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Just wondering. I'm asking about the real thing, not the Czech Republic fake stuff, but the French and Swiss made absinthes prepared in the traditional way. I found I really enjoy it a lot after dispensing with all the false myths surrounding it. I found it's just a good drink properly prepared, and properly does not include lighting a sugar cube on fire over it.
Do you still have both of your ears? ;-) So what do you mean by fake stuff?
There seems to be a lot of variety but I'm not fond of the anise flavor. I like growing wormwood better.
Do you still have both of your ears? ;-) So what do you mean by fake stuff?
There seems to be a lot of variety but I'm not fond of the anise flavor. I like growing wormwood better.
Yes, to indulge you, I do still have both my ears, and it wasn't absinthe that caused Van Gogh to do that, he had a plethora of other issues that led him to do that, one being his infatuation with a prostitute. The fake stuff I referred to is what has been produced in the Czech Republic in an effort to capitalize on the name absinthe in a desperate economy, and amounts to infused vodka with food coloring added and labeled "absinthe" when it's nowhere near absinthe. These include the so-called "Bohemian" absinthes.
It was the Czechs who, back in the 90's, invented the gimmick of lighting the sugar cube on fire over the glass to distract the customer from the fact that it could not louche because it's not absinthe, and the gimmick caught on big, sadly. To do that with real absinthe just ruins the taste of it. Today the only real absinthe produced the the Czech Republic is from the Zufanek distillery. All the others are fakes.
Not all absinthe is anise dominant, you can shop around for the right herbal balance and some are really delightful. It depends on what distiller they come from and their specific herbal blend, but the three mandatory herbs are grand wormwood (artemesia absinthium) fennel, and green anise. Other herbs commonly used are hyssop, lemon balm, melissa, petite (Roman) wormwood, star anise, coriander, angelica and others.
You will NOT hallucinate with absinthe, cut off your ear, or go insane, but sadly most people still believe that rubbish, because of the effective smear campaign against it by the French wine industry 100 years ago. I did my homework on it, being curious about it, and came away with a great appreciation for the tradition, culture, and ritual around it. I also ended up with a new favorite drink, which I enjoy greatly.
I've had the Vilya Spirits brand from Kalispell, Montana. It's rather pleasant. I know that they ship to other states so you can find online retailers.
I like it but I like anything licorice flavored. I usually mix it in one of the original cocktails, the sazarac. It's a bit too intense straight for me but I haven't tried that many brands. Just the St George's version which is very good and also comes in a 200 ml bottle which is a good value since I don't use much.
Been wanting to try it. But my budget is low. The cheapest I can find it around 40-50 bucks. I will try a whole bunch of different booze for around that price. But I'm not a fan of paying that much for one bottle of alcohol. I might take the plunge when my next pay check arrives. I'm sure it's high quality. I actually want it to make me hallucinate. If I knew a bottle was guaranteed to make me hallucinate then I'd buy it. I heard the hallucinations in the 19th century absinthe came from the weird added ingredients the shadier producers put in it. Maybe I'll buy absinthe and see if I can mix it with something.
I've had the Vilya Spirits brand from Kalispell, Montana. It's rather pleasant. I know that they ship to other states so you can find online retailers.
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