Proper absinthe technique.

December 26, 2004 3:03 PM

OK, head management question ... Kids away, new man, gift bottle of Absinthe from Parisian friends. Is it the 'right' nectar for a romantic evening? We are, um, experienced drinkers dying to try it ... on the other hand, we want to create the right, you know, buzz. Will this do it? How do we cook it?
posted by thinkpiece to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

I adore the stuff. Soak a sugarcube in it, place the cube on a spoon above the glass, light it on fire, and then douse it with water. Stir, enjoy the cloudy mixture. If you drink it in moderation, it's not as crazy hallucinogenic as some accounts have you believe, but it's certainly a unique drunk, strangely clearheaded and aware, with the potential for craziness sneaking up on you. Drink slowly and see where it takes you two. Cheers!
posted by muckster at 3:11 PM on December 26, 2004

Read some Hemingway and remember it's 90% mental.

(Thank your friends for an amazing present)
posted by sled at 3:18 PM on December 26, 2004

Ernest Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon:
"Pour 1 jigger of absinthe into a champagne glass. Add iced champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink 3 to 5 of these slowly."
posted by kenko at 3:25 PM on December 26, 2004

Absinthe FAQ's
posted by ericb at 3:37 PM on December 26, 2004

Need to get me some Parisian friends.
posted by FlamingBore at 3:48 PM on December 26, 2004

The wikipedia article on absinthe suggests the "cooking" ritual is relatively recent and not necessary.
posted by zadcat at 3:48 PM on December 26, 2004

It's technically illegal in the U.S., right? Not a judgement, just asking.
posted by bingo at 3:54 PM on December 26, 2004

yep.
posted by FlamingBore at 4:02 PM on December 26, 2004

The Wormwood component is illegal in the U.S. The bottles of "Absinthe" sold here do not contain said hallucinogenic component.
posted by basicchannel at 4:21 PM on December 26, 2004

Which is best, because wormwood is bad, bad news.
posted by waldo at 5:37 PM on December 26, 2004

But without the wormwood, it's not really absinthe, right?
posted by squidlarkin at 6:21 PM on December 26, 2004

Wormwood is very bitter but is not immediately toxic. It may not be something you'd want to ingest every day, but it has been used medicinally (as a vermifuge - hence the name) and was used as a flavouring agent for a long time (vermouth is another name for wormwood - as is chernobyl!). Close relatives of the plant include mugwort, which has also been used as a flavouring herb, and tarragon. So I think the original querent should relax and enjoy.
posted by zadcat at 6:33 PM on December 26, 2004

"Absinthe" is just a fancy Pernod with some extra bitter flavouoring. It's not really that exciting. And while wormwood-infused absinthe may or may not be illegal in the US, you can buy wormwood by itself at an herb store. I made a wormwood flavoured liquer one time. It's quite nasty.
posted by Nelson at 6:36 PM on December 26, 2004

What will make absinthe a contributor to a romantic encounter is the ritual, primarily, and the toxic phenomenon secondarily.

Therefore, be sure to take pains to adhere to ritual. Either everyone involved will get off on this, or you'll retire to the rented copy of King Arthur and shake hands in the morning, having learned all you need to learn.
posted by jimfl at 7:04 PM on December 26, 2004

Sweet. I also got some absinthe for xmas and was just about to search for preperation methods. I love ask.mefi.
posted by trbrts at 8:11 PM on December 26, 2004

Either you'll find the taste fascinating or you'll think it tastes like abject ass. The wormwood itself is not hallucinogenic or anything else. As Nelson said, absinthe is Pernod with an herbal flavoring that was banned by the FDA. If it weren't for the hype, it would be just another liqueur.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:15 PM on December 26, 2004

(Rather, Pernod is absinthe without the herbal flavoring that was banned by the FDA...)
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:15 PM on December 26, 2004

I had some serious back-alley stuff in Spain: 180 proof, high thujone content. I split the bottle four ways and did the whole ritual with the sugar cube and the fire and whatnot. It's really the only way to do it. Also, since I despise the taste of licorice, I chased with a fanta orange. Despite my having about 8 shots of the stuff, I never felt drunk, just extremely alert. It was the night Reagan died, and I remember running through the halls of my hostel shouting "It's the end of an era!" at all the Canadian and German kids.
posted by TheGoldenOne at 8:32 PM on December 26, 2004

If you mix it with Red Bull, you can see Kylie Minogue.
posted by muckster at 10:23 PM on December 26, 2004

My 2c: at more than 50% alcohol by volume, absinthe is far more alcoholic than anything you are used to drinking, unless you are big fans of green Chartreuse or cask single malt. So never mind the possible psychedelia, just take it slow for the ethanol's sake - that alone will give you the "I'm perfectly lucid but my legs are pissed" feeling.

I drank half a bottle of Czech absinthe one night. Definitely a stoney drunk, kind of interesting, but not something I need to make a part of my life. Worth doing just to see what happened, though.

I drank it on the rocks; I have a notion that like green Chartreuse, it would be dynamite drizzled over real vanilla ice cream.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:35 PM on December 26, 2004

And following on from this, here's another thing I can tell you from experience. If the romance gets the better of you, don't be tempted to pour it on each other. Raw ethanol is hell on the mucous membranes.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:37 PM on December 26, 2004

Also, most everyone I know feels the 48-hour hangover isn't worth the only-slightly-different-from-"normal"-alcohol effects.
posted by WolfDaddy at 7:47 AM on December 27, 2004

The wormwood itself is not hallucinogenic or anything else. As Nelson said, absinthe is Pernod with an herbal flavoring that was banned by the FDA. If it weren't for the hype, it would be just another liqueur.

I've never had absinthe, but what criteria determines whether something is "hallucinogenic" vs "just another liqueur"? Jagermeister is legal, but in my opinion it is not just another equivalent of vodka or rum - it produces a whole different kind of drunkenness (or did when I was 19 - I wouldn't go there now).
posted by mdn at 8:41 AM on December 27, 2004

Absinthe does produce a different drunkenness than, say, a gin and tonic, but it doesn't produce hallucinations in the way that, say, psilocybin mushrooms, peyote, or salvia divinorum do.

joe's spleen, apparently you Kiwis are too civilized to drink Everclear. Compared to Everclear, absinthe is a fucking wine cooler.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:35 PM on December 27, 2004

Kiwis? Civilised drinkers?

*collapses in hysterics*

If only. I am afraid there is a rich and sordid history of alcohol abuse here in the former Dominion. We're still recovering from the six o'clock swill.

I agree with the simile, but come on, anyone for whom Everclear is a regular drink doesn't need any answers from Askme, except perhaps for questions like "What is Korsakoff's syndrome" or "How much does it cost for a liver transplant", or "can I have a dolllllll-arrr?"
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:20 PM on December 27, 2004 [1 favorite]

PS: my experience is that standard drinks of every kind, beer wine or spirits, are weaker in the US, which probably explains the necessity for Everclear to juice a mixed drink up again.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:23 PM on December 27, 2004

joe's spleen, the irony was intentional--and "What is Korsakoff's Syndrome" made me fall off my chair. Love you madly.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:37 PM on December 27, 2004

*heh*. I have a rather good Pinot Noir going here. So I can fall off my chair by myself.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:57 PM on December 27, 2004