Let's talk about absinthe

[Absinthe]

In recent years this potent beverage has made a comeback with its official re-legalization. Needless to say I jumped on the bandwagon and now it's my favorite drink. For those of you who don't know, absinthe is a distilled spirit made from the distillation of grape brandy until it reaches ~54-69% ABV (some brands -- usually cheap fake ones -- reach 89% at their highest), at which point it is imbued with grand wormwood (artemisia absinthium), star anise, and other herbs. It traditionally comes as either white (blanche) or green (verte). It supposedly was originally invented as an herbal tonic in western Switzerland, but eventually became one of the preferred drinks of choice in France up until the early 1900s, when it was banned for misinformed reasons. (It was, and is still believed by some, that thujone -- a convulsant found in grand wormwood as well as mugwort and other species of artemisia -- is dangerous... but in recent years scientific analysis has proven that the amount of thujone in absinthe is so minuscule that you would have to drink hundreds of glasses of it before having a seizure... plus you obviously wouldn't get to that point before dying of alcohol poisoning... another reason for its banning was the propaganda that absinthe was hallucinogenic and drove people mad.) It was popular among artists, writers and poets, and the intellectuals of Belle Epoch France. Hemingway, Oscar Wilde, Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec and other intelligentsia enjoyed and wrote and/or painted [about] it.

Unfortunately, today, may shit brands are circulated. However there are also good ones.

Brands I would suggest:

- St. George Verte
- Jade PF 1901
- Ordinaire (sort of on the fence with this one)

Brands I would not suggest:

- Mansinthe
- Gothica
- Le Tourment Verte

[Palinka (RIP)]

We have talked about absinthe quite a lot (as a search will tell you; there are 8 pages of absinthe related material).
Also, do visit our parent site Modern Drunkard Magazine Online, where you will also find a lot of information, including this podcast and more articles than you can shake a stick at. Enjoy all this reading (and listening) material, it should keep you busy for quite a while.
Your friendly neighbourhood moderator.