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Moonlightfox
Hummingbird
Joined: Jul 24, 2008
Posts: 24
Location: Wisconsin
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 Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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'real' absinthe is illegal in the US, a remnant of a sympathy law based on a spasm of politically corrupt wineries in france following absinthe's rise during a few particularily bad drought years that killed the grapes- from back when we were allies against britain in the revolutionary war. Went down similar to how the cotton industry attacked pot- it was railed against because of it's fictitious "dangers" when in reality they were trying to kill hemp's viability as competition. Absinthe is about as harmful as pot- not very, especially compared to alcohol.
You can buy 'fake' absinthe made without wormwood but it's like comparing top-shelf vodka to rotgut. You get the gist but it's still nothing in comparison. |
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vandire
Sea Gull
Joined: Mar 28, 2007
Age: 21
Posts: 201
Location: Bristol, UK
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Tim_Tex wrote: | | What exactly is absinthe? |
A ridiculously strong form of alcohol (180% proof, or something silly like that) with a taste thats like a cross between cheap vodka and a very strong aniseed flavour. It's rumoured to be a mild hallucinogenic, but I find that doubtful, having personally drunk enough to get alcohol poisoning and not suffer anything other than normal feelings of drunkenness (followed by prettymuch passing out and needing to go to hospital).
It's illegal in a few places.
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sgrannel
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 21, 2008
Posts: 562
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011026.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujone
The real reason absinthe is so strong is the 75% alcohol it contains, not the thujone, if any. There's a liquor store in Detroit where you can buy absinthe. Check around, there's probably a store near you that sells it. Anything sold in the US will probably not contain the thujone.
Wormwood extracts are available for possible addition to the absinthe, but the manufacturers won't tell you how much thujone is contained last I checked (milligrams per drop), and odds are that these extracts might not contain any.
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Moonlightfox
Hummingbird
Joined: Jul 24, 2008
Posts: 24
Location: Wisconsin
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| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: |
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| sgrannel wrote: | http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011026.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujone
The real reason absinthe is so strong is the 75% alcohol it contains, not the thujone, if any. There's a liquor store in Detroit where you can buy absinthe. Check around, there's probably a store near you that sells it. Anything sold in the US will probably not contain the thujone.
Wormwood extracts are available for possible addition to the absinthe, but the manufacturers won't tell you how much thujone is contained last I checked (milligrams per drop), and odds are that these extracts might not contain any. |
It's because they can't list it, legally. Thujone does nearly nothing, but it was linked to everything from outright insanity to social depravity and crime by the industry propaganda.
However, it does affect the taste and the chemistry, and that is what makes Absinthe unique. take that away, it's just fancy green liquor. |
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jawbrodt
Only Truth
Joined: Jan 27, 2008
Age: 34
Posts: 7187
Location: Northcentral, Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:48 am Post subject: |
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If you are looking for a good buzz, buy a bottle of Rumpleminze and smoke a couple joints. I guarantee a buzz that's better than absinthe.
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tahloola
Velociraptor
Joined: Jul 02, 2008
Age: 52
Posts: 441
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| Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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I'm growing a "wormwood plant" in my garden. Apparently one of the ingredients.....
my big plan was to make homemade absynthe....but I lost interest....(or got lazy - who really knows?)
it's a beautiful little plant...very soft to the touch....but it does not tolerate a lot of sun....I may have to transplant it into a shadier spot next year....after being in too much sun it starts to dry up and get crispy....
as for the drink: we tried a "copy" of the stuff....yukk!!!....but the design on the bottle was really  and we got a fancy spoon with it....to put the sugar cube on...
but in all honesty the fake stuff....yuk! |
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BlackMetalIstKrieg
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Dec 15, 2007
Posts: 53
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Absinthe is definitely outlawed here. However, wormwood is a common weed in much of the U.S., and is efficacious when chewed like tobacco.
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tahloola
Velociraptor
Joined: Jul 02, 2008
Age: 52
Posts: 441
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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WORMWOOD
"It remedies the evils Choller can inflict on the Body of man by Sympathy.It clenseth the Body of Choller, it provokes Urine, helps Surfets, Swellings in the Belly; it causeth an Appetite to meat. The Sun never shone upon a better Herb for the yellow Jaundice than this is:"
Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, 1669
and...this is my "wormwood" in my garden....(looks...pretty, I didn't know it was a weed! LOL...I actually bought it from the garden gallery....jokes on me!  )
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RustyShackleford
Velociraptor
Joined: Apr 22, 2008
Age: 28
Posts: 417
Location: Nottingham UK
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 9:23 pm Post subject: |
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I believe it is still possible to purchase absinthe from eastern europe which i still brewed using the thujone from the original artemesia extracts but omitting the CuSO4 they used to use in the 19th century version as pigment (probably the reason it was banned).
I haven't tried that stuff but the high strength vermouth type stuff they call absinthe in most of the rest of the world is pretty potent. Don't ever mix with Stroff! I nearly killed myself and a good friend on a binge in Barcelona |
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arkityp
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
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Joined: Jul 19, 2008
Posts: 55
Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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i tried absinthe in my early 20's before it hit the market in north america. it tasted horrible, and after 3 shots i was sick. didn't feel drunk or otherwise, just ill.
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Prof_Pretorius
troubled Soul
Joined: Aug 21, 2006
Age: 50
Posts: 4976
Location: Hiding in the attic of the Arkham Library
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| Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 1:21 pm Post subject: |
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Anyone else actually give it a try??
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