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The Ten Most Recent Comments By Billy_Ous

From Talk

What the heck do I do with absinthe?

"For what it's worth, many real Absinthes (not fake herbal infusions or oil-additive liquors) are perfectly delightful without the addition of sugar"

Fake herbal infusion? Faked since 1866?

The Independent Liquorist:. by L. Monzert, Practical Liquorist and Chemist, Published by Dick & Fitzgerald, 18 Ann Street, New York, 1866:

151.- Absinthe

Take 26 ounces of fennel seed.
5 ounces anise-seed.
13 ounces liquorice root.
8 gallons alcohol 95 per cent.
6 do. water
4 ounces peppermint.
12 ounces wormwood.

Let the whole infuse ten days. Press it in a fruit-press, and filter through a paper pre-pared filter. (See filter No. 1.)

Also you are totally wrong about sipping absinthe neat, EtherMaiden. Chilled water is added to release the herbal oils and thereby the absinthe effect. Real absinthe is not available in the USA unless you wish to be suckered by the hype. Absinthe kits are a good cost effective way of making this historic beverage & as you see Americans have been doing it since 1866 :-)

Billy_Ous at 1:28PM on 02/12/08

Responses to Comments by Billy_Ous

From Talk

What the heck do I do with absinthe?

Buy some Peychaud's bitters and a bottle of Old Overholt straight Rye whiskey and make a Sazerac. It's quite a nice drink. Absinthe poured over a little cracked ice makes a nice digestif after dinner. We did both at Christmas, Sazeracs before and on the rocks after,

NO_Pam at 10:54AM on 02/13/08

From Talk

What the heck do I do with absinthe?

Forgot to mention that it was "almost" prohibitively expensive (for me) -- about $50 for 750mL. If I hadn't been so fascinated by the whole absinthe story, I probably wouldn't have bought it. But I do want to try it, and the fact that it has been illegal in the U.S. and is now LEGAL just piqued my curiosity too, too much!

Editmom at 10:08AM on 02/13/08

From Talk

What the heck do I do with absinthe?

I just bought a bottle of Lucid, which is considered "real" absinthe, here in Georgia. The guy at the liquor store told me they've reduced the amount of wormwood used, which is the stuff that makes you want to cut off your ear to use it as a dinner dish? But the back of the bottle says this:

"LUCID is formulated by world renowned Absinthe expert T.A. Breaux and is distilled in strict accordance to traditional French methods. ... Each bottle of LUCID is carefully prepared by skilled craftsmen, using ancient copper Absinthe alembics. Unlike most contemporary imitators, LUCID is distilled entirely from spirits and European herbs, and uses no artificial additives or dyes. LUCID recalls the rich tradition of Absinthe, and is crafted using a full measure of Grande Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), green anise, sweet fennel, and other fine European herbs traditionally used in making fine Belle Epoque Absinthe."

Anyway, I can't wait to try it. I'm waiting for a suitably festive occasion with friends to do the whole ritual. Plus, the bottle is beautiful! Black bottle with green glowing cat eyes on it.

Editmom at 10:04AM on 02/13/08

From Talk

What the heck do I do with absinthe?

In a pinch you can sub a dinner fork or that fancy sterling silver cake spatula that is getting tarnished in the drawer (with the cut outs) for the spoon. If you went to those websites I am sure they had a picture of one (mine is flat anyway even though technically "the spoon") so you have an idea of the concept.

Then sit back and await the face numbing - head tingling effects to begin! Fun stuff!

sparkalina at 4:25PM on 02/12/08

From Talk

What the heck do I do with absinthe?

@chiff0nade - thanks for the article. Interesting.

I did some checking on my particular bottle, Le Tourment Vert, and it's not exactly ranked A #1, but it's awful purty, and I'm sure will still be wonderful for experimentation.

@kerosena - I shall report back. Unless I fall into a Beaudelarian/Poe-ian funk and slash my lace covered wrists with decadence eternal.

chisai at 4:03PM on 02/12/08