Whats Absinthe going to do to me?

Post by **mdmf007** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:57 pm

Just got back from an oversees assignment and my friends brought back 25 bottles of Absinthe with us from Germany.

I just googled it, and aside from being illegal in the US, the articles just babbled about everything else but what its like to drink?

We are looking forward to BM 06. Do any experienced BMer's have any first hand knowledge of this potion? and would you suggest bringing it to the playa?

I was hoping for some insight as I dont want to find out it just gives you diarhea if drunk too much, tastes like crap, etc. I am a lightweight when it comes to alcohol, and am an extremely funny, and a loud laugher when i drink. (rarely at that)

thanks in advance!!!!!! see you all on the playa
later

noxiousnan · Post by **noxiousnan** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:04 pm

I had absinthe last year, and it was almost disappointing after years of buildup. Nevertheless, I would begin slow and get to know it, especially since you have plenty and are a lightweight. It's for sipping - no shots or chugs. It's very sweet, and similar to licorice in flavor if I recall correctly. By all means, bring some to Burning Man and share with your neighbors. There has been an Absinthe camp in the past, but don't know if they will have it this year. Someone from the camp will probably respond here, and I bow to their superiority on the subject.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:01 pm

ZOMFG IT WILL FUK U UP 4 LIFE!!!!111ONEONE I TOOK IT AN OMG TEH HOROR LOOKE WHAT TE DID 3 ME!!!11 EVOL BAD BAD!!!111ONE

Token · Post by **Token** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:41 am

Take a Vicodin with a whickey chaser and you be in a much better place.

FWIW, Sage oil packs much more Thujone and is legal in the US.

Absinthe derives most of its buzz from the alcohol and it tastes a million times worse than Jagermeister. You are better off eating raw nutmeg for the buzz.

If you think of it as moonshine, you are set.

Post by **AntiM** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:08 am

You are better off eating raw nutmeg for the buzz.

Aaaah, nutmeg. There were huge sacks of it in the souk; our parents wondered why we were so eager to go to the bazarre and buy spices. Wow, that takes me way back.

Zhust · Post by **Zhust** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:47 am

Token wrote:Take a Vicodin with a whickey chaser and you be in a much better place.

Well I guess unless you're in the mood for something a bit more classic. I got a chance to try it last year (and the year before, but I was either too drunk already or I didn't have enough.) I had about a shot worth ... it does taste very bad and I assume even if you load it up with sugar.

My own experience was that it was a mild halucinogen -- I noticed that when I'd move my head, bright lights tended to lead the darker lights. At the time I had met a woman who had a light around her neck and I asked her to turn it off because it was distracting.

I'm pretty cautious about things so I've only ever tried alcohol and pot before -- by no means am I an expert in the halucinogen world. Hopefully, though, this will give you an idea of what to expect -- I don't know what happens under a heavy dose, but given that it's about 150 proof, the alcohol will probably get to you before the absinthe-ness does.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:48 am

Be careful. Thujone is a neurotoxin; the toxins stack up in your nerve tissue and take a long time to metabolize out. Drink too much and...you go crazy and then you die.

I OD'ed on absinthe the first time I had it and I had a migraine and nightmares for three weeks that NOTHING would touch, not even prescription. Here's a ritual:

Go to Ebay and search on "absinthe spoons." Get them (don't pay more than $5, they're plentiful and don't have a lot of expensive material to them).

Sugar cube, saucer of absinthe, big jug of water. Soak the sugar cube in the absinthe until the colour comes halfway up, then set the cube on the spoon (or a fork if you didn't get them), hold the spoon over your drinking glass and pour the water over the sugar cube, drink the diluted absinthe. This is the traditional way it's been done; you can spot old absinthe bars because they have slotted tables and stone floors.

nogganoodle · Post by **nogganoodle** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:20 am

Basically, it will turn you into a dribbling mess. I'm not talking from experience, but everyone I have seen have too much of it has no recollection of anything after drinking it. Drink at your peril (Maybe that was a bit melodramatic but you know what I mean)

Rob the Wop · Post by **Rob the Wop** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 1:35 pm

<sigh>

Google alpha-thujone
Google wormwood
Google Dick's absinthe
Google distillation

Here's a link, with other links.

It is not a hallucinogen. It is a very mild buzz. If you drink a lot, you get drunk because it is typically in an extremely high proof mixture. The alcohol overrides the effects of the thujone. If someone made it for you, and they don't own a still, they don't know how to make it- it MUST be distilled.

Different countries have limits on the amount of thujone that can be present in absinthe for sale. The old Swiss formulas tend to have the most thujone. Do NOT dick around with oils. When made properly, absinthe is not dangerous. But the concentration of thujone in oils can make you overdose if you are unaware of what you are doing. It is a neuro-toxin/convulsant, don't play with it in concentrated forms.

Dr. Pyro · Post by **Dr. Pyro** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 2:07 pm

And for God's sake, make sure you bring several bottles by Barbie Death Camp; we are, after all, safety inspectors. Trust us, we know what we're doing. Right Rob?

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:11 pm

Yes. Definately. You *must* bring the bottles by the BCD&WB. All of them. Must be professionally tested and passed for inspection. The only people who are duly certified and qualified to perform this delicate inspection operation are located there. Contact Doc about this free service!

After that, you should (must) get them officially approved. Bring them by Kamp Apokiliptika for this; our local Absinthe inspectress will certify (after careful examination) that they are approved for consumption. Again, as a special for Burning Man, we are happy to provide our service free of charge. (Please provide sugar cubes.)

Remember - you *must* have the bottles and contents inspected at BDC&WB and Approved at Apokiliptika. Accept no substitutes!

In service...

bb
Inspectress #4

BigCock · Post by **BigCock** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:38 pm

... and on the off chance that the inspectors leave you any, bring it over to Newt's (in the BLD) which will be an absinthe bar this year. It's an exotic elegant elixir best drunk with foks who really love it.

Box Burner · Post by **Box Burner** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:55 pm

Abstinence will make you sober! (and maybe horny too)

Rockdad · Post by **Rockdad** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:10 pm

Bay Bridge Sue wrote:Yes. Definately. You *must* bring the bottles by the BCD&WB. All of them. Must be professionally tested and passed for inspection. The only people who are duly certified and qualified to perform this delicate inspection operation are located there. Contact Doc about this free service!

After that, you should (must) get them officially approved. Bring them by Kamp Apokiliptika for this; our local Absinthe inspectress will certify (after careful examination) that they are approved for consumption. Again, as a special for Burning Man, we are happy to provide our service free of charge. (Please provide sugar cubes.)

Remember - you *must* have the bottles and contents inspected at BDC&WB and Approved at Apokiliptika. Accept no substitutes!

In service...

bb
Inspectress #4

And of course once they are approved, tested, certified, inspected, and examined, bring that last bottle by Eplaya Bar Camp which is an official consumption station on the Playa.

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:19 am

if you take you end up with holes in your brain and look like

Dr. Pyro

AIIZ

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:31 am

Absinthe also has alpha-beta-placeboids, known to cause serious dehydration if you're not drinking enough water.

Lorgasm · Post by **Lorgasm** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:42 am

The first time I heard about Absinthe, was from reading Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing: Campaign Trail 1972. And I also remember now a painting called Absinthe. Dammit the artists name is on the tip of my tounge. Famous painting though. It showed a woman sitting at a table (blank stare expression), with a glass of Absinthe.

psilence · Post by **psilence** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:44 am

http://www.erowid.org/experiences/subs/ ... imes.shtml

Should give you the gamut of experiences. Absinthe tastes terrible, like mixing grain alcohol and liquefied black licorice, and I found that even mixing it with sugar / water per the tradition didn't really help.

The buzz almost resembled the synergy of THC + Alcohol but with a twist, and it certainly isn't your normal drunk. It's really hard to say unless you've experienced it yourself.

The friend I'll be attending BM with this year, and myself, both polished off a 1 Liter bottle of 160 proof / 25mg/kg Thujone containing absinthe in a night (4-5 Hours, and after a while because nothing seemed to help the taste we just started swigging out of the bottle. Class.) Besides some embarassment, we were no worse for the wear. Keep in mind we are bigger boys....myself 5'10 and 220lbs, and he 6'2 around 240lbs.

Hope it helps,
Joe

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:51 am

mdmf007 wrote: I just googled it, and aside from being illegal in the US, the articles just babbled about everything else but what its like to drink?

We are looking forward to BM 06. Do any experienced BMer's have any first hand knowledge of this potion? and would you suggest bringing it to the playa?

Absinthe is my preferred drink, straight or mixed. If you get any that hasn't been distilled, it will taste like an old coffin, black liquorice and vodka.

Most importantly, you will die if you drink it attempting to hallucinate. Absinthe does not cause hallucinations unless you've been drinking way too much for way too long, which is to say, months or years.

Having said that, I served two fifths of it last year and people I'd never met kept coming up asking for it, and since it was undistilled it tasted awful. I warned people not to drink it but they kept coming back.

-zb

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:12 pm

nogganoodle wrote:Basically, it will turn you into a dribbling mess. I'm not talking from experience, but everyone I have seen have too much of it has no recollection of anything after drinking it. Drink at your peril (Maybe that was a bit melodramatic but you know what I mean)

I've drank quite a bit of it; the most at once being about four shots. This is relevant because four shots of the same vodka that the stuff was produced from would leave me puking for hours.

Cheap absinthe is likely not real absinthe. A lot of people judge it by the color (which is just chlorophyll and will vary depending on the melissa, coriander, etc used and whether it's been left in sunlight to photosynthesize, which doesn't diminish the quality.)

Another measure is how quickly it turns cloudy and white--or "louches"--when water is added. High-quality absinthe may or may not do this very much at all, a very dramatic effect indicates the possibility of other chemicals added to amplify that effect and make it appear to be of higher quality.

Absinthe is typically upwards of 120-150 proof, so people drinking it attempting to hallucinate are likely to give themselves alcohol poisoning. If it's of sufficient quality it shouldn't produce much of a hangover, but "sufficient quality" means it was hand-crafted and distilled or very expensive. The shit coming of out Czech is just that. Shit.

One time I deliberately overconsumed a batch of my own. It is very much a wine buzz, particularly if it's distilled from grape spirits such as Cirac vodka. Added to that is the fabled "secondary" which is more of a feeling of lucidity and mental clarity.

The only problem is, you don't feel as ill-drunk so you might drink more. And since you don't feel ill-drunk you're more likely to spontaneously vomit if you're not careful, which is sort of what happened to me once. Having said that, usually when I puke on an equivalent amount of alcohol (I have a low tolerance) I'll puke for hours and have a terrible hangover the next day.

The distilled absinthe did not give me that hangover. I wouldn't call the intoxicant effect a "hallucination," more of a mild sensory buzz coupled with the bubbly, wine-like intoxication.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

-zb

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:20 pm

Lorgasm wrote:The first time I heard about Absinthe, was from reading Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing: Campaign Trail 1972. And I also remember now a painting called Absinthe. Dammit the artists name is on the tip of my tounge. Famous painting though. It showed a woman sitting at a table (blank stare expression), with a glass of Absinthe.

Manet, I believe.
Whoops Degas.

Lorgasm · Post by **Lorgasm** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:23 pm

That's the one. Thank you. I love her expression.

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:46 pm

Some of the Le Bleu's (which are clear, and louche to a crystal white) are phenomenal. Any Absinthe is an aquired taste, tho - some like it's (with exceptions) astringent bitterness, some can't palate it. There are other liquors which have thujone in them (orange label Jaegermeister comes to mind) but the difference, to me, is more of a flavor than a buzz.

The buzz is also dependent on quality. Cheap Ab (including the vodka tincture types, sometimes mistakenly called decoctions) in my limited experience with it is more like a shitty drunk with its resultant hangover. You can taste the difference, too - like ZB said, it will taste like it will taste like an old coffin, black liquorice and vodka. Good ab should leave you clear headed (if kinda ditzy >giggles<) afterwards, with no hangover if not mixed with something noxious. Regardless, if you're drinking it for the "trip", there are better trips available. Anyway... Good ab has a variety of tastes, none overpowering, and some with less (or none) of the anise (licorice) overtones. In fact, some are light, somewhat fruity/flowery, and dance off your tounge.

BTW - this is a warning sign. If you have ab like that, you must follow the instructions at the bottom of this posting.

The buzz is more, well... it's hard to finger. lets just say it's different. Not only does it react differently in different people, but it differs from type to type. Ask Doc Pyro. >wince< Some I remember tasting last year (which was otherwise pretty nice) left me ditzy and worthless, especially the next day.

Just remember - ALL absinthe brought to the playa (especially those noted above) must be thoroughly Quality Checked at BDC&WB (see Doc), and then rechecked and approved for consumption at Apokiliptika (see me) before it can be used on the playa. This is a requirement set forth by the powers who decide such things, to make sure you don't get ill on less than high quality ab, drink unapproved ab, or otherwise ruin your wonderful trip. We have experts standing by to grant these necessary approvals! (Note: this requirement does not appl to tinctured abs...)

>heh heh heh< (hic!)

Have a nice day...
bb

joel the ornery · Post by **joel the ornery** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:48 pm

how does one get onthe Quality Assurance team?

Ron · Post by **Ron** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:57 pm

Not to be a shit, but isn't talking about illegal drugs on board a violation of the TOS?

Well, OK, to be a shit...

;)

Ron

Lorgasm · Post by **Lorgasm** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:14 pm

Alcohol is drug...so is caffeine. Its all good.

A big shout out to my fellow supportors for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes or otherwise.

joel the ornery · Post by **joel the ornery** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:14 pm

Lorgasm wrote:Alcohol is drug...so is caffeine. Its all good.

A big shout out to my fellow supportors for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes or otherwise.

here here

Lorgasm · Post by **Lorgasm** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:16 pm

Thank you Joel.

Folks, didn't mean to jump off the Absinthe subject like that.....but....

RON STARTED IT!!

Figured since I was on the soapbox and all..well, you understand. I'm very passionate.

Peace!

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:27 pm

Rob the Wop wrote:If someone made it for you, and they don't own a still, they don't know how to make it- it MUST be distilled.

This is fact.

Hey, I'm pretty sure I met you at the Demon's Lounge last winter, and/or at Santacon.

By the way, there's a place in Mexico that sells hand-hammered copper stills for about $100 if you want a really groovy lawn ornament.

-zb

Ron · Post by **Ron** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:55 pm

Lorgasm wrote:Alcohol is drug...so is caffeine. Its all good.

A big shout out to my fellow supportors for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes or otherwise.

Hey, I'm a big advocate for ending the drug war across the board. Nevertheless, absinthe is illegal and talking about illegal drugs on the eplaya does violate the TOS, yes?

Ron, who did start it and is being a shit. :)

Whats Absinthe going to do to me?

Whats Absinthe going to do to me?

Strongest stuff ever

Re: Whats Absinthe going to do to me?