absinthe

goofydoofus · Post by **goofydoofus** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:36 am

last week i bought an absinthe kit online and now it is at home steeping in everclear and vodka. it should be ready by new years for the party to which a few mates and i will enjoy for the first time. any tips on consumeing this green shit? i do have the slotted spoon and sugar cubes (came with the kit) so i can drink it the traditional way. the instructions also say the one can pour a shot of it, take a spoon full of sugar, dip it in the liquid until it is saturated then light the sugar on fire until it carmalizes. or something like that. so, anyone got tips, warnings, sugestions, death threats? all welcome!

Gwynn · Post by **Gwynn** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:39 am

From Wikipedia:

Absinthe kits
There are numerous recipes for homemade absinthe floating around on the Internet, many of which revolve around soaking or mixing a kit or store-bought herbs and wormwood extract with high-proof liquor such as vodka or Everclear. Even though these do-it-yourself kits have gained in popularity, it is simply not possible to produce absinthe without distillation. Absinthe distillation, like the production of any fine liquor, is a science and an art in itself and requires expertise and care to properly manage.

Besides being unpleasant to drink [6] and not authentic distilled absinthe, these homemade concoctions can sometimes be poisonous. Many of these recipes call for the usage of liberal amounts of wormwood extract or essence of wormwood in the hopes of increasing the believed psychoactive effects. Consuming essential oils will not only fail to produce a high, but can be very dangerous. Wormwood extract can cause renal failure and death due to excessive amounts of thujone, which in large quantities acts as a convulsive neurotoxin. Essential oil of wormwood should never be consumed straight.

goofydoofus · Post by **goofydoofus** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:46 am

that would scare me if i didnt already distrust wikipedia.

Gwynn · Post by **Gwynn** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:49 am

it's true that wikipedia should be taken with a pinch of salt, but still good to know as a general warning me thinks ;-)

Lushlife · Post by **Lushlife** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:59 am

In this particular case, I think that Wikipedia is right on the money. I'm no expert, but I'm an evolving connoisseur of the Green Faerie and have done a lot of reading and everything that that Wikipedia blurb said I was thinking before I even read it.

goofydoofus · Post by **goofydoofus** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:15 pm

then ill just have to be careful drinking it.

Gwynn · Post by **Gwynn** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:48 pm

Indeed.

goofydoofus · Post by **goofydoofus** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 7:58 pm

about an hour ago i tried one oz of it with 5 parts water over the sugar cube way. wow, it taste like shit. so far im not feeling anything unusual. i did get a slight buzz from the booze in it, but thats long gone. ill have another a little later. im gonna take it slow with this stuff to let the thujone get in my system.

massivedrunk · Post by **massivedrunk** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 1:45 am

I had a few glasses of Van Gogh tonight, strong, but bitter.

goofydoofus · Post by **goofydoofus** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 11:41 pm

gar, my buddy and i didnt feel anything but drunk new years. i tried it once more lastnight and only got drunk off it. so basicly all i have is booze thats 66.5% that tastes like shit.

i did find out that it is shootable if its half an oz absinthe and half cranberry juice

Whitekiboko · Post by **Whitekiboko** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:42 am

this past summer i attempted something along these lines.... i also threw in nutmeg (for obvious reasons) and other spices to round out the flavor.... granted i was a little heavy handed with the wormwood (from the local homebrew store) but at the time i didnt know the thujone had to be extracted at temps. highers than what could be considered safe considering the proofs involved (except maybe for the sous vide route, and i lack the hardware)

i ended up with a putrid liquid the was subsequently dubbed 'swamp thing'....

used it as a bellwether for manliness,insanity and/or both...

i could never drink more than 5-6 onces of it in a sitting....