Absinthe

Has anyone tried absinthe and can you please tell me the taste and effect. I saw bottles of it in Pague earlier this year and I Googled it to find out that the Czech also have a Bohemian style of it. I believe Paris was once famous for the liquer and I am curious to try it. The web says it%26#39;s like a mild narcotic so I%26#39;m not quite sure. Anyone have a comment?

|||

Forget it! It tastes DREADFUL and I wouldn%26#39;t waste my money. Drinking is supposed to be a pleasure. Drinking absinthe is definitel not a pleasure.

|||

The absith you can find in France doesn%26#39;t contain thuyone (the toxic substance derived from wormwood wich made the absinth famous for in the past).

You can still find old bottles of thuyonic absinth in Czech Republic (but with the EU rules, this may not last).

The legal Legal EU absinth you find in Paris is just a strong alcohol, very close from Pastis.

|||

Much of the%26#39;.. history..%26#39; of Absinthe is romantic fiction. These days, it%26#39;s simply an anise-flavoured apéritif with a slightly bitter after-taste. The notion that it had a hallucinogenic effect may have been true....but the narcotic effect and hallucinations could also be equally true if you drank enough of any other spirits (I once saw bright blue frogs hopping across a room with no floor...and had Sophia Loren make an impassioned pass at me...on bourbon...or maybe it was gin?). It%26#39;s certainly possible that some brands back in its heyday %26#39;..fortified..%26#39; their product with other %26#39;..additives..%26#39; but these days, that simply doesn%26#39;t happen.

But what the hell...give it a try...

|||

Absinthe ~ Ha!

This past summer we had lunch in a great Seafood restaurant in Cannes. The kids (19 %26amp; 22 %26amp; 24) ordered one of the day%26#39;s specials, %26quot;Lotte%26quot;, which we%26#39;d had before, but this one was cooked with absinthe, which we thought was a wine of sorts. It took forever but when our food began to arrive, with it came a beautiful %26quot;Lab%26quot; ~ an ornate decanter, a burner, a long silver spoon and sugar cubes in a crystal bowl. We hadn%26#39;t a clue what to do with this, so the waiter held a demonstration of sorts.

It tasted horrible and their fish was only just OK. And to top if off, the bill was enormous (so much for thinking the %26quot;daily%26quot; would be a good choice). We had only ourselves to blame for not asking more questions LOL. It was quite an experience...........

|||

Thanks for all the comments. It sounds horrible...we shall see.

|||

Hi,

If you are so curious about ist, why not simply try it? Just talking about food and drinks doesn%26#39;t teach you much ;-)

If you like it, okay. If not, you know why ...

Petra

|||

If by %26quot;absinthe%26quot; you mean %26quot;pastis%26quot; (Ricard, Pernod) is does certainly NOT taste horrible (who ever gave you that idea ?).

It is a wonderful, not too strong, drink for a break on a terrace, resting your legs. Comes with ice cubes, plus a little bottle jar of cold water on the side. Tastes a little of licorice/anis. It is important that you pour a fair amount of water in the drink you are served, or else it is definitely too strong.

|||

Absinthe is dreadful but the stuff you get here is drinkable and will have between 55 and 68% alcohol, in Spain you can get some even stronger at 85% but at this alcohol percentage I guarantee you don%26#39;t taste much. In the Czech republic you find indeed some of the real stuff, I though wouldn%26#39;t want to know how that tastes...

|||

Shopgirl ~

%26quot;All this talk about food.........%26quot;

I mentioned the food because of the elaborate presentation of the speciality %26quot;drink%26quot;; it seemed to be a ceremonial accompaniment to that particular fish dish. The wait staff certainly made a big show of setting it all up.

As a curious person, I wondered if perhaps it was a regional custom. I posted %26quot;our %26quot; experience with the absinthe, because this French forum does %26quot;occasionally discuss%26quot; matters, other than which hotel to book , or where to get the best museum pass.

|||

Soames:

my answer %26quot;don%26#39;t talk, drink%26quot; was adressed to the poster ...

I personally find discussions on food/drinks or other stuff like that more interesting too.

But discussion means, everyone has an experience with something to share ... The question: What is it like? can%26#39;t be really answered in 1000 years in words, only be experienced with one%26#39;s own senses ...