Where in Paris Can You Buy Absinthe?
January 19, 2005 7:29 AM
Absinthe in Paris? (+)
I have a friend coming back from school Paris in a few weeks. As an amateur booze collector I'd love to have a bottle of real French absinthe in my bar. Can anyone suggest locations in Paris to purchase absinthe (she buys her liquor at the supermarket and hasn't seen any there), and any good brands in the 40-60 Euro range? Factor in taste as well as visual coolness and/or historical import.
Additional information: I live in Ontario. The only absinthe sold at the LCBO is Hill's, from the Czech Republic, which I haven't tried. It's $86 CDN (~53 Euros) and I haven't read good reviews of it so I'm hoping there's a possibility of getting some better quality stuff for around the same cost.
As a backup, are there any really good French liqueurs worth getting instead?
I have a friend coming back from school Paris in a few weeks. As an amateur booze collector I'd love to have a bottle of real French absinthe in my bar. Can anyone suggest locations in Paris to purchase absinthe (she buys her liquor at the supermarket and hasn't seen any there), and any good brands in the 40-60 Euro range? Factor in taste as well as visual coolness and/or historical import.
Additional information: I live in Ontario. The only absinthe sold at the LCBO is Hill's, from the Czech Republic, which I haven't tried. It's $86 CDN (~53 Euros) and I haven't read good reviews of it so I'm hoping there's a possibility of getting some better quality stuff for around the same cost.
As a backup, are there any really good French liqueurs worth getting instead?
No I recently looked into this, and unless my information suddenly is incorrect, anything you can buy open in a supermarket or such is not going to be absinthe. It'll be wormwood and have some absinthe, but think of it as ditch weed where as absinthe of old was one-hit-wonder.
posted by geoff. at 7:48 AM on January 19, 2005
posted by geoff. at 7:48 AM on January 19, 2005
http://www.absintheonline.com/
Despite huge amounts of misinformation and extravagant overpricing on the Internets, I can vouch for the quality discretion and speed of the above site. They only have good absinthe, and they are honest. You might want to try ordering yourself, or use as a resource to find the good isht.
Acoording to my resident expert, Jade is the best, followed by Fougerolles and then Un Emile. Haven't tried Jade yet (although a bottle has just arrived at my friends place) but man the Fougerolles is delicious!
posted by 31d1 at 7:55 AM on January 19, 2005
Despite huge amounts of misinformation and extravagant overpricing on the Internets, I can vouch for the quality discretion and speed of the above site. They only have good absinthe, and they are honest. You might want to try ordering yourself, or use as a resource to find the good isht.
Acoording to my resident expert, Jade is the best, followed by Fougerolles and then Un Emile. Haven't tried Jade yet (although a bottle has just arrived at my friends place) but man the Fougerolles is delicious!
posted by 31d1 at 7:55 AM on January 19, 2005
And here's one of the few good FAQ's on the subject. There's a ridiculous amount of misinformation out there, and this one comes highly recommended by my friend, who truly lives the life and has for some time now.
posted by 31d1 at 7:59 AM on January 19, 2005
posted by 31d1 at 7:59 AM on January 19, 2005
When I was in Paris last spring, there was a wine shop on the Ile St. Louis that had a few types of absinthe. I wanted to get some, but decided instead to tote back a mega-bottle of Champagne instead. The wine shop was approximately across the street from the 'Our Ancestors the Gauls' semi-famous tourist-trap restaurant.
posted by norm at 8:35 AM on January 19, 2005
posted by norm at 8:35 AM on January 19, 2005
Seconding the above: The stuff labelled "absinthe" in France is not real absinthe, which is illegal there. It was still legal in Spain last I checked, though, so if your friend is planning a trip to Barcelona...
posted by occhiblu at 9:14 AM on January 19, 2005
posted by occhiblu at 9:14 AM on January 19, 2005
As a backup, are there any really good French liqueurs worth getting instead?
My bf brought back a bottle of Vedrenne Supercassis with him from his trip to France. It's a blackcurrent liquor that you can mix with just about anything and it will taste lovely. You can also drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. A heavenly taste that won't rot brain cells!
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:31 AM on January 19, 2005
My bf brought back a bottle of Vedrenne Supercassis with him from his trip to France. It's a blackcurrent liquor that you can mix with just about anything and it will taste lovely. You can also drizzle it over vanilla ice cream. A heavenly taste that won't rot brain cells!
posted by AlexReynolds at 9:31 AM on January 19, 2005
FWIW, My girlfriend and I both like Hills. It may offend some purists, but it isn't too bitter and the anise flavor isn't overpoweringly strong, so we found it more enjoyable to drink than most of the other stuff. And 53 Euros probably isn't worth it. We got 750ml in Prague for, I believe, under 20 Euros, which made it ok.
posted by spaghetti at 10:16 AM on January 19, 2005
posted by spaghetti at 10:16 AM on January 19, 2005
A heavenly taste that won't rot brain cells!
Dosen't that defeat the purpose, dude?
Hahaha!
Why I laugh?
posted by jonmc at 6:21 PM on January 19, 2005
Dosen't that defeat the purpose, dude?
Hahaha!
Why I laugh?
posted by jonmc at 6:21 PM on January 19, 2005
Dosen't that defeat the purpose, dude?
Well, I mean more than usual. Wormwood can do a bit more damage than the average can of Budweiser.
posted by AlexReynolds at 7:20 PM on January 19, 2005
Well, I mean more than usual. Wormwood can do a bit more damage than the average can of Budweiser.
posted by AlexReynolds at 7:20 PM on January 19, 2005
It's now legal to buy absinthe in france but it's not strong in alcohol as it was...
...Or as the absinthe you find today in Spain or in eastern europe
It's not a popular drink anymore, it was replaced by the drink with anis : Pernod or Ricard.
And even this kind of "aperitif" are now symbols of my grand father popular culture as Tour de France, "gitanes" and "gauloises" cigarettes...
Desperado beer ! ( beer with tequila) is made in france but a lot of people here believe that it is a mexican beer !!!
posted by luis huiton at 5:50 AM on January 20, 2005
...Or as the absinthe you find today in Spain or in eastern europe
It's not a popular drink anymore, it was replaced by the drink with anis : Pernod or Ricard.
And even this kind of "aperitif" are now symbols of my grand father popular culture as Tour de France, "gitanes" and "gauloises" cigarettes...
Desperado beer ! ( beer with tequila) is made in france but a lot of people here believe that it is a mexican beer !!!
posted by luis huiton at 5:50 AM on January 20, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by borkingchikapa at 7:46 AM on January 19, 2005