I have been interested in Abisenthe since reading James Ramsey Ullman's "The Day On Fire" , 40some years ago, have been planning to get it illegally but now I can just order it. Sooooo you say , get to it! Right after the Holidays. Also I will be going to San Francisco for xmas and plan to go to an Bar that specializes in Absenthe drinks. So that will be my first drink for the New Year. Ok I hear yuh already , shut-up-and-drink. Happy Holidays all....

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IMO burning _good_ absinthe is an abomination. The traditional way to drink absinthe is diluted with cold water, possibly with sugar added. The Czech absinthe fire ritual developed in the 1990's and should be considered to absinthe drinking what doing funnels is to beer drinking-- a party thing for people looking to get all messed up. Remember, kids: burn your fuel and drink your booze-- not the other way around!

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Agreed, #2 - I'd never suggest flaming up the good stuff, but when life hands you Hill's, you might as well get a show along with your cocktail.

All in good fun.

Kat - AOL Food

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Funny. I was tempted to vote "yes, I'd try this" in the main article this is linked to, but even though that was the question, there was no appropriate answer. Card stacking?

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I ordered a bottle of the Lucid a few months ago. I tried the sugar cube ritual and just the look of it made me not want to drink it. It looks like old dish water. The taste was odd. I tried to find something to hide that taste and all I came up with was put it in something kind of licorice tasting so now I mix my with root beer. OK it sounds crazy but it tastes good enough to at least get it down this way. THE BUZZ YOU GET FROM IT IS WORTH THE NASTY TASTE. IT IS DEFINITELY NOT YOUR AVERAGE ALCOHOL BUZZ. IT IS A GOOD FEELING KIND OF BUZZ. I NOTICED ALL THREE TIMES I DRANK IT THAT IT MADE ME HUNGRY ALMOST LIKE WHAT YOU USED TO HEAR FROM POT SMOKERS GETTING THE MUNCHIES. Its not for everyone and when mine is gone I probably won't buy it again but I at least did try it.

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Come on people, now it is just another alcohol based drink- it no longer contains the narcotics of the 19th century so why ban it any more than say Tequilla or Gin. Maybe this is a sign that America is being slighly less prudish.

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no chance i will tocuh that crap

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fire louching is for college kids drinking czech swill, and trying to be Johnny Depp. It goes right down there with jello shots. Checkout youtube for a tutorial-look for the suave,french guy. Then of course, you can check out the Johnny Depp scene, and the others for kicks. BTW-thujone, the active ingredient in wormwood was never a narcotic. It may be considered a mental stimulant, hense the sense of clarity while..um, in a stupor:-) Some did however mix laudenum into their absinthe-again, see the Johnny Depp clip.Absinthe was declared illegal due to a smear campaign by the French wineries after a severe drought destroyed their crops. Absinthe was declared the National Drink of France at that time, so the wineries spread propaganda, and it took. So enjoy your Absinthe, and don't worry about cutting your ear off, or going on a killing rampage. Manson, the kid from Columbine,and taliban all drank milk.

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Drank it for years, actually prefer quality Absinthe louched with ice cold water only - sugar makes it too sweet. Have NEVER "fired" it and never will. Love the hint of anise and light subtle flavors. No hallucinations, no hang overs, no headaches.
It has actually been available in the US for years, but nothing beats it in a cafe in Paris in the Spring.

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Fasote-

You are incorrect. Absinthe is still made with wormwood (artemesia) which, when prepared properly has a slightly narcotic undertone. It's not your standard alcohol based drink. It is similar to Jaegermeister, in that you get the alcohol buzz and then something slightly more like a pot buzz that does not last as long.

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Wonder if it'll make her clothes fall off like Tequila.

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The wormwood was to sweaten the narcotics that this was originally distilled from...

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Agreed, lighting the absinthe on fire is an abomination. There are a lot of good (and a few GREAT) absinthes out there, and below is a URL for a site that reviews them. What new or inexperienced people fail to see is that you don't drink absinthe to get f***ed up- this isn't your generic Bacardi or Jack. You drink it to savor and enjoy it... the "ritual" or doing the ice water thru the sugar on the spoon thing is part of that. Do you HAVE to do it? No, but IMO it helps with the anticipation and the savoring of it. Good absinthe is like good wine, or a good old single malt- meant to be savored, not slammed. This isn't some frat boy, get-drunk-and-screw stuff- at least, it's not supposed to be.

Absinthe reviews can be found here: http://www.feeverte.net/guide/archives.html

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Lighting GOOD absinthe on fire is an abomination. Lighting Hill's, etc. on fire is, well, you're not losing much, and you're gaining a light show.

Once people find out that you're an absinthe fan, they'll give you absinthe in the same way that they'll give you kitty figurines if they find out you like cats. Might as well put it to use.

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Thujone is the narcotic that is said to cause the halucinations. There are recipes available. You can go to www.erowid.com to obtain more info on the stuff.

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Well it's about TIME America! The "land of opportunity" is finally going to let us enjoy a very
interesting drink and I'm happy. I had my first (and only thus far) experience with "La Fee Verte" over New Years this year in Berlin. (I wanted to go all out and have a big time New Years). So there was a pub crawl and there was everything from beer to vodka and all sorts of spirits they were pouring down our drunken throats! Each bar had a different drink, and the guide fed us vodka in between stops. I had heard of Absinthe mainly due to being Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson fans. So to end the bar crawl we took a shot of Absinthe and it was definitely interesting. No spoons or fire or fanfare, just a shot.I look forward to trying it again soon!

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I learned to drink it about 3 yrs ago on a trip to Russia. the bar tender lites the sugar and drops it in, then rotates the glass to coat the sides and pours it into another glass for you to drink. The burn glass is turned upside down while still burning and you pour the last drop of your drink on the bottom of the burn glass. Now with a straw that is running into the inside of the burn glass, you inhale the vapors. You will feel it in your finger tips. And the last drop on the bottom of the burn glass? ... you snort it with another short straw.
1 shot feels like a small hit of pot.
2 shots and you start a small trip like LSD
after 3 shots done this way you will feel like you are looking out the side of your head .. with both eyes on one side.
Be ready for this if you try it ... not at all like a booze buzz

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Wow, all of you posters are so informative. I am actually going to try some. Thanks

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I've had the good stuff sent to me from Europe 'not for human consumption'. I just got 'Lucid', and I enjoy it enough not to want to pay the high shipping!! Never cut my ears off, and it doesn't make me see monsters under my bed/ at least not any new ones!!!!

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jbeanzz - have you ever studied chemistry or cultural histories of the world before WWII? Absinthe was originally made out of the dregs of the opium poppy base - after both morphine and heroin were extracted. Once there was nothing else they coud get, they then added water and sugar to ferment. Once fermented they added wormwood and a few other herbs then distilled. This is the version that scared the French Goverment. The absinthe I have had in Eastern Europe was the modern variety made of distilled wormwood. Big difference.

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