Post #564708 by TorchGuy on Fri, Nov 12, 2010 2:42 AM

Yes, good absinthe is simply a potent, anise-heavy liqueur. And you either like it, or you don't. I find Lucid to be a good 'basic' brand; it has an acceptable louche and a good balance. Absente (a pun on "absent") was sold just before the ban was lifted, and used Southern or Petite Wormwood to circumvent the ban; post-repeal, Absente now sells the original Absente product as well as Grand Absente, which contains Grand Wormwood. Both are okay, but go light on the sugar with these, as they're fairly sweet already.

Mr. Moto, I should have clarified: A MODIFIED Czech format can be tasty, if you only let the sugar caramelize. Letting it basically turn black, per the 'proper' Czech preparation, does nothing good - yes, it's just there to draw attention away from the lack of louche. The only person I've met who tried Czech absinthe told me "It tasted like sht, but I got sooooo f**ing high...!" Yeah...yeah, sure you did.