Absenth???!
If so, can I find it in any typical liquor store, or do I need to go to a fancy place or something like that?
Answers: I've heard that absenth (sp) has recently been legalized in the U.S. or more specifically Colorado. Can anyone put any truth to this?
If so, can I find it in any typical liquor store, or do I need to go to a fancy place or something like that?
A couple of brands have been allowed to be sold in the US. I ordered a bottle of Kubler form drinkupny.com. I liked it a lot. My parents had brought me back a "real" bottle from France a couple of years ago and I like the Kubler better than the supposed "Real" absinthe. According to kubler, their recipe hasn't changed since the 19th century.
call a liquor store. They will be able to tell you if they carry it, or if it is now legal.
It's true. But it's not the same stuff. Not the same proof or even the same alcoholic beverage. Go to Europe and drink it.
i've heard that too, because its not made the same way anymore or something like that. but i still havent seen it in our liquer stores, so i think you have to buy it from europe.
Don't know about the US, however in the UK around 6 years ago it was legalised again.
Don't get to worked up if you cannot find it, it tastes like mouth wash. If you drink to much you will have the worlds worst hangover.
Ja.
Heaven help you if it has been.
There are very specific and real reasons it was declared illegal - blindness and insanity for two.
Absinthe is legal in a form in the US. However, most are not made with thujone which is what makes it special. Otherwise it's just nasty licorice tasting alcohol.
It's properties have been exagerated somewhat. I drink absinthe, brought to me from Spain. Friends I've shared it with describe it more like being high and no hallucinations. The thujone is similar in composition to THC which might explain why people who enjoy smoking pot who tried it compared it to the same feeling.
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/2007110...
While absinthe isn't yet produced in the U.S., the import laws have recently been relaxed to permit importation of absinthe. Previously, it had been technically illegal, yet the enforcement was spotty. Sometimes your order might arrive and sometimes not. Now, while the legal status is unclear...at least the enforcement has been relaxed and more folks are successfully ordering the "Green Fairy," as absinthe has sometimes been called.
If you live in a major city like Denver or Boulder, your liquor store might carry absinthe. More likely, you will have to either have them special order it for you or you will have to order it yourself.
Good luck! Lucid is brand considered quite good as well as La Superiore.
According to what I have read, the laws have not changed, but the amount of the active ingredient, thujone, if small enough, is legal and can be bought in the US. There are several brands that contain a small enough amount to make it legal. See the link below for a site that is devoted to the laws surrounding Absinthe. From their site:
It's true. After 95 years, real absinthe is now legally available and being sold inside the United States in bars and liquor stores.
We don't say "legalized" because nothing has changeda€”it appears absinthe may have been technically legal since 1972, possibly much earlier. What happened?
Absinthe is not prohibited by name in the US, although until recently the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) exercised its discretionary authority not to allow spirits to be labeled as absinthe.
Owing to new understandings of the regulatory matters regarding wormwood content, and the recent decision by the TTB to allow labels to bear the term "absinthe," several authentic absinthes are finally emerging into the US market.
Yes, these are authentic 19th century-style absinthes. The European Union and the US have food standards in place that directly and indirectly regulate absinthe's botanical content, and recent progress in knowledge of regulatory matters and distilling practice have made it possible to produce fully authentic absinthes which will meet US regulations.
While these absinthes are not absolutely 100% thujone free, the concentration of thujone falls within the current TTB standard for thujone screening: 10ppm, roughly 10mg per liter, which is the European Union standard. Not that it matters much, because it's already been amply demonstrated that thujone is unimportant to the quality or authenticity of absinthe. (see our science section)
This new development will permit a large variety of quality European absinthes to enter the US market legally as well as permitting authentic absinthe to be made domestically once again. At this writing, as many as five domestic distillers are preparing to release products in the U.S. market.
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org
The NYT has this story "Absinthe: The American Remix".
I have had access to this vile liquid over the years in my world travels. I was and remain unimpressed with the flavor and the resulting effect. I am no prude or prohibitionist but access to this will soon result in a whole new line of news stories as the unwashed become hooked.
It is now in wide release just yet so you will have to search a bit to find a supply.
Absinthe is a distilled liquor with an anise taste, made from the herb grand wormwood. This green beverage is usually drunk mixed with water, which turns the drink a milky color. Some European bottles can be up to 95% alcoholic --hence the "cutting" of the drink with water. Absinthe in the United States is legal provided it tests out to be relatively free (less than 10 parts per million) of the alleged toxin thujone.
Reports that the drink is addictive or psychologically damaging are probably exaggerated. It is no more (or less) harmful or toxic than other spirituous liquors, with their risk of abuse and/or alcoholism.
A) It is true it was legalized for sale in the US in May of 2007. There are currently about 3 to 5 brands that you can purchase at your local liquor store. They have to go through testing to determine the thujene content.
B) It has never been illegal to buy Absinthe (correct spelling) in the US. It has just been illegal to sell it. Sounds stupid, but you have always been able to import it from European distillers.
C) The Hallucinogenic effects of absinthe are a myth. It currently doesn't and never has caused anyone to see anything... Except maybe blurred vision as it has rather large alcohol content. The whole green fairy thing was a smear campaign by the French wine industry in the late 1800's when they we almost driven out of business by a grape shortage and the overwhelming sales of absinthe. This was later picked up by the Temperance movement here in the US. Unfortunately, we here in good old America love a rumor and this one stuck around for a long long time... Much like Washington and the cherry tree or spiders eating the brains of girls with beehive hairdos.
D) Watch this video about Absinthe... It features the worlds leading expert on it. Sorry about the length but it is well worth viewing.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5wqW1IgSKmI
E) This guy helped design the brand Lucid, so if you are going to pick up a bottle... Get Lucid.
F) I've wasted a large amount of money importing absinthe from the Czech Republic and various other European countries in the past... Know what I figured out? I hate the stuff. Shouldn't come as a suppress I don't like black licorice either. Anise is a disgusting flavor.
G) Interestingly enough, wormwood is a common flavor agent. It is used in various other alcoholic and herbal drinks that have never been illigal. Vermouth being one the most common and most surprising of them.
A form of Absinthe is available in the US at many liquor stores. It's called Absinte. I know that you have to look at more obscure liquor stores and it's not generally carried at grocery stores. However, it is not the same recipe that you can get overseas. If you want real Absinthe you need to order it online and it can get very pricey.
Yes, it's legal now, but it's not the same as in europe. The US version uses some sort of different type of wormwood than it's european counterpart, so you still get the taste and the alcohol, just not the organ failure. I tried some in California that we got from the liquor store. It has a heavy taste of black licorice. I recommend a 5-1 dilution ratio with the water, and if you want to melt a sugar cube in it, make sure to pick up an absynth spoon, and maybe an absynth fountain if you want to go all out.(the fountain is basically a water jug that will drip the water over the sugar slowly, so it will dissolve more completely.)
Absinth is actually nothing special; it’s surrounded by an urban myth. The thing with it is that is really strong (over 80% alcohol) so you get drunk from it is basically a flavored vodka.
The absinthe that has been legalized in the US is not the same as the kind sold in for example the Czech Republic, the amount of wormwood is far less. In otherwords, buy from Canada if you want something closer to the real-deal.