Post #190380 by Chrisc on Mon, Oct 3, 2005 6:46 AM

Some thoughts on absinthe.....

About 15 years ago, before the modern "reappearance" of "absinthe", I heard that absinthe was still legal in Spain and Portugal, and that it was made in Lisbon by the Pernod family. Having a holiday planned in Spain, I sent a letter to British Customs and Excise asking if it was all right for me to import some for personal use. They replied that I could import a small quantity for personal use. In the event, I didn't find any in the very rural part of Spain I was visiting. However, I also read that there was only ever a trace of thujone in Absinthe, and a lot of alcohol... the alcohol will always kick in long before the thujone has any discernable psychoactive effect.
Furthermore, Pernod, which as we all know, was introduced as an alternative to absinthe, goes cloudy when you mix it with water... as the original absinthe used to, but which the modern green concoctions do not. I once bought a bottle of a French brand of "absinthe", and discovered when I got it home that the label said in small letters, after a short history of the original Absinthe, something to the effect that this was an "absinthe-style liquer", that "evoked the spirit of the original absinthe".... in other words, it was not in itself Absinthe.
Now, if the Pernod family does continue to produce Absinthe in Portugal, that may well be true Absinthe...otherwise, for an authentic flavour in your cocktails, you might be better off with pernod, which also has the virtue of being cheaper. I think I've seen a recipe somewhere for a Monkey Gland cocktail, so I'll look it up and post it.

CHRIS.