Slog - Comments on She's Back! http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back The green fairy, absinthe, has arisen to legally kiss American lips for the first time in nearly a hundred years. No, not the crap called Absente. This is the real deal. Absinthe begins as a neutral spirit in which green anise, Florence fennel, wormwood and other herbs are soaked. The resulting mixture is then redistilled. If the absinthe is clear — a blanche absinthe — it’s done. A green, or verte, absinthe goes through a coloring step, using petite absinthe, hyssop and melissa to impart the distinctive peridot tinge. Notorious for driving drinkers to the funny farm – Van... Copyright 2008 Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:39:45 -0800 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:24:51 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Original Monique OMG! Sweetness. Looks like Cafe' Met will finally have the real stuff. WOOT!

]]> Original Monique http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777392 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777392 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:41:44 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe WOOT!

Quick! Ecce Homo! Lock your doors!

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777403 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777403 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 11:48:25 -0800 Comment by red bring on the absinthe parties!

]]> red http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777433 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777433 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:12:16 -0800 Comment by kid icarus Except it actually tastes like how you would imagine huffing fermented poo in a jar smells...

]]> kid icarus http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777438 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777438 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:24:55 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe It doesn't taste so bad. Stop breathing through your nose and chase it with something fruity.

What irritates me is that there's something inside of it that causes an array of small bumps on the roof of my mouth for an hour or so. Pisses me off.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777449 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777449 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:34:09 -0800 Comment by monkey I've never tried it and always wanted to. Much like LSD.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777454 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777454 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:36:31 -0800 Comment by Dominic Holden Totally agree, kid icarus, the stuff is vile. But I'm not the best judge, I'll take a Red Vine over actual licorice any day...

]]> Dominic Holden http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777457 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777457 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:37:01 -0800 Comment by Dianna Monkey-skip acid, try mushrooms. A lot easier, gentler on the body...and who wants to be high for 12 hours, anyways? I find with mushrooms you get about half the time. And everytime I've done acid, I get the flu within a couple of days-it's very hard on the body. Mushrooms have never done me wrong.

]]> Dianna http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777476 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777476 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:43:32 -0800 Comment by OR Matt It mixes surprisingly well with red bull... one of the many things that made my 22nd b-day the one I remember most ... and that night was blue for some reason. I've been jonzing for a bottle ever sinse.

]]> OR Matt http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777487 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777487 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:48:56 -0800 Comment by Vincent attention f*cktards news flash from reality:

absinthe is liqueur, albeit very strong ( usually 70 proof ) its ONLY FREAKING LIQUOR!! man I love it when every slack jawed freak thinks he is the next Alex Shulgin based on what they heard from some drunken college buddy who had like a crazy trip man.

Absinthe is an excellent cocktail ingredient, and its return will hopefully bring a new appreciate for existing herbal liquors like chartreuse, fernet, cynar, aperol and others. but its not going to get you high, and most people raised on ridiculously sweet drinks like rum and coke will downright hate it.

]]> Vincent http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777488 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777488 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:49:56 -0800 Comment by little bird! i've never had absinthe, but cynar and aperol are deliiiiiiiiicious. fact.

]]> little bird! http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777493 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777493 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:00:12 -0800 Comment by monkey Dianna #8, I absolutely LOVE mushrooms!!! A couple times a year I indulge in the shrooms.

I just wanted to try LSD just once.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777500 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777500 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:05:29 -0800 Comment by emeralds If I remember correctly, the article I read in the New Yorker said that genuine absinthe is not nearly as bitter as the cheap imitations that have been on the market for a while now. The article is "Green Gold" from the March 13 issue, 2006. Check it out if you can find it...
I prefer Bekerovka. It tastes like cookies.

]]> emeralds http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777501 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777501 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:06:33 -0800 Comment by Dianna Ahh, ok Monkey. Maybe it's worth trying once. But mushrooms are way better, imo.

Also, does this make of anyone think of the scene in "Eurotrip" where the brother and sister made out with each other after drinking absinth? Don't act like you haven't seen it.

]]> Dianna http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777513 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777513 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:18:23 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe Why do you keep comparing fungi to acid? They're two completely different trips.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777517 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777517 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:23:37 -0800 Comment by monkey I know, Poe, that's why I want to try the other.

Did I mention though how much I love mushrooms?

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777553 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777553 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:47:01 -0800 Comment by Hernandez Finally, no more paying exorbitant shipping costs to get the stuff sent over from Europe!

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777569 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777569 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:10:12 -0800 Comment by Dianna I guess it depends on what you get. My few acid trips were a lot like mushroom trips, though I was more hyper and they were much harsher.

]]> Dianna http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777582 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777582 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:22:12 -0800 Comment by NaFun DOB makes LSD seem like huffing paint by comparison. 36 hours, baby!

]]> NaFun http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777594 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777594 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:27:12 -0800 Comment by Gitai Bleh. A friend of mine smuggled some back from Europe, and decided it'd be fun to watch Moulin Rouge and drink absinthe. Of the six of us, I was the only one who finished my drink, and all of us were absolutely disgusted by the licorice flavor.

]]> Gitai http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777597 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777597 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:29:24 -0800 Comment by Sam But doesn't this also mean we could hop over the Canadian border and snag some and bring it back her legally now? You know, rather than seeking it 3,000 miles away?

]]> Sam http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777642 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777642 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:53:45 -0800 Comment by Geni Am I the only person who thinks it tastes, smells, and looks like Lite Nyquil?

]]> Geni http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777644 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777644 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:56:19 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Vincent is my new hero.

Most absinthe is shit: industrial alcohol with a bunch of dubious ingredients jammed in it in some Communist bloc coal tar factory. The spoon ritual was devised by and appeals to knob-ends who need to get a real hobby, like slamming heroin.

I'm not a huge fan of Cynar, but I love Fernet Branca, and Chartreuse is the nectar of the Gods. My favorite, though, is impossible to get here, thanks to the Washington State Liquor Control Board: Suze, a gentian-and vanilla-flavored herbal aperitif.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777677 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777677 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:30:08 -0800 Comment by maxsolomon when will the WSLCB treat us like adults? answer: never.

]]> maxsolomon http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777680 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777680 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:32:10 -0800 Comment by laterite Everyone knows aquavit is the true test of one's alcoholic palate.

]]> laterite http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777769 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c777769 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:36:58 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Aquavit is shot liquor. It never touches your palate. It's more interesting than vodka, sure, but so are most things in life.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778029 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778029 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:11:34 -0800 Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale Heh, Vincent - I've had the great fortune of trying chartreuse, fernet, and cynar for the first times in my life over the last two weeks. Lucky me! All were shocking, surprising and quite delightful, charming, each in their own way.
I'd never liken any of them in any sort of hamfisted way to Jaegermeister, which I've never touched -- I swear.

]]> Lloyd Clydesdale http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778265 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778265 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:55:14 -0800 Comment by crazyforthegreenfairy Lucid is legal here and uses the correct species of artimesia in the distillation process, but has a much lower thujone content than traditional absinthe. It is kind of like selling pot with all of the thc removed, right?

]]> crazyforthegreenfairy http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778467 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778467 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:49:03 -0800 Comment by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me Like any other mass consumed alcoholic beverage, in its day (and now) Absinthe existed in a quality pyramid much as wine does today, for each quality brand there were many more indifferent and positively harmful versions being sold cheaply to those who could not afford to buy a reputable brand. Common adulterants were cupric acetate (to provide the valued green colour) and antimony trichloride (which provided a cloudiness when water was added in imitation of the milky appearance of diluted absinthe). The purity of the base alcohol used for lesser brands would also have been questionable, and toxic levels of methanol from poor rectification would have been a real possibility. An additional aggravating factor is that as the cheaper brands were lower in alcohol than the quality brands, around 45% abv for ‘absinthe demi-fine’ compared to 68 or 72% for ‘absinthe superior’, someone drinking the cheaper version and seeking to obtain the same effect from the alcohol would have needed to consume more of the absinthe and hence more adulterants. It is probably the adulterants of low quality Absinth, and their dangerous health effects, that lead to the eventual banning of Absinth.

The stuff you find out there that tastes like ass is now, and was then, all at the low end of the quality pyramid.

I can highly recommend any absinth made by Ted Breaux (Jade Liqueurs absinthes). His stuff is authentic to the fine old stuff that was at the top of the quality pyramid (though it will set you back a few shekels) and has a lovely complex aroma and taste that reminds one of anis but not to the point where an avowed disliker of licorice (like me) could find it distasteful.

You can find Ted’s products, and a wealth of interesting information, (including the information above) at http://www.absintheonline.com/ my favorite is his 136 proof Jade Absinthe Nouvelle-Orléans.

]]> You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778515 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778515 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:09:37 -0800 Comment by supergp All I know is, I threw a party once, one of the guests brought a bottle of absinthe, I woke up the next morning. I remember NOTHING in between.

I'm told people had fun. *shrug*

]]> supergp http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778579 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c778579 Drugs Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:32:43 -0800 Comment by Moustache_Monster "I can highly recommend any absinth made by Ted Breaux"

Breaux is making absinth now? Sure you don't mean absinthe? http://czechabsinthe.wordpress.com explains the difference. Absinthe USA = No thujone. Absinth = thujone bomb.

According to Marilyn Manson:

“Wormwood, when you distil it, makes this thing called thujone; it’s like the equivalent of THC in marijuana. I have a guy who sends it to me in a dropper.”

Did I mention he's bring out his own absinthe, called Mansinthe!

]]> Moustache_Monster http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c779398 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c779398 Drugs Thu, 09 Aug 2007 08:39:05 -0800 Comment by -B- Yawn!
Next you will be allowed to go to Cuba.

]]> -B- http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c779928 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c779928 Drugs Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:02:05 -0800 Comment by cbxjqn iqfxlnvp fmaoiwxkb cshtkvi gmpuy lerd gletn lwqinum pmnqrefv

]]> cbxjqn iqfxlnvp http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c784950 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c784950 Drugs Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:22:07 -0800 Comment by oibtfjx skpf vuinplwf fozsh mcpk utsqcin ungzkxpl oiqtnvhs shjp http://www.vemdwuyzp.iryo.com

]]> oibtfjx skpf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c784951 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c784951 Drugs Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:22:49 -0800 Comment by oibtfjx skpf vuinplwf fozsh mcpk utsqcin ungzkxpl oiqtnvhs shjp http://www.vemdwuyzp.iryo.com

]]> oibtfjx skpf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c784953 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/08/shes_back#c784953 Drugs Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:24:51 -0800