Members burdizzos Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 I was at my local liquor store yesterday picking up some Bombay Sapphire, and I saw that they had two brands of Absinthe available on the shelve. Once was Kubler Swiss Absinthe at $60 per bottle and the other was Grande Absente Absinthe Originale at around $55, I think. Has anyone had either of these? I'm kind of hesitant to drop that kind of coin on a novelty drink if it's only marginal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 I was at my local liquor store yesterday picking up some Bombay Sapphire, and I saw that they had two brands of Absinthe available on the shelve.Once was Kubler Swiss Absinthe at $60 per bottle and the other was Grande Absente Absinthe Originale at around $55, I think.Has anyone had either of these? I'm kind of hesitant to drop that kind of coin on a novelty drink if it's only marginal. It's probably marginal. There are so many different brands of Absinthe out there it's not even funny but most of them are just licorice flavored liquor. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Kashue Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 As multiple people have pointed out in various conversations, no modern commercially produced absinthe comes close to the real, Belle Epoque era drink... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members funkrockfreedomfighter Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 As multiple people have pointed out in various conversations, no modern commercially produced absinthe comes close to the real, Belle Epoque era drink... While this is true, some are very good and exceptionally tasty. I have not tried any of the ones you saw, hopefully we'll get some more soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Kashue Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 While this is true, some are very good and exceptionally tasty. I have not tried any of the ones you saw, hopefully we'll get some more soon. Yeah, I personally make no claims as to taste (I don't like anise/licorice), just to thujone content... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 As multiple people have pointed out in various conversations, no modern commercially produced absinthe comes close to the real, Belle Epoque era drink... And the authentic stuff will cost you upwards of 6 bills, possibly more. Although it is possible to make your own, there are lots of people who do. I'll stick to my homebrew and a good bottle of wine. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted August 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 As multiple people have pointed out in various conversations, no modern commercially produced absinthe comes close to the real, Belle Epoque era drink... Is this a difference in composition or an alleged difference in flavor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willsellout Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Is this a difference in composition or an alleged difference in flavor? The amount of Thujone in modern Absinthe is a fraction of what it used to be. In fact most modern Absinthe has no Thujone at all, which was what got people all hallucinatory in the first place:D Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassman1956 Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Is absinthe what was branded "Oozo" and "Sanbucco" in Italy and Spain? Licorice-flavored, strong, packed a good buzz due to the purported opium curing it went through? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bnyswonger Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Is absinthe what was branded "Oozo" and "Sanbucco" in Italy and Spain? Licorice-flavored, strong, packed a good buzz due to the purported opium curing it went through? Ouzo and sambucca and arak are al cousins, but not exactly the same thing. I've had "real" imported (smuggled) and it's good, but not trippy. I don't think any of the modern versions are going to campare to what was made in the past - too many lawyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenfleshzenbone Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Yeah the "imported" stuff my friends brought over from Amsterdam (among other "imports") was pretty good. No one else liked the liquorish like taste, but I liked it. Lets just say since no one else was drinkin on it I got trashed that night, and my mouth tasted like bleach the next morning.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 17, 2008 Moderators Share Posted August 17, 2008 Yeah, I personally make no claims as to taste (I don't like anise/licorice), just to thujone content... My impression from many articles is that the thujone content of the classical absinthes is greatly overrated in the popular mythos. In at least one case, an unopened bottle of one of the classic absinthes was tested and found to be well within the current standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 17, 2008 Moderators Share Posted August 17, 2008 The amount of Thujone in modern Absinthe is a fraction of what it used to be. In fact most modern Absinthe has no Thujone at all, which was what got people all hallucinatory in the first place:DDan Allegedly. But modern absinthe does contain thujone, and the old stuff may not have had nearly as much as it is reputed to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 17, 2008 Moderators Share Posted August 17, 2008 Ouzo and sambucca and arak are al cousins, but not exactly the same thing. I've had "real" imported (smuggled) and it's good, but not trippy. I don't think any of the modern versions are going to campare to what was made in the past - too many lawyers. You're assuming that the old stuff really was what people said it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted August 17, 2008 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 The amount of Thujone in modern Absinthe is a fraction of what it used to be. In fact most modern Absinthe has no Thujone at all, which was what got people all hallucinatory in the first place:DDan I've read that this is a myth. Although it is impossible to know how much thujone was in "traditional" absinthe since it is alleged that the stuff breaks down over time and tests of old bottles determined that the thujone levels are no lower in the modern brands. Apparently Kubler has Thujone in it. Perhaps I'll give it a ride next time I have $60 to throw away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 17, 2008 Moderators Share Posted August 17, 2008 As multiple people have pointed out in various conversations, no modern commercially produced absinthe comes close to the real, Belle Epoque era drink... So it is said. But what is this based on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 17, 2008 Moderators Share Posted August 17, 2008 The mind-bending qualities of the wormwood in absinthe have long been debunked -- the levels were never high enough to put the pink elephants on the march. The kick in absinthe really comes from something far more basic: It's 60 percent alcohol. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1215570321230340.xml&coll=7 http://www.integrityspirits.com/trillium-absinthe.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 The talk about thujone turning you crazy is mostly the result of wine companies trying to dismiss the product.Absynthe is supposed to be drunk with a lot of water, not straight from the bottle. It doesn't have a very sweet taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2006073 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 The talk about thujone turning you crazy is mostly the result of wine companies trying to dismiss the product. Absynthe is supposed to be drunk with a lot of water, not straight from the bottle. It doesn't have a very sweet taste. Water and sugar, and a little fire. The one on the right was mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dogman Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Water and sugar, and a little fire. The one on the right was mine. Hey Rowka, I recognize the walls and inside of that buliding, thats the ole Absinthe House in New Orleans aint it? Too bad that place went commercial and is now a modern daquari shop:mad: That was a cool place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted August 17, 2008 Members Share Posted August 17, 2008 Hey Rowka, I recognize the walls and inside of that buliding, thats the ole Absinthe House in New Orleans aint it? Too bad that place went commercial and is now a modern daquari shop:mad: That was a cool place... The oldest bar in the U.S. As of two months ago it was not a modern daquari shop. Not a single Slurpee macine in the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Kashue Posted August 18, 2008 Members Share Posted August 18, 2008 So it is said. But what is this based on? Indeed, the tests performed on remaining bottles of 19th century absinthe do show that the crazy high estimates of popular memory are incorrect. However, even those lower numbers are still higher than modern products. Also, Jazzy is right that the effects of thujone itself were (and are) likely grossly overrated and that the alcohol's effects would quickly outrun any supposed "lucid drunkeness" (and thujone is definitely not a hallucinogen, studies claiming so have been debunked)... Honestly, it's probably a good thing that products today aren't like the old ones, since the old ones likely contained a bunch of other crap that was far more harmful to you (chemical dyes, etc...booze before regulation was sometimes rather scary)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crescent Seven Posted August 18, 2008 Members Share Posted August 18, 2008 My buddy drank "real" Absinthe in Bratislava last year. He said that it tasted horrible, didn't make him trip, but got him super drunk super quick. He brought some back to Dublin with him and drinks a shot of it before he goes out on Saturday nights, to save money. C7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members King Kashue Posted August 18, 2008 Members Share Posted August 18, 2008 Water and sugar, and a little fire. The one on the right was mine. Fire likely wasn't part of the traditional louching (it's not mentioned in period sources)... More importantly, should you be that close to fire and flammable substances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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