Has anyone heard of or tried a drink called "Lucid"?!
Has anyone heard of or tried a drink called "Lucid"?
Ok so Lucid is supposed to be a legal type of Absinthe being sold in the United States. Their website says right now it is only being sold in select stores in New York City. I'm just wondering if anyone has tried this drink or know someone that has. I guess my other question is can this stuff really make you hallucinate as well.
Answers:
The lambada of liquors
Absinthe, that outlaw of alcohol, is returning after a 100-year absence
BY AMY CORTESE
Posted Friday, May 4th 2007, 4:23 PM
Absinthe hasn't been available in the U.S. since it was banned in 1910 - until now.
Coming soon to NYC: The liquor that could inspire you to paint a field of
sunflowers.
Absinthe, the green-tinted liquid that inspired legions of artists, writers and
bohemians, from Van Gogh to Oscar Wilde, in Belle Epoque France, is coming here
later this month for the first time in nearly a century.
Called Lucid and imported from France by New York-based Viridian Spirits, it will
be the first genuine absinthe to be available in the U.S. since its ban in the 1910s.
Viridian is trying to correct the misperceptions that have given absinthe a bad rap.
A liquor distilled from herbs, including wormwood, anise and fennel, which give it
its distinct color and licorice taste, absinthe was first introduced in late 18th century
France as an herbal remedy. It later caught on with artists and the Cafe Society,
who nicknamed it "The Green Fairy" for its supposed clarifying effects on the mind.
That absinthe was cheap and there was a wine shortage didn't hurt. At its height,
the French consumed 36 million liters a year.
Absinthe, however, soon came to be blamed for rampant drunkenness and gained
a reputation as a dangerous elixir that produced hallucinations and bizarre
behavior, leading to its ban in Europe and many countries. The culprit was believed
to be thujone, a toxin contained in wormwood. (Absinthe also figured in the
mysterious disappearance of George Allen Smith IV, of Greenwich, Conn., from a
Royal Caribbean cruise ship in 2005 while on his honeymoon. He and a group
including his wife were reported to have been drinking absinthe purchased in Italy
the evening he presumably went overboard.)
Modern science has debunked many of the myths surrounding absinthe, including
that it contains large amounts of thujone. But its reputation as the Lindsay Lohan of
liquors lingers on. To counter that reputation, Viridian turned to an American-born
absinthe expert and historian, T.A. Breaux, to develop its formula. Lucid is made
using authentic techniques, including antique copper stills and pure French herbs.
The product has just a minute amount of thujone, allowing it to pass U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regulations. But since it's a whopping
124 proof, the company recommends it be consumed in the traditional manner:
diluted with water.
Source(s):
http://www.drinklucid.com/pdf/nydailynew...