SomeoneAbsinthe
August 23rd 2006 02:46
I recently tried absinthe and while I had heard a lot about it I really wasn't prepared for what it would taste like. Almost everyone is familiar with the greenish tinge associated with the drink, the strong alcohol content (the one I tried was apparently the strongest legal absinthe in Australia 70%) and to not such a great extent the "wormwood" (the supposedly mind altering ingredient in the drink).
Straight up it tasted like mint Listerine that had been diluted with methylated spirits, very strong stuff indeed. Later I tried a shot of absinthe which had the ice cold water poured over a sugar cube on the spoon (resulting in a milky coloured liquid) and set a light, which tasted infinitely better, actually quite enjoyable.
Absinthe has always been associated with hallucinations and while I had drunk what I thought was a decent amount I didn't manage to see any leprechauns trying to steal my wallet or similar. The drink has also had its fair share of negative connotations as it was blamed for a lot of violent crime and was banned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While undistilled wormwood oil contains a substance called thujone (the main component apparently responsible for the hallucinations [which there is currently no evidence for], often used to flavour food and in high doses causes kidney failure) I am inclined to believe that the problems associated with the drink are more likely due to the very high alcohol content.
All said and done I did enjoy my first absinthe experience and while I didn't see anything freaky I do believe that if I'm offered it again I will definitely give it another shot. However for $22.50 for 100 mL at the boutique liquor store that has just opened up in Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne I don't think it will be my next purchase.
Straight up it tasted like mint Listerine that had been diluted with methylated spirits, very strong stuff indeed. Later I tried a shot of absinthe which had the ice cold water poured over a sugar cube on the spoon (resulting in a milky coloured liquid) and set a light, which tasted infinitely better, actually quite enjoyable.
Absinthe with spoon
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Comment by Adrian
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I get the impression that some sort of restriction on it was recently lifted?
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Absinthe has always been legal in Australia, Spain and a few other countries. The product is pretty much legal globally now so there is practically nothing available in Europe that cannot be sold here, with a very few exceptions, because our food laws are aligned with Europes. Food law harmonisation in Europe has also opened up the global market - which is why we are seeing more products out here now
The hallucination thing is a myth.
More on this will be found at www.absinthe.com.au in coming months.
Comment by Anonymous
Anything from the Czech republic is 'absinth' a different drink all together. Basiclly methylated sprirts with thujone supplement, flavour and colour. Horrible stuff.
If you wish to enjoy a good GENUINE absinthe substitute, you can pickup a bottle of Pernod at your local bottle-o for about AU$40.00. It tastes similar, but don't add sugar.
Last but not least: PLEASE DON"T BURN GOOD ABSINTHE!!! Absinthe is meant to be drank diluted with water and sugar, NEVER put a flame anywhere near the drink, it will just ruin it!!!
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