Surfing for thujone

Speaking of absinthe and Modern Drunkard (which I have recently subscribed to), I ran across this bit of fantasy sporting goodness [moderndrun...gazine.com]. Hemingway and Gleason go head to head in what must be the ultimate drinking contest. Good stuff.

I'd be interested in trying the green stuff. It sounds intriguing. Anyone have any first-hand experience with it?

In Response to jon (#5730):

I believe the green stuff made Baio go poopies in his pants.

And are you talking about the FAKE absinthe, or the REAL absinthe? They make a absinthe substitute, the Nutrasweet of highly toxic drinks, that is more readily available. Your buddies in Brittian should be able to procure a bottle of that for you.

And above all, never fall prey to a crowd chanting "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" when drinking absinthe.

In Response to jon (#5730):

In reading about absinthe it sounds like a really bitter Jagermeister. Having had my fair share of Jagermeister, I haven't had any hallucinations, just that instant "where did that come from" drunk you get from too many shots. If you want to try making some here are a few receipies: 1 [bofh.org], 2 [newspeakdictionary.com], 3 [a1b2c3.com], and 4 [ibiblio.org]. Having read them through, number 3 and 4 sound the best only in the fact that I have made a cranberry cordial and it had to sit for about a month, not a week or less. Everclear is just grain alcohol by the way. I'd try the highest proof vodka you can get before I'd mess with grain alcohol personally. Or you could just go online and buy a bottle for about $70+. I'm sure you can get your needed herbs at a good health food store if you want to try your hand at making it.

In Response to jon (#5730):

Thujone has been proven identical to tanecetone in tansy and salvanol in sage. But here's the real kicker: the molecular structure is almost identical to THC. So there you go, it's like a really potent marijuana tincture.

Absinthe was a favorite of Van Gogh, Rimbaud, Aleister Crowley, Oscar Wilde, Lautrec... it's known as "the poet's drink" and is supposed to have driven poets and artists to madness though it's more likely that it was only a small factor in the process and got a bad rep for no reason other than it was easy to blame.

As far as availability goes, you can find REAL absinthe, I believe, in Holland, Spain, and Germany. I know I saw it in Germany last summer and again in Amsterdam. I couldn't tell you if it was the real stuff in Germany but I'm almost positive it was in Amsterdam. My personal experience with Le Fee Verte (the green fairy) is limited to "I should buy a bottle of that... Shit, I spent all my money at that brewery."

Here's a good website for further information on Absinth: http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/absinthe/absinthe. shtml

Obviously, we need to get some of this for Jon.

While that may be, I'd rather his art not rely on a chemical crutch.

But if you merely meant in the sense of: We need to get him some, so we can get him piss drunk and acting stupid, and then later make fun of him for the things he did WHILE piss drunk and stupid.... Where do I chip in?

In Response to zamphir (#5736):

I think the article was fairly clear that it wasn't a crutch, it was just an "alcoholic muse on a leash".

of course, as long as I get some too, then I really don't care about the reasons people use to justify the purchase. :)

In Response to phillip (#5737):

my sister brought back a bottle of real absinth for me from the czech republic a few months ago. "king of spirits" brand - and there's a website on the bottle even. www.absint.cz

they seem to have cannabis vodka for sale in the online store there too, which i have a feeling could be some very interesting stuff as well.

the absinth is a funny green colored liquor in a clear bottle with leaves and herbs floating in it, and a picture of van gogh on the front - and it has a very bitter, strong anise flavor. i've had jager in germany and mezcal in mexico, but this is easily the strongest, nastiest stuff i've ever tasted. i did two shots, done correctly with the sugar and the spoon etc., and was sick for 48 hours straight. seriously!

but if you're actually interested in trying some of this stuff anyway, phillip, jon, whoever, say something. speaking of which, i brought some cuban cigars back from london a few weeks ago that i haven't found an excuse to smoke yet either. :-)

tim

I recommend reading this guide
http://www.feeverte.net/absinthe-guide.html
before setting out to buy any absinthe. You probably don't want to end up drinking bitter, greenish vodka.

In the UK Wetherspoons [jdwetherspoon.co.uk] a chain of very cheap pubs that all serve cask ale and have decent food, have started serving Absinth. They started around summer last year and my friends and I have really enjoyed it.

It seriously messes you up some nights, it's one of the few drinks around in terms of shots that really varies bottle to bottle and while the taste tends to be a bit to quick and harsh to identify the difference your actions later can tell you whether it was a good or bad bottle.

It's a brilliant drink and a top way to finish the evening.

In Response to GreatNeb (#5740):

No one in the UK sells real absinth. It ain't legal to sell over here. You can own it, just not sell it.

Anyone buying absinth in the uk is buying the weaker fake alternative. Sorry, GreatNeb, you've been being conned.

Germany, which I visit regularly, is a different matter. A mad dental welder I know always has a bottle or two of the real stuff. My advice is to never combine it with mead (tastes wonderful, makes you so ill) and if you're doing the sugar thing, wait a moment for the sugar to cool. Sugar and absinth probably won't make you ill, but molten sugar will!

Cheers,
Graham

I've wanted to try absinthe for a while now, and I can now thank Goats for providing me with the knowledge. I am much pleased to know that it's possible to import this frightening beverage; I couldn't find a bottle anywhere while on a trip to Spain. Congratulations, Phillip, on contributing to the delinquency of yet another liver.

Also, being introduced to Modern Drunkard as a whole is amazing. I spent all day at work yesterday reading through the archives, to the effect of having the undeniable urge to go out for drinks afterwards.

I swear that magazine is like porn for alcoholics.

In Response to timothy (#5738):

I think I may have had some of that, or another brand from Eastern Europe. While I didn't really get sick, I can't say I cared for the drink and it did make my stomach queasy. My girlfriend really liked it, but I just thought it was the third most disgusting drink I've ever tasted.

In Response to zamphir (#5736):


While that may be, I'd rather his art not rely on a chemical crutch.

Oh, this is priceless. If you only knew.

Before you put wormwood in vodka and drink it (yugh), go check out Erowid's archives. While they've got their share of misinformation, they'll at least keep you from killing yourself.

A couple of points:
* Real absinthe is most likely not poisonous.
* The difficulty of preparing the real thing led to many companies using chemicals to create the louching effect and color. Many of these chemicals were neurotoxic. Oops.
* Research says that by the time you've drunk enough absinthe to feel the effects of thujone, you're long ago unconcious due to alcohol.
* Experience says something maybe a little different.
* It can be made to taste quite good.
* Most commercially available absinthe, including the Czech brands, are colored vodka. Even the 'real' absinthe may have 40-60ppm thujone, while 1800s recipes produced ~250-300ppm.
* Whatever you do, do not drink any absinthe produced with a process that didn't involve distillation. It will hurt you and perhaps kill you.

If you're interested in more details, including best practices for flavor, etc, drop me a line. My email is available at <a href="http://www.tty1.org/~joshua">my website</a> as are some <a href="http://www.tty1.org/~joshua/archives/000005. html">photos</a> of a pretty green beverage.

"Real" absinthe can be ordered from Germany and
Spain (among other places) online:
www.lafeeverte.de
www.spiritscorner.com
www.absintheonline.com
www.alandia.de

I was buying it from someone inside the US, but
they seem to have disappeared.

Shipping serveral liters is pretty expensive and takes awhile.

I'm getting concerned that my order from Spain
has been dumped down the toilet by customs.

Absinthe is definetely a different type of drunk,
mildly psychotropic-though thujone seems to affect
some people more than others. (I guess I'm one of
the lucky ones)

hope this helps-Jen

In Response to timothy (#5738):

I was in Prague a fortnight ago and brought home two bottles of it just in time for my little brother's 18th birthday. No-one really liked it ('cept myself and some friends who've had it before). Disappointingly, my little brother and almost all of his friends kept it down...

In Response to jon (#5756):

You think I don't have at least some idea of how much your process resembles Cat Garza's? You've never stated it, but you've never said it didn't happen, either.

And caffeine doesn't count as a chemical crutch, btw. Alchohol does, but only if you regularly pass out from drinking - which I don't think you do.

And all I really said was "I'd rather". But it's not up to me, now is it?

In Response to evilaltor (#5769):

Disappointingly, my little brother and almost all of his friends kept it down

You must have forgotten to pour theirs from the 'special' bottle, then... Or weren't trying hard enough.

If Jon does get his hands on any please don't let him become the next Marilyn Manson [ctnow.com].