Absinthe... discuss.

I just got a big honking bottle of absinthe from the guys at a music house I use a lot... now, besides getting stoned of my keyster on green wormwood liqueur, what else can one do with it?

Do you think it might be good poured over ice cream? How might you cook with it?

There's lots of info on the old sugar-spoon thing online, but not so much on getting creative in the kitchen with it.

fish
You can send that bottle to me and I'll try to figure something out to do with it. When I'm done I'll send back the bottle. Promise!

On 2003-12-21 17:23, tikifish wrote:
besides getting stoned of my keyster on green wormwood liqueur...

Whoah! Why you wanna go down that path? Don't play with the green fairy juice, just get your keyster stoned and don't pour it on no ice cream or flambe anything. Besides, it's very bitter and would probably make anything taste pretty awful.

I hope you have better luck with it than I have had. I found a bottle at a local liquor store but I didn't get any noticable psychotropic effects. Since absinthe is technically illegal to sell in the US I figgered that this might've been a non-wormwood version. I mail ordered a kit to make my own absinthe (absinthe is illegal to sell in the US but not illegal to make (non-distilling method) or imbibe) with wormwood and all the other ingredients. No luck. Just got the same buzz I would've gotten from any 151 proof grain alcohol (the recommended 199 proof is not available in Florida). No green fairies. :( Maybe I should've snorted it. I might try making another bottle someday.

You probably have the real deal stuff. Enjoy it. Have you had it before? Let us know what you think of it.

Indeed, it is the real deal, wormwood and all. Imported from some place like Bulgaria or something. Somewhere where laws are lax and life is cheap.

I must admit, I am a little a-feared of the thing.

I wouldn't be a-fearing it. Most of the "bad press" that absinthe got, back in the day, was due to it's effects on chronic users. Try it when you don't have to get up early the next day. It really does taste bad though. Really really bad..have the sugar ready.

..have the sugar ready.

......and an extra ear!

There was a good article on absinthe in Modern Drunkard

http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/11-02/11_02_absinthe.htm

I've wanted to become an absinthe addict ever since reading John Glassco's charming "Memoires of Montparnasse" -- a recommended read (it may be out of print). I've yet to try it but I see that there are about a half dozen different brands on our (privatized) Alberta liquorstore shelves.

Absinthe can be used to make one of the best cocktails ever. Even in New Orleans, where the drink was invented and is still served, it is made with pernod or herbsaint instead of absinthe, but Absinthe was what was used in the original recipe 100 years ago (give or take).

Put 2 or 3 icecubes in a cocktail shaker. Throw in a sugar cube (or a little simple syrup - I like a little falernum too), a half dozen shakes of peychauds bitters, and a jigger of good bourbon or rye whiskey (the original recipe called for rye). DO NOT USE CANADIAN WHISKEY. Shake it up until it's good and cold.

In a separate small rocks glass, put in about 1/2 teaspoon of absinthe. Roll the absinthe around in the glass so that it coats the sides of the glass. Strain the contents of the shaker (strain out the ice) into the absinth coated glass. Garnith with a lemon twist.

Now THAT is a cocktail!

PS: I have never had the real thing with real absinthe. The closest I got was using Absente, which is an absinthe substitute that uses southen wormwood rather than wormwood. The thujone content in Absente is just under the legal limit.

PiPhiRho, what's the name of that cocktail?

I think Absente was what I bought at the liquor store.

I bought some absinthe a little while ago and drank it with some friends. We soaked a sugar lump in anbinthe, burnt it for a while and then stirred it into a glass of absinthe. It tasted bitter, but after about 10 minutes I was lying of the floor giggling. Great stuff.

You can also make a cocktail using a sugar cude, absinthe and champagne. Haven't tried it myself though.

SAZERAC (cocktail)

The following web page has some history and a picture of the famous Sazerac glass from the Roosevelt (now Fairmont hotel)....

http://cocktails.about.com/library/weekly/aa040898.htm

More info:
While not the city's most common drink, the Sazerac is another New Orleans original. The cocktail used to call for a splash of absinthe to wet the glass before rye whiskey was added. Eventually the mildly toxic and hallucinogenic spirit was outlawed and Sazerac drinkers had to settle for Herbsaint for a hint of licorice in the glass. The Sazerac Bar in the Fairmont Hotel (123 Baronne St., 529-7111) is the home of the cocktail.

Absinthe used to be popular in New Orleans but as its own cocktail. In the traditional preparation, the bitter absinthe was poured over a sugar cube to soften its taste. The drink was then diluted with water. Special spoons and funnels were created for serving it and can still be found in New Orleans antique shops. While absinthe is still illegal, the spirit Absente is a refined version that lacks the wormwood content that spiked absinthe. Absente is only legal in one other state besides Louisiana. The Old Absinthe House (240 Bourbon St., 523-3181) offers the cocktail.

Yes Kno-Hemsby, the guy who gave it to me also reported tales of giggling to ones self...

Sounds like fun! Until the hangover...

Quite a lot of pubs in the UK serve absinthe these days, but you won't find many people going through the whole sugar-lump ritual. Usually it's downed in one, followed swiftly with a beer chaser! I actually quite like the aniseed drinks like ouzo & pernod on a hot day, but absinthe is just too brutal to enjoy as a taste experience.

The few times I've had with it have been pretty good, though I'd advise you to try the absinthe early on in your evening of drinking. The temptation to go onto absinthe while already tipsy should really be avoided at all costs unless you want to miss the following day...

Trader Woody

On 2003-12-22 05:59, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
You can also make a cocktail using a sugar cude, absinthe and champagne. Haven't tried it myself though.

I think i'm right in saying the Cocktail you described is called "Death in the Afternoon" and was invented by Ernest Hemmingway, and a quick check on google brings up a recipe here..

http://www.absintheusa.com/cocktails.htm

I bought a bottle of Herbsaint a few years ago for Sazeracs and the occasional tropical drink that calls for Pernod. There's barely an inch gone in that bottle!

The drink is called a SAZERAC.

Sorry about that. That's what I get for posting late at night after a full day of Christmas shopping and a couple of hot buttered rums.

the worst reported health effect of absinthe is having hallucinations of kylie minogue...

At the risk of sounding redundant:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=4000&forum=6

"I have had a number of different absinthes from Europe-Most taste exceptionally bad and none made me see "La Fee Verte". Many years ago I was lucky to have 2 shots of some high quality home-brew made here in the Good Ol' USA and brother-it made me see GOD!

Talk to me in person, the written word cannot convey the ecstasy of the moment. Oh yeah, the next day, the WORST hangover ever (and I've had some doozies!)"

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1730&forum=1

On 2003-12-21 20:43, Kono wrote:
I wouldn't be a-fearing it. Most of the "bad press" that absinthe got, back in the day, was due to it's effects on chronic users. Try it when you don't have to get up early the next day. It really does taste bad though. Really really bad..have the sugar ready.

Some also feel that the blindness and madness that was reportedly caused by absinthe use was actually caused by syphillus (sp?) which was rampant among French artists at the time.

So if I drink it and get all crazy, I have the clap?

It's powerful shit, fishy. Powerful shit.

This site sells up to 35mg strength.

Quicker dosing with fewer drinks for those who titrate differently.

http://www.alandia.de/

*On 2003-12-21 17:23, tikifish wrote:*How might you cook with it?

There's lots of info on the old sugar-spoon thing online, but not so much on getting creative in the kitchen with it.

Nobody seems to have answered this question yet so I'll have a go. Think fish, tikifish. Mussels or clams steamed in a broth of white wine, a bit of Absinthe, and garlic. How about fish with some sauce that contains a little bit of Absinthe served over it?

On 2003-12-23 14:01, thejab wrote:

Nobody seems to have answered this question yet so I'll have a go. Think fish, tikifish. Mussels or clams steamed in a broth of white wine, a bit of Absinthe, and garlic. How about fish with some sauce that contains a little bit of Absinthe served over it?

Have you tried any of these for real or are these just ideas? I just can't imagine it wouldn't be awful. Like cooking with 40 year old cough syrup and melted pennies. Yeesh. Maybe if I was starving and the only thing I had was some rank old green fly covered carrion that had been days in the sun. I'd baste it in absinthe and roast it. It'd probably still taste horrendous but at least it'd kill all the bacteria.

Seriously, have you cooked with the stuff? Maybe it's better than one would think. Maybe the steam gets you so you don't even care what the food actually tastes like. :D

I think I'm going to order a kit from these folk: http://www.enjoyabsinthe.com They seem to be really know their stuff. Too bad here in the US we can't just go buy the stuff.

On 2003-12-23 18:04, Kono wrote:
Have you tried any of these for real or are these just ideas? I just can't imagine it wouldn't be awful.

Just ideas based on dishes I've had in restaurants that use Pernod. Nothing unique or creative. I haven't had real Absinthe so perhaps it would make food taste vile.

On 2003-12-23 18:24, thejab wrote:
I haven't had real Absinthe so perhaps it would make food taste vile.

Ah, ya never know till you try it. Some things that sound awful in theory can turn out pretty damn good. Who the hell came up with sour cream, buttermilk or putting mashed up little fish in a salad dressing? I love sour cream and Caesar salads. Hate buttermilk though. Blah. How about bleu cheese? "See that big beast over there? The one with the bulbous gland swinging underneath? What we do is we squeeze that gland until juice starts to come out. We leave the juice to lay around until it gets all hard and dry and fungus grows on it. Then we eat it. Delicious!" Yeah, I don't know anything about cheese making but that's how I envision it. So maybe I'm wrong and absinthe would make for some great recipes.

A quick google yielded a couple absinthe recipes (OK, one absinthe and one for absente):

Oysters Rockefeller http://www.experienceneworleans.com/recipe3.html

Bread Pudding (along with several drink recipes) http://www.crillonimporters.com/Absente/absente-recipes.htm

Here's a page with a slew of absinthe related links: http://www.nuclear-diagnostics.com/Recreation/Food/Drink/Liquor/Absinthe/

Tikifish, if you try any of these let us know how it turned out.

EDIT: Edited for using the word "slew" twice in one post. :oops:

[ Edited by: Kono on 2003-12-23 18:59 ]

I can't believe I missed this thread! My fiance and I enjoy absinthe every so often, and one of the things I look for in my afternoon searches in the thrift and antique stores is an absinthe spoon. No luck so far though.( I just can't lower myself to purchase one new from e-bay)

I must let you know, just adding sugar to it does not make it drinkable. You have to also add water. It changes in a chemical sort of way, turning it from transparent to a sort of translucent milky colour. Very cool. I'd never drink the stuff straight, but with sugar and water, it has a nice anise flavour. The stuff isn't cheap, a nice bottle will run you between $50 and $75 CDN.

Cheers and Aloha,
-Tikiwahine

A quick google yielded a couple absinthe recipes (OK, one absinthe and one for absente):

Oysters Rockefeller http://www.experienceneworleans.com/recipe3.html
Wow! Used to get those at when we went with our oooold New Orleans family friends to Antoine's (where I think the recipe originated?) We'd get snuck up the back stairs to a private dining room waiting for us ("No reservations" was the official policy in those days - that's how 'Old New Orleans' this well-connected family was!) and eat our brains out. HUGE yum.

And now, alas, Oysters Rockefeller would cause my demise, thanks not to the absinthe, but to a late-in-life food allergy.

Good luck with your cooking attempts!

BigBroTiki~

One month ago, you mentioned that you were having an Absinthe research session at your house. Can you tell us of your findings?

On 2003-12-23 18:04, Kono wrote:

I think I'm going to order a kit from these folk: http://www.enjoyabsinthe.com They seem to be really know their stuff. Too bad here in the US we can't just go buy the stuff.

I ordered this kit and made it about two weeks ago. It's really powerful. It was a light and lively kind of drunk feeling- not halucinatory, but definitely unusual. It tastes god awful, even with sugar and water, but I don't like those flavors anyway. I have a little left over for the occasional Dr. Funk. Feel free to ask for it when you next visit the Foggy Grotto.

[ Edited by: martiki on 2004-02-21 01:53 ]

Cool!

Maybe that is the place to try.

I've tried some from Alandia. I ordered several to see if there were noticeable brand variations, but find no effect at all.

The Thujon concentration for their products runs around 30-35 g/kg (not sure of the units). They also run about 70% alcohol, so I figured two ounces to start would be like 4 regular drinks plus the Thujon.

Nothin'.

Perhaps, though, the effect for me is the identical opposite to that of alcohol. I usually really feel two drinks, and after these blasts of absinthe I didn't even notice that feeling.

Tried it 5 more times with different brands, all on an empty stomach - same.

Anybody else seem to not get any effect, per se?

I will try the site you mentioned and see what I might be nissing!

Here's a guy who sells actual absinthe online in the US.
http://www.andale.com/store?sid=127760&cid=7864292&mode=1&catId=&pnum=&tpages=&psize=&lid=69772412&storeLayout=techno&storeTheme=techno_blue&view=ITEM_DETAIL&newStore=&parentCatId=

Don't know how he gets away with it, but it is still too 'spensive for me. I might try one of those kits Martiki used.

I tell you what, this August it looks like we will be doing a Tiki road trip from BC down to Southern CA for our honeymoon.

If this is the case, I will bring a nice big bottle down with me, and all Tiki Centralites whom I encounter can try some!

Uh... With all the stops you'll make between BC and So Cal, you'd better bring two bottles, or there'll be none left by the time you make it down to my neck of the woods... :)

On 2004-02-21 18:27, Doctor Z wrote:
Uh... With all the stops you'll make between BC and So Cal, you'd better bring two bottles, or there'll be none left by the time you make it down to my neck of the woods... :)

hehe.. deal!

On 2004-02-21 01:53, martiki wrote:

I ordered this kit and made it about two weeks ago. It's really powerful. It was a light and lively kind of drunk feeling- not halucinatory, but definitely unusual. It tastes god awful, even with sugar and water, but I don't like those flavors anyway. I have a little left over for the occasional Dr. Funk. Feel free to ask for it when you next visit the Foggy Grotto.

[ Edited by: martiki on 2004-02-21 01:53 ]

I forgot about this thread. I received my kit weeks ago but it's sitting in the cupboard. Smells nice tho with all the anise. I'll have to go get a bottle of 151 vodka or pure grain (151 is the max allowed in Florida) and give it a go. I made some absinthe before (a kit from a different seller) and was disappointed. Hopefully this one will be mo bettah.

On 2004-02-21 10:50, Geeky Tiki wrote:

Tried it 5 more times with different brands, all on an empty stomach - same.

Anybody else seem to not get any effect, per se?

Damn you're a trooper! Good job on the psychotronic research frontline. Reminds me of that thread where the kid (smurf?) was talking about drinking a six pack and taking a vicodin. Said he slept until 4pm the next afternoon ("I'll never do it again"). I was thinking it wouldn't even have made me sleepy. I've wondered if the effects of absinthe might be too subtle for some us with gargantuan tolerances. T-Lautrec was a smaller fellow after all.

I'm gonna make an effort to get some vodka and start this kit post haste.

On a similar note...anyone ever have "Cristalizado," an anise based liqueur from either Spain or Portugal? Each bottle had an "interesting" plant stalk in it and the liqueur would actually form a crystalline substance around the twig. Very nice stuff.

On 2004-02-21 17:45, Tikiwahine wrote:
I tell you what, this August it looks like we will be doing a Tiki road trip from BC down to Southern CA for our honeymoon.

Tikiwahine, that sounds great! I took two weeks to do a road trip last May from Seattle to Palm Springs & back. I got lots of great tips from the gang here, and most importantly, I met with a bunch of them the whole way down. If you'd like, feel free to email me (so we don't go off-topic) if you'd like pointers. You can see pics from my road trip here.

Thanks Humuhumu, I'm on my way to check out your albums! I'll save my chit-chat for an e-mail. :)
Just to stay on topic,

I've got a HUGE art print of this guy, it's almost as tall as I am!

Apparently, this is a brand of Absinthe, although it looks more like he's opening a bottle of wine or champagne to me!

Ok, my last bump got lost and I don't think Sven saw it, so here's a repeat:

BIGBROTIKI...

One month ago, you mentioned that you were having an Absinthe research session at your house. Can you tell us of your findings?

I know I know, I just can't get into it too deeply....

Well it was a gas, Ted Haigh (Dr. Cocktail) mixed an excellent Absinth Exotica cocktail called "Monkey's Gland"!

On the table we had various bottles, my fave was the Absenta MARSELLA, procured by me in the Barcelona bar of the same name, where it is destilled in the 5th generation (the walls there are lined with bottles of ancient long forgotten liquors), and SERPIS Absinth, the red hardcore not Anis flavoured version, to be drunk straight, which I got in Berlin at http://www.absintheon.de

A fine form of inebriation indeed.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki on 2004-02-25 17:19 ]

Tikifish-Absinthe is an ingredient in oysters rockefeller-if you're an oyster fan.

Oooh, I AM an oyster fan. Very good.

SO how is absinthe an ingredient in a Dr. Funk? Or is a Dr. Funk just the sort of drink you can splash anything in and it will turn out ok?

I recall enjoying some Dr Funk on the 2nd SF tiki crawl...

Aloha,

Tried another round with a friend at work.

Still empty stomach.

Used a brand called Alandia "Strong 68" from the Alandia website. They state it has 35mg/kg Thujon and is 68% alcohol.

Had about 175 cc, drank it a little straight (HARD to get down) and then in 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 parts in water. Bit the bullet and added sugar, too.

I'm about 5'9", 175.....I felt buzzed, maybe warmer than usual. Was a big alcohol dose for me, but no notable "enhancement" otherwise.

My coworker is about 5'4", 120 (130? I was afraid to pry) and was normal until we left the building. This was about 90 minutes after we started our session, and she suddenly claimed to be able to see in the dark. Like black and white film in daylight, even though it was full-on night out.

Who's to say, real or placebo. It did make me jealous, that would be cool to see.

So, anyway, I got a warm buzz and was filled with the usual sensation of good fellowship that alcohol in any form brings me. Better than being a nasty drunk, I guess.

The search for the perfect Absinthe buzz continues. I think I'll try that other link people are talking about and see what happens.

Cheers!

Aloha!
This past weekend my first Absinthe spoon purchase was made!!! It looks to be very old, and with the mark it might be from 1800's Germany, but we're not sure yet.

Here is a picture of the same one, but this particular spoon does not have the stamp ours has.

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine 2005-09-15 11:07 ]

My husband suggested we crack open the absinthe last night, but I chickened out and made us a vodka and soda instead, mumbling something about absinthe being 'too complicated... spoon thingy... sugar...' but truth was I'm a little chicken to unleash the fee vert at 10 pm on a monday night.

When we finally crack it, it'll probably have no effect on me and my champion liver, and I'll be disappointed! But I do expect my less alcoholically experienced husband to be running around chasing little green men through the living room.

I drank absinthe in Prague back in 2001. Its not what most would think. Well worth it though, especially for 10 cents a shot! Now mix absinthe with a blunt of weed and hash like I did...now THATS an experience.

If ever in Prague, stay in the Clown and Bard Hostel. English speaking, clean, cheap, and has its own bar! Look for the bald Jamaican guy selling weed.