Its an interesting special occasion drink.  I wouldn't buy it for regular drinking, but I can tell you that it does wonders for making friends with locals in shitty Australian bars.  

Well, In that case..........






Dupe.

I asked about this a while back-  Still havent tried any. I'm liking Crown Royal as my go-to booze too much to gamble money away on rumor...

There are some great and funny posts here in this thread though.

A few years ago my wife imported two bottles from Germany for her girl friend/drinking buddy's birthday.

She went ALL OUT with the serving glasses, strainer, sugar cubes, two well-reviewed brands of Absinthe with different flavors, etc etc.

So we pick a Saturday night at our house and give it a shot......I have to say it was kind of interesting how the drink formed a whitish-green flocculent mix in the glasses. It definitely doesn't LOOK like anything else I've ever drank.

That being said, it pretty much tastes like black licorice.....which none of us particularly liked. Maybe in 1840 that was the height of flavorings but now it's just kind of old fashioned and weird.

One of the brands was actually not that bad, I could drink it but I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it.  Both of the girls felt about the same way....so while it was a fun night to try something different, I don't expect we'll be buying it again any time soon.

ymmv

There is some truth in this statement.

I was fascinated by the whole absinthe concept––didn't know anything about it.  Basically, it was very popular during a time when other countries were doing their version of prohibition, and a couple of high-profile drunken binges gave it a bad rep.

It isn't a magic alcohol that delivers powerful hallucinatory experiences.  It's just alcohol, with some extra stuff for it's distinct flavor (wormwood), cheaper stuff uses anise.

Most of the stuff in the US for sale is 'stan republik knock offs that use anise added to cheap alcohol, but is then marked up quite a bit.  These'll run you about $40-$50.

True absinthe (French and one of the Scandinavian countries that perfected the stuff...Denmark?  I don't remember) is available, and can be imported in to the US.  Runs around $300/bottle, or did when I researched it three years ago.

The "fire" ceremony that people go nuts for is a 90's (as in 1990's) club thing, and was invented at that time.

There IS a traditional, unusual way to drink absinthe, and it involves water and sugar, and a special spoon.  Without going into too much detail, a trickle of water is run over a sugar cube on the spoon, this solution allowed to drain into the absinthe.  Sugar/water solution forms a...loche?...louche?...foggy layer on top of absinthe: This was an important aspect of drinking it, and an indicator of the quality of the absinthe.  I don't remember if the loche (or however it's spelled) is stirred in or not before it's drunk.  Absinthe prepared this way is sweet.  This stuff isn't supposed to be drunk straight.

No green fairies.  Sorry.

This is the shit absinthe I was referring to above.  You stil haven't tried real absinthe...and truly?  It doesn't sound like it's worth the effort.  It's just alcohol––even the "real" stuff.  I have a bottle of the Czech stuff at home––where it looks bitchin' in the cabinet (but probably won't ever be drunk).  This bottle was given to me, but available in the states for $50 or so.

Label looks really cool.

That's the anise.

I've had the real thing. It is nothing special. Try it if you feel the need, but be prepared to be disappointed.

Most the time it is the fake stuff, and it is just regular booze.

its most definitely a different kind of buzz than regular liquors.  much more chill and relaxed...

Give this stuff a try, it is pretty much like Jägermeister, but it has wormwood, and this stuff called hog root.



6 shots were enough to make me black out...but not pass out. I remember taking the last shot and a few minutes after that, then waking up at about 6am with a horrible headache and feeling of nausea. Apparently my buddies said I spent the entire night pointing and laughing at just about everything I saw, plus going through kitchen drawers and cabinets and looking at everything inside. I would also pick up random stuff and laugh hysterically at it as well.

these are all good quality:



http://www.drinkupny.com/category_s/136.htm?searching=Y&sort=9&cat=136&show=48&page=1

Do you like the taste of anise? If so, absinthe is pretty good. I think I prefer Pastis though.

I got some too
 

SixTigers has it about right.
At the urging (actually a mild suggestion) of a friend of in Saigon (1968) who had one of his many degrees from the Soborrne in France.  In a sleazy old French/Vietnamese bar in Saigon, we watched the barman go through the entire ritual:  water and sugar routine. Very impressive prep. Very French. I drank it. It was different & interesting. I immediately returned to Jameson, neat. But, I'm glad I tried it the Right Way.
Absinthe is very interesting, but pot distilled Irish whiskey is much more appealing to my Celtic genes.

I have been meaning to try some for a while and I like the taste of Licorice and anise as well as fennel. I am by no means a drinker of any sort but this intrigues me so I will take a taste. Some of the bottles I can here locally but I'm going to do some research first.

My one experience with it was in college I had to take friend who drank some. Some of the worst vomit I have ever cleaned up.

Back in the late 70s, the key was to use a special sugar cube...

It tastes like shit, and heaven forbid you have to throw that shit back up. I had some in Germany even then I don't think it was the real stuff.  

A poser hipster vs. a real hipster?

You're funny.

I drank some while in europe a few years back.... I'll save you some money and time,  buy a bottle of everclear, and a bottle of scope, mix @ 50/50.
After your second drink, have a buddy hit you in the head with a 2x4/ball peen hammer/baseball bat or other item of your liking.

Now you know what it is like to drink that crap.

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I tried some US legal stuff once. I went from mildly buzzed (we were already at a bar) to raging asshole to blackout drunk in a matter of 10 minutes. I have never before or after become an asshole because of drinking. Not sure I'd try it again.

Drank it twice first time I don't think it was the real deal, it sure tasted like shit but I wasn't any more effed up than regular.  Second time however was across the pond and was wormwood stuff, That on the other hand made me feel real funny, I didn't get sick though like the rest of these pansies

Drank the stuff in Europe a few times. Didn't get anything special out of it, went back to beer and whiskey. *shrug*

this. i drink stuff from germany and it will ruin you  taste like jager

Try Here

I order from it all the time, the stuff from France is the best...but its a little expensive .

Yep.  A friend of mine owns an absinthe distillery in CO.  They make the real deal.