be available on the US market, which is
posted by Dave on 6-17-2008 at 10:08 am
yay! i tried to make my own absinthe. it was yucky and bitter. and apparently dangerous as too much of a wormwood concentrate can kill you. (it did not kill me)
now i can try the stuff the way it is supposed to taste.
posted by the creature on 6-17-2008 at 10:16 am
I have wanted to try absinthe for a long time and my uncle surprised me last week when he said he had some Lucid. I didn’t have very much so I didn’t feel any effects, but it does take like licorice/Ouzo and it is incredibly delicious. The guy at the store who sold it to him says there’s one couple that comes in and buys like five bottles a week and just go crazy with it on a daily basis.
posted by Megan on 6-17-2008 at 10:19 am
Not much to say about absinthe (tried it in Prague, didn’t like it) but my recaptcha words are “costume freight” which is fabulous.
posted by Allison on 6-17-2008 at 10:23 am
I tried absinthe for the first time about a week ago at a restaurant by my house (in Florida) where they have the whole set-up. It is cool with the spoon and the sugar, definitely makes you the center of attention at the bar, but I am not the biggest black licorice fan. I choked it down anyways and its a pretty good buzz for one shot. Cost too damn much to make a habit out of though. ($7.50 a piece)
posted by Marta on 6-17-2008 at 10:41 am
Tried it… big time.
Nothing that a liter of Vodka wouldn’t do.
posted by Madratz on 6-17-2008 at 10:45 am
I had some absinthe in college. It was green and bitter. A freind “smuggled” it back to me from Europe. Wasn’t all that.
My recaptcha was “10 please” I think that has been my favorite one so far.
posted by tommy on 6-17-2008 at 10:56 am
I had a friend who smuggled several different types of Absinthe into the US while in the Navy. He served it to us at a conference along with a lecture on the history. I don’t like anise, but it was interesting to see how the absinthe tastes different depending on how it was made. Definitely go for the stuff made the way they did in the pre-prohibition era. It is much smoother. The post-prohibition stuff is just everclear steeped with wormwood and doesn’t taste very good. But it looks really cool if you spit it into a fire.
posted by Kirsten on 6-17-2008 at 10:57 am
Tried Lucid.. 8 bucks- complete with the leuching (sp?) process.. (cool water over the sugar cube - i just like the word lol..). The taste was hard to get past as it was so strong, but it was cool to say I was drinking absinthe..
Didn’t notice any effects other than it felt like my body temp went up 10 degrees.. but that may have had more to do with the good lookin fella I was with ;)
posted by erin on 6-17-2008 at 11:05 am
I tried homebrew Absinthe. I like homebrew better because you can dilute the black licorice taste to your liking.
The real kicker drink is Chartreuse. This will cause a lucid experience. It is made with 130 herbs by 3 Monks in France. The recipe has been a secret since the first production in 1605. The history of this drink is fascinating. And it is legal. It has a perfume/anise taste. So not many people like it. You have to mix it with your choice of mixing. And it comes in 2 different colors of different strengths.
I have plenty stories to go along with this drink.
posted by Ella Blue on 6-17-2008 at 11:28 am
Hills Like White Elephants was written by Hemingway.
posted by Brendon on 6-17-2008 at 11:48 am
First of all, cooked sugar stirred into absinthe is not traditional–it’s an abomination. Second, toxic alcohol (methanol) was responsible for absinthe’s rep not anything in the liqueur itself. When demand exceeded supply, bad people made bad faux absinthe to meet the “need”. May they rot in Hades. All hallucinogenic qualities attributed to absinthe are mythical. Third, the best absinthe made is made by T.A. Breaux. Look him up as links are not allowed here. I can speak personally about this as I have enjoyed several of his products.
What I do agree with is the special effect gained from drinking Chartreuse. I prefer the yellow variant and can attest to its fine perceptive changes on humans.
posted by Alice on 6-17-2008 at 11:52 am
I’ve got a bottle of Hill’s that I imported from England about 15 years ago. I still have it, which should tell you about how good it tastes.
posted by Jordan on 6-17-2008 at 12:25 pm
tried absinthe once in rome. can’t remember the brand. i started hallucinating that the pope was trying to kill me with his pointed hat. totally crazy. then i dropped a couple of tabs of acid and some LSD…chased it with tylenol cold and cough. after this my lungs collapsed and i had to be taken to bern, switzerland to an ICU unit. posh spice was in the bed next to be having a brazilian…i turned out ok, but man i learned my lesson: i have totally switched to robitussin cough and cold…
posted by Little Monty on 6-17-2008 at 1:09 pm
According to the FDA, alcoholic beverages must be thujone-free pursuant to 21 CFR 172.510.
Alcohol is a GABA agonist. It stimulates the production of this neurotransmitter which causes drowsiness and sleep. Thujone is a GABA antagonist. It prohibits alcohol from performing that part of it’s function.
Absinthes in Europe have > 35mg thujone and some have >100mg like Century Absinthe.
No thujone = no effect.
posted by Oliver on 6-17-2008 at 1:34 pm
We had this the other day and were making up ways to make it taste better, since wiki said it was one of the most bitter tastes out there without the water and sugar, we took the recipes a little further……the best concoction my husband made was: water dissolving the sugar, then add milk and cherry coke!!! It actually tasted great!!! It was so weird, I totally didn’t want to try it—but I’m glad I did. We had tried it all: honey, more sugar, lime…really, what ever was in the house. He called the drink “The Frijolero” …so try it and use it’s name–he would be so proud! :o)
posted by Viris on 6-17-2008 at 2:41 pm
I’ve tried both homebrewed and commercial absinthes. I must admit that the homebrewed absinthe was possibly the most disgusting drink I have ever tried in my life. I rather enjoy the commercially produced.
Little Monty: FYI - acid and LSD are the same thing, which you have obviously never tried.
posted by Becca on 6-17-2008 at 4:37 pm
We sell it at the bar I tend. Some people claim it stops hangovers, some think they trip. I’ve had quite a bit of it myself, and I can tell you this:
Prepare it with the water and sugar. I really like the licorice taste, but it’s very overwhelming to shoot. It’s meant to be sipped and enjoyed, not chugged.
It’s not a hallucinogen, but it is a different kind of buzz.
In my personal experience, if it’s too strong even with the water, try it with sour or even green apple pucker. It’s not an “authentic” experience, but you’ll be able to choke it down if you’re not so down with it.
It will not prevent hangovers.
posted by Patrick on 6-17-2008 at 7:32 pm
Some friends brought some Czech absinthe to us while we were in Germany. My husband and a friend both did 3 “shots” of it with sugar. My friend’s husband and I abstained b/c we dislike licorice. Both my husband and friend had tried absinthe before and thought the “buzz” was similar to alcohol.
I have no idea what brand of Czech absinthe it was, or if it had been tainted somehow, but my husband and friend both had a VERY long night. I do remember it was in a distinctive triangular bottle. My husband became very mellow, but discernibly “trippy”, very fascinated with bright, shiny things, very into music. My friend was initially having fun, definitely feeling more “different” than drunk. For about an hour, she was uncharacteristically peppy. She moved on, however, over the course of 2 hours, to a full scale bad trip. She thought she was dying, we were trying to take her money, kill her, etc. We were very close to taking her to the hospital at one point b/c she remained tachycardiac for over 15 minutes. Fortunately, both escaped with little more than a hangover the next day. Both my husband and friend are serious recreational drinkers, and normally, 3 shots of liquor MIGHT give them a good buzz.
I tried absinthe in a much more controlled environment with my husband recently. There is a shop in Heidelberg where you can sample it. I found one I liked, not so “licoricey”, we purchased it I have tried it, a shot or two at the time. The feeling was not really different than having a few shots of liquor, perhaps a bit more mellow. My husband experienced the same effect.
I’m not familiar with the method of making absinthe and what contaminants or additives it could/should? contain to make it hallucinogenic, but I can attest that there’s at least one out there that definitely packs a bit more punch. My unsolicited advice? If they aren’t from a controlled or known source (Lucid, regulated German sources), handle with care!
posted by ashley on 6-17-2008 at 9:01 pm
Sorry if this is a double post-I waited 5 minutes and still didn’t see it…
Some friends brought some Czech absinthe to us while we were in Germany. My husband and a friend both did 3 “shots” of it with sugar. My friend’s husband and I abstained b/c we dislike licorice. Both my husband and friend had tried absinthe before and thought the “buzz” was similar to alcohol.
I have no idea what brand of Czech absinthe it was, or if it had been tainted somehow, but my husband and friend both had a VERY long night. I do remember it was in a distinctive triangular bottle. My husband became very mellow, but discernibly “trippy”, very fascinated with bright, shiny things, very into music. My friend was initially having fun, definitely feeling more “different” than drunk. For about an hour, she was uncharacteristically peppy. She moved on, however, over the course of 2 hours, to a full scale bad trip. She thought she was dying, we were trying to take her money, kill her, etc. We were very close to taking her to the hospital at one point b/c she remained tachycardiac for over 15 minutes. Fortunately, both escaped with little more than a hangover the next day. Both my husband and friend are serious recreational drinkers, and normally, 3 shots of liquor MIGHT give them a good buzz.
I tried absinthe in a much more controlled environment with my husband recently. There is a shop in Heidelberg where you can sample it. I found one I liked, not so “licoricey”, we purchased it I have tried it, a shot or two at the time. The feeling was not really different than having a few shots of liquor, perhaps a bit more mellow. My husband experienced the same effect.
I’m not familiar with the method of making absinthe and what contaminants or additives it could/should? contain to make it hallucinogenic, but I can attest that there’s at least one out there that definitely packs a bit more punch. My unsolicited advice? If they aren’t from a controlled or known source (Lucid, regulated German sources), handle with care!
posted by ashley on 6-17-2008 at 9:08 pm
Hmm, maybe the 3rd times the charm? My comments aren’t posting, even with waiting 15+ minutes, perhaps its too long, so I’m going to split this into 2 posts.
Some friends brought some Czech absinthe to us while we were in Germany. My husband and a friend both did 3 “shots” of it with sugar. My friend’s husband and I abstained b/c we dislike licorice. Both my husband and friend had tried absinthe before and thought the “buzz” was similar to alcohol.
I have no idea what brand of Czech absinthe it was, or if it had been tainted somehow, but my husband and friend both had a VERY long night. I do remember it was in a distinctive triangular bottle. My husband became very mellow, but discernibly “trippy”, very fascinated with bright, shiny things, very into music. My friend was initially having fun, definitely feeling more “different” than drunk. For about an hour, she was uncharacteristically peppy. She moved on, however, over the course of 2 hours, to a full scale bad trip. She thought she was dying, we were trying to take her money, kill her, etc. We were very close to taking her to the hospital at one point b/c she remained tachycardiac for over 15 minutes. Fortunately, both escaped with little more than a hangover the next day. Both my husband and friend are serious recreational drinkers, and normally, 3 shots of liquor MIGHT give them a good buzz.
posted by ashleyrobin on 6-17-2008 at 9:39 pm
Many brands are sold legally in Australia. I had a glass of “Green Fairy” over dinner at a restaurant. The way it was served took me by surprise but was quite charming.
The glass of absinthe came with a sugar cube in it, resting at the bottom. The sugar cube is then elevated out of the liqueur with a spoon, and then set alight to caramelize. After a few moments, you blow out the flame, and sink the cube to the bottom of the glass; you then down the glass of absinthe in one mouthful and the sugar cube is sucked on for sweetness.
posted by anthony on 6-18-2008 at 6:08 am
You might want to add that the reason it got banned was *not* the hysteria. The French Wine industry went through a period of bad production, which led to people looking for other cheap alcohol, and Absinthe fit the bill since you could make it from *anything*, since flavour and colour have always been added rather than coming from the fermented grain/fruit. (think the gin problems of the UK in previous centuries). The wine industry then had severe problems getting people to start buying their product again once they got their production back up.
So what they did was latch onto the rising temperance and abstinence movement (with added taking advantage of the hysteria) and help fund it and using the money to bend the ears of prominent politicians.
Also see why hemp got outlawed - Dupont wanted a market for their materials.
posted by Heather on 6-18-2008 at 8:21 am
Lucid is okay. I give it a 7 out of 10. There are for better absinthes out there you can purchase online from distillers such as Jade Absinthe. The only problem I found with Lucid is that it is a bit watery but overall pretty decent…especially for being on the few absinthe available to purchase within the United States.
posted by Christopher on 6-18-2008 at 8:27 am
First off lighting a sugar cube on fire (commonly known as the Czech method) is a horrible and very dangerous thing to do. Think about it,do you want to light something on fire near something that is over 60% alcohol?Please do not do this under an circumstance. Secondly there is no historical evidence of the supposed Czech method being used to serve absinthe during the Belle Epoque. This atrocity was concieved by the makers of the abomination known as Czech abinsth. Actually this stuff is not even absinthe since it contains little or no anise and so will not “louche”. More importanly thojune has no bearing on the authenticity or “effects” of absinthe. The belief that it does is just bad science and hype created by makers of inferior products (Czech absinth).
posted by JC on 6-18-2008 at 8:43 am
Several bars near my uni in England would serve an Electric Chair shot - equal parts absinthe and red Aftershock. Possibly most vile concoction on planet.
posted by Megan on 6-18-2008 at 1:00 pm
Haven’t tried it, but absinthe is apparently widely available here in New Zealand too.
posted by Dawn on 6-21-2008 at 6:33 pm
I tried Lucid on my anniversary this year. It tasted terrible but being just a shot, the taste, went away. I asked ahead of time what would happen and I was asked if I had to drive back to my hotel room. It was only in walking distance so I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t impressed at all. I had no hallucinations nor did it make me feel buzzed. It was a waste of $7.50 for a shot. But at least I tried it and know now. I suppose it affects people in different ways. Not worth the nasty taste and the price as far as I’m concerned.
posted by Akilah on 7-14-2008 at 4:19 pm