Absinthe

[BrewTa2]

The stuff you get in the States is not real Absinthe. I have: Absinthe La Clandestine and Kuebler 53 from Switzerland; Verte de Fougerolles from France. Available HERE.

[Sully]

The stuff you get in the States is not real Absinthe. I have: Absinthe La Clandestine and Kuebler 53 from Switzerland; Verte de Fougerolles from France. Available HERE.

Awesome site. What is your favorite?

[rhino777]

I got some of this last year and had a good time with it.

[BrewTa2]

Awesome site. What is your favorite?

In Order: 1. Kubler, 2. Clandestine, 3. Fougerolles. I go back and forth between 1 & 2, but the Fougerolles is my least favorite. It's 144 proof and to me that's too much, the herbs get lost - especially the aromas. The Clandestine has the most anise aroma and a good mellow flavor. The Kubler has more of an herbal aroma as well as licorice and seems to have a more complex flavor. Either one of these stands head and shoulders over the Fougerolles. It's just hot and solvent tasting.

I prefer any of these to the Czech gasoline flavored stuff. If I remember correctly, they claim the highest thujone level, but I can't drink more than a few ounces, so if two shots make you see Princess Di blowing Elvis - I'll never know.

All that being said, I've seen more Green Fairies drinking DFH 90 Min than I have drinking Absinthe. As far as herbal liquor goes, I love Chartreuse best of all - on the rocks + a splash of water = yum. Think I'll have one now! (after I finish this glass of Hopslam)

[Lars]

The halucenigenic properties of Absinthe is a myth. The reason you can now buy it in the good ole USA is that one of the French makers (an US ex-patriot IIRC) of absinthe did some chemical analysis of historical absinthe. He found that the levels of Thujone were in the parts per billion or something like that. Anyways the levels he found were way below the allowable levels set by the US gov. Hence, it is once again legal to purchase here.

[BrewTa2]

I agree that the effects of thujone are exaggerated, as well as the historic levels of 260mg/l being totally false. The Feds say no detectable thujone is allowed and they set the detection level at 10mg/l.

I've read to analyzes' you mention and I don't find them conclusive (nor do some of the authors). The main problem I have is with the provenance of the historical sample. It was provided to lab by Roman Gundacker who is producing an absinthe with a low level of thujone so it seems to me that he has an interest in showing that his product is "historically accurate". The American you mention, I think, is Ted Breaux from New Orleans. He cites the same data in support of his absinthe that is being made in France and imported in to the States.

The funny thing is, when I bought mine 5 years ago, the same vendors in Europe were all touting the higher thujone levels. Once the US says that less than 10mg/l can sold here the marketing changes to play down thujone and the study is done and cited by all of the same vendors. I smell shenanigans.

[rhino777]

Before it was recently allowed to be sold in the US you could still legally import it from other countries. That's what I have done in the past. The higher thujone levels really do take you beyond just a drinking buzz regardless of what some study might say.

[wezil]

The stuff you get in the States is not real Absinthe. I have: Absinthe La Clandestine and Kuebler 53 from Switzerland; Verte de Fougerolles from France. Available HERE.

Really? .... thats funny cause I can walk in to any bevmo in the Bay Area and buy Kubler. There are 3 legit Absinthe available in the US. Kubler (Swiss), Lucid (French) and St. George (US).

Brad