can anyone recommend a really good quality Absinthe?
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can anyone recommend a really good quality Absinthe?
I've tried a couple and didn't like them much. (One was Hill's Absinth.) Seems to me that if you can't get some with the active ingredient there isn't much point.
I found this at absinthe faq: Absinthe Buyers Guide :
ABSINTHE - ALANDIA World of Absinthe seems a useful place, they deliver to the US.Quote:
On June 14, 2004 the Swiss Parliament lifted the 96 year old ban on absinthe. We expect to see commercial Swiss absinthe in 2005-2006, including many brands offering "la bleue" (clear) absinthe, a style typical of Swiss absinthe.
EDIT> Looks like a good forum here: The Wormwood Society Absinthe Association
Your Top Ten Commercial Absinthes - Wormwood Society Discussion Forums
actually, since last year, you can legally get "real" absinthe in america.
let me clarify terms:
the active ingredient in real absinthe is thujone, a neurotoxin. it occurs naturally in certain species of wormwood plant.
during the extended prohibition on this stuff in america, companies like Absente made a product using a different species of wormwood... more or less the same flavor (although an aficianado like me can tell the difference) but none of the neurotoxin. during this time if you wanted real absinthe, you ordered it from europe and had them ship it in an unmarked box. i did this several times.
now, you can get real absinthe in america. the Lucid brand is real absinthe (although i find it too sweet), the Absente brand now does a real absinthe called "grand absinthe" or something, i haven't tried it. Another newcomer to the american market is LeTourmente (sp?) which I just finished drinking a bottle of. weird flavor compared to traditional recipes, but very tasty in a Tormented Gargoyle ****tail.
Doc,
Go to www.absintheonline.com and order something from the Jade distillery. If you want to try out something cheaper and easier to get first, you can pick up some Lucid or Kubler in the states for $50-$60 a bottle.
It should be noted that you would likely end up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning before experiencing any effect from thujone which, as jockeys points out, is a neurotoxin and would likely make you wish you were dead anyway. The pleasure I gain from absinthe is in the ritual of making the classic c0cktail. I have a bottle of Le Tourment Vert and I like it for the anise and fennel flavors it has in spades. Though, this bottle will likely last me a long time.
If you are delving into herbaceous distillates, I would also suggest finding your way to a glass of Chartreuse, preferably the green kind (as opposed to the yellow). It is quite nice neat and sipped slowly and is very much like sipping fresh cut grass. Not for everyone, but neither is the green fairy.
-Rob
I tried and liked a Chech absinth- Absinthe Toulouse Lautrec. I did try in in Europe and mentioned it to a friend of mine from NY. Apparently he found it in US at Absinth24.net. My 2c.:D
THAT'S what it's called. have you tried the ****tail they have on the label with lemons? it's fantastic.Quote:
Originally Posted by sicboater
although it should be noted that this brand of absinthe is way WAY more peppermint-y than the traditional recipe.
sicboater is right about thujone, it's only allowed up to a concentration of 12ppm or so, which is totally negligible. most absinthe is 135 proof, so the alcohol will make you blind LONG before the thujone will make you hallucinate. i like absinthe because it tastes like liquified black jelly beans, which i love.
I usually just enjoy it straight or with caramelized sugar and a little water. I'll have to try the Gargoyle. Citrus and licorice would be interesting I bet.Quote:
Originally Posted by jockeys
-Rob
Try Lucid absinthe. It is the first that was released in the US for legal sale, and is considered a good "starter" absinthe. You can find it at Bev-Mo.
Stay away from the Czeck absinthes like Hills. Those are reportedly the worst of the worst.
Scott
Never tried the stuff myself Doc, but there was a cooking programe last week that featured a 4 foot high Absinthe jelly!! Link to the recipe is here - The Food Blog - Feasting on absinthe jelly
If you get chance to watch the whole show, do so, it was really cool - http://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/heston-blumenthal/feast/heston-s-amazing-victorian-feast-09-03-03_p_1.html
I will probably try it again sometime. The problem is the types I've already tried tasted bad (to me) AND they had no thujone.
Also I tried both methods of prepping - the burning sugar cube :gaah: and mixing with water. Neither had any effect other than sweetening/diluting. Certainly no sign of the louche.
Does anyone know - how important is it that the water is dripped in slowly? Is it just for ceremony? If you just pour water in and stir / shake it would it have the same effect only faster? Someone should do a test.
Prep like this may be classy, but come on, six minutes to make the drink???
YouTube - Absinthe Ritual - Jade PF1901
the louche occurs because of certain alkalines reacting with the water. some absinthes contain the alkalines, some don't.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rajagra
the slowness is important but not for the reasons people think. you could dump the water in, shake it, and then wait the same amount of time and it would have the same effect. the speed at which you add the water is irrelevant, the important thing is the DELAY after the water starts reacting with the alkaline chemicals to form the louche. you should let it sit for a full minute at least, after the water is in. if you drip the water in slowly, you can see the louche (a certain cloudiness, with varying shades of color) happening, which some people enjoy watching.
i myself don't burn the sugar cube, but i do drip cold water through sugar cubes with an absinthe spoon (which i sort of collect.).
for all absinthe fans out there, here is a fun ****tail made with absinthe that is absolutely wonderful. i didn't invent it, but i love it.
The Tormented Gargoyle
2 measures absinthe
1 measure simple syrup
1 measure sweet and sour
(you can sub 2 measures margarita mix for the syrup and sour)
juice from half a lemon
combine in shaker over crushed ice, shake then strain into martini glass
drink, but very carefully...
I wasn't even awear that real absinth was legal in the UK, but searching around and I find that it is :) Going to have to buy some now.
Steven
Well, all of this has given me the outlines of a plan.
I was at a conference on Navy Pier in Chicago last fall and noticed that one of the bars along the pier features Lucid. I was in a hurry and passed it up at the time. But now I'm thinking, if I'm downtown any time this spring or summer with a little time on my hands ... a Lucid hour on the pier, watching the water and the passing scene. One can do a lot worse.
Besides, you know what they say about absinthe.
It makes the heart grow fonder. :D
Rich
can we give people negative feedback for awful puns? :hmmm:Quote:
Originally Posted by rastewart
In that case, I'd still try the Lucid, and if available at the bar I'd also like to try: La Fee Parisienne (France), Mari Mayans (Spain), and Deva (also Spain). I've read that these are not the top of the heap absinthes, but I'd try them if I could.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc
If there are any authentic and vintage Belle Epoque absinthes at this bar, definitely try those (and expect to pay mucho $$$$$. But I'd think it would be worth it.)
Keep in mind this Absinthe quote: "After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world."
~Oscar Wilde
Scott
I just figured out what a ****tail is. I was trying all the usual 4-letter suspects, and none was making any sense.
T'appears the curseword filter is calibrated a little high, moderator!
This won't mean anything to our American friends, but Jeremy Paxman sampled the stuff during his television documentary about the Victorians (screened last night in the UK) It was dripped through a spoon containing sugar. He grimaced and said he'd stick to drinking Scotch!
Have a blinding night Doc!:y:y:y
Hills, from the Czech Republic, is a good choice. No worry about it not containing the "active ingredients", trust me it does the job just fine. It is an acquired taste though; no one I know likes the taste. I once described it like a mixture of turpentine and mouthwash. I can tolerate it if prepared in the traditional Czech fashion.
I like Lucid, myself. Though I prefer not to burn the sugar cube. Just pour the absinthe over the sugar, and then slowly drizzle the ice water over it and if you do it slowly enough it will dissolve the sugar away. I think the proportions I liked the best were 1.5 oz absinthe to about 4 oz water. Or maybe it was 2 oz water. Been a while.
Lucid doesn't taste like candy licorice so much as herbs, at least to me. I think you'll like the experience.
Me and two of my friends were planning on pitching in on a bottle of Jade PF 1901
http://www.absintheonline.com/acatalog/PF1901.jpg
We still haven't gotten around to it, let us know how you like the Absinthe bar Doc.:tu