Dispelling the Myths of Absinthe
Even the ocassional imbiber should have heard of Absinthe. Sometimes called the “green fairy”, it is a 140-proof green liqueur made from fennel, anise, and wormwood leaves. Absinthe dates back to 1792, but has been banned in the US and many other countries for almost 100 years.
Known for its alleged ability to induce a unique state of mind, appart from a regular alcoholic intoxication, absinthe has been consumed by such writers and artists as Baudelaire, Picasso Rimbaud, Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde, and Van Gogh.
The main reason for banning absinthe was the fact that it contains an ingredient called thujon, which is poisionous. The irony of this is, drumroll please… all alcohol is a poison!!! However, that is not the point. The point is that it has never been proven that there is enough thujon in absinthe to hurt you at all, despite the terrible accusations that have plagued it for so long…
Enter Ted Breaux, water sample tester by day, absinthe aficionado by night. Breaux used the gas chromatography-mass spectrometers in the lab of his company, Environmental Analytical Solutions Inc., to not only discern whether the drink was poisionout, but also to unlock what exactly goes into good absinthe, and how to make it.
Ted Breaux has contributed a great deal to the modern revivival of *true* absinthe, and I think everyone should read this great article about it and him, at wired.com.
Breaux is the creator of Lucid brand absinthe, which in 2006 became the first genuine absinthe to gain approval for legal distribution in the U.S. since 1912.
I personally have not consumed alcohol in at least 6 years, because I enjoy being sXe (to learn more about sXe, or straght-edge, go here and search for “Subject: 1. About straight-edge”) and frankly, I could be dangerous on alcohol (ask Amme or any of my friends about that!), but that doesn’t mean I demonize alcohol, or those who drink it. Much the opposite, I am very interested in the history of some alcohols, especially one as unique and infamous as absinthe. So go there and learn a little something. Remember, “If you haven’t learned anything new today, the day is lost…”
Updated:
See also:
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org
Absinthe Party – WOMBAT 3 on Flickr by Hiku
There’s now a Wikipedia article on Lucid.
evan, 
Doody 2:51 am on 11/12/2005 Permalink
Haha, thats funny because one of my professors is originally from either Poland or Germany (I can’t remember which off the top of my head). He is a big connoisseur of alcohols. He was talking to us one day about Absinthe in Europe. Aparently they keep huge stocks of that stuff in stores over there because American tourists go nuts for that stuff because its 140 proof.
euicho 4:42 pm on 11/15/2005 Permalink
Wow, if they just want high-proof, they have a couple US-legal options:
Bacardi 151 (151 proof)
Everclear [190 proof (can't buy in Maine)]
there must be others but I am no expert. Hell, I don’t even rember what beer tastes like!
evan 2:26 am on 12/22/2005 Permalink
yeah here’s the thing about absinthe, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. and yeah the trip is better than the alcoholic intoxication. if you drink absinthe to get hammered you’ll be sorry. if instead you rip a shot or 3 and wait like 10 minutes or 1. in between shots you’ll be tripping “sack” in no time. peace out all my straight edge homies who read this, hope the edge is treating you well. oh and if you aren’t straight edge, smoke pot.