Absinthe

OnixxFilth · 03-13-2005, 12:17 PM

I'm posting this query here because it regards a thing I wish to include in a story I'm writing. Anybody here have any experience with absinthe and can describe what it's like for me? I want to get my info right and not sound like a total idiot when writing about it. Nothing worse than someone trying to write about something without knowing about it and coming off as an ignoramus.

drgnlvr · 03-13-2005, 02:07 PM

Well, sadly, I can't tell you what the real, Eurpoean Absinthe tastes like, but I can tell you what the American Absinte tastes like...and it's some nasty shit!

Take a bottle of Nyquil, and add 10x more licorice flavoring, you you've got it! *BLEH*

But if you can get past the taste, it gives a nice buzz that makes you not notice time passing.

Disfunction · 03-13-2005, 03:36 PM

Absinthe:

Well my first time with absinthe was an interesting one. I started off with just a bit of it in a glass, deciding it probably best to make the slow progression. At first, I didn't really feel that much, but after a period of time I began to feel the effects of the hallucination. Everything became skewed, and along with the high alcohol content, I began to see things that weren't actually there, my mind slowed to an extent that somehow balanced the effects of intoxication between the two chemicals.

After the first 20-30 minutes of talking to Tony the Tiger, I decided it was time to make my way to the other side of the room to talk to the leprechaun from all of those wonderful lucky charms advertisements (if you haven't realized that I'm bullshitting all of this by now, please, read on... as I will inevitably lose all motivation to continue with this mindless facade). After a while, I began to realize that this wasn't a leprechaun at all, rather, it was the fabled green fairy for which this murky liquid had been nicknamed. We had a long conversation about the existential ramifications of a religious view based purely off of humanistic intent to control the masses through circular arguments of little importance, as well being one resulting in a financially dependent relationship giving way to the continued existence of such diluded views.

The adventure was thoroughly more interesting still, as I subsequently drank more and more, my liver soon talking to me and informing me that I should probably stop. Never being one to take no for an answer, I coaxed my liver into processing the remaining quart of precious fluid into my system, as I was pitted into a drunken rage that lasted, as far as I can stipulate, the rest of the night.

I woke up the next morning, next to a goat... thankfully I was fully clothed. I waltzed on toward the sunset, like any good exiting character should... this lasted until the sun set and I realized I was lost and in the boonies.

Congrats, I just wasted a couple minutes of your time.

Nike · 03-14-2005, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgnlvr

Well, sadly, I can't tell you what the real, Eurpoean Absinthe tastes like, but I can tell you what the American Absinte tastes like...and it's some nasty shit!

Take a bottle of Nyquil, and add 10x more licorice flavoring, you you've got it! *BLEH*

But if you can get past the taste, it gives a nice buzz that makes you not notice time passing.

Well, I guess European Absinthe is the same nasty shit than the American, at least my reaction was *BLEH*, too, haha

Nothing for me, I prefer a glass of good red wine...

pitseleh · 03-14-2005, 05:02 AM

Yeah, I'd definitely take a glass of red wine over any hard liquor, as those substances tend to make me sick and/or nuts.

I've only tasted Absinthe once, and then not very much of it, but I thought it was pretty good. Had to leave the club soon after, though... However, I have it on good authority that to experience the really insane hallucinatory effects of Absinthe, you should go on a week-long bender. An evening of drinking will get you good and hammered, but not necessarily smooching with the green fairy.

OnixxFilth · 03-14-2005, 07:37 AM

Well, pitseleh, what sort of hallucinatory effects have people described to you? And not silly made up ones, either, Disfunction! :P Although that was a good story...I digress. I've learned that I don't even need to be drunk or stoned or anything to do very insane things- I just have to let my mind go and not think about what's logical or real. For example: I came home from going to the record store and a coffeeshop downtown, and smelled what I thought was banana bread. I was like,"Ooh, banana bread!" I followed the smell...which led to my closet. I started running around the room searching for the banana bread, and even bitched at my confused cat, who was sitting on my bed, to help me find the damn banana bread. "Bobbi, where's the banana bread? Help me find the banana bread!" I pleaded. When she continued to sit there and stare at me, I threw my wallet at her (not very hard). It bounced off and landed on her other side on the bed. "Noooo, the banana bread can't disappear!" I shrieked, as the smell (real or illusory) faded. I then stopped, thought for a minute about what I had been doing, and cracked up laughing.

secretboy · 03-14-2005, 07:42 AM

I've tried it. It was pretty disgusting. Poured over a sugar cube, is how I would do it - let the sweetness of the sugar distract a little from the bitter taste of wormwood.

It was interesting to see what this thing that Baudelaire used, but it didn't do much for me. Of course, I'm a pretty big guy, so things won't. In general, it made me pretty spacy. That's about it.

skoteinh · 03-17-2005, 04:53 AM

I have a bottle at home, bought in Prague a few years ago.

I can't say I have enjoyed it. Every time I tried, the taste just apalled me.

But maybe you can find this useful:
http://www.feeverte.net/

MrMaelstrom · 03-17-2005, 05:13 AM

Absinthe wasn't made illegal in Portugal, so it's one of the ways to get drunk cheap, quick and with quality.

Even in Portugal, the pure one is illegal. Pure meaning a blue liquid with the density of Baileys and the power of an intercontinental nuclear balistic missile. The morning after definately feels post-cataclismic and Armageddon-like.

It tastes like sweet poison. If drunk in enough quantity, it will give you allucinations (you WILL see things [in green, most likely]).

Drink it often enough in excess, and you WILL go INSANE.

Trust me, it's a fashion thing. A few years ago, it was Chartreuse. Let it go.

Find out about decent wine, decent (non-american) beer, tequilla, mezcal, gin, vodka and let it go.

You can try a TGV (Train de Grand Velocite), which is a shot of Tequilla+gin+vodka. It's like a short version of your Long-Island Ice Tea.

You can try a Kalashnikov:
shot glass with vodka
lemon slice on rim of shot glass
sugar poured on lemon slice
Absinthe poured on sugar (other burning liquid substance is acceptable, but turpentine strongly discouraged)
light it up until caramelized
put it out
lick caramel
drink vodka
bit lemon
repeat untill your conscience goes out for a break.

Try a B52, a brain, a Dragonballz, etc, etc, etc...

skoteinh · 03-17-2005, 05:33 AM

Mr. Mael, I don't think Onixx wants to experience the effects of absinthe first hand, she just wants to write about them!

P.S. Great tips though!

OnixxFilth · 03-17-2005, 10:37 AM

Exactly, skoteinh! :lol: Besides, something that strong would likely kill me, or do something very nasty to my system- I'm on an antidepressant and have to watch my alcohol intake- the strongest thing I've ever drunk was either a Sex on the Beach or a pina colada, which had 10% alcohol. By the way, what's Chartreuse? I read about it in Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite and it intrigued me.

rosaf · 03-17-2005, 12:25 PM

I tried it once. I was attending a Moulin Rouge shadowcasting at a convention, and they had the real thing as a prop. I only had about 1and a half shots just to try it out. It was very strong. Tasted like jagermeister mixed with rubbing alcohol, and had the consistency of cough syrup. It burned like nothing I've ever tasted before. And you know how strong liquor burns your throat and sometimes your upper chest while it goes down? Well the burning didn't stop there. I felt it go all the way down. One guy said he even felt burning in his colon. I will tell you that my companion was sick as a dog. His chest was all congested and he had a 104 fever that we couldn't seem to break. After 2 shots of this, he felt great for about an hour. His chest and sinuses were clear and he had a ton of energy. He did some research about it later and said he found out it was originally or may still be made with cocaine. As far as I can report, there were no reports of hallucinations or insanity. I hope that helps.

Jane13 · 03-17-2005, 12:54 PM

I wrote a story last summer about a guy that was an alchoholic, and I mentioned absinthe a few times. The only reason I don't post it is because we did a peer critique thing, and the two people who read it said it was "scary" and "Overly dramatic". Oh-well.

MrMaelstrom · 03-17-2005, 12:56 PM

Yup, yanks can't hold their liquor, much like the english... There's something to that genetic heritage thing after all.

There, this piece of lame xenophobia should get some people warm 'round here.

OnixxFilth · 03-17-2005, 04:05 PM

Hehe, well, I'm more than half German, but I never will be a very big drinker! :lol:

Jane13 · 03-17-2005, 04:43 PM

Well, German=beer, Polish= Vodka, Hungarian= wine (and absinthe is legal there

), so I should be invincible when it comes to alcohol! Hey, my friend's mom said there was this guy in her neighborhood when she was a kid, and his lastname was "Keyhall", so the called him "Al Keyhall". Sorry, that was really random. Al Keyhall.

OnixxFilth · 03-21-2005, 07:45 AM

Hehe, it's okay if it's random- random can be good!

Both my boyfriend and my mom jokingly call me an alcoholic because I have a drink almost every night. It's a joke becaused I only have one, not many.

Patricia · 04-05-2005, 12:56 PM

I buy from La Fee Verte.

I'll be honest - if you aren't a fan of black licorice, drinking Absinthe is no fun at all. The company I purchase from offers both Parisian Absinthe and Bohemian Absinthe. It all tastes like licorice and rubbing alcohol, unless you get the shooter strength of the Parisian, which just tastes like licorice.

All that whining and moaning is even after the Absinthe is sugared and diluted. Straight, it burns like the dickens all the way down. Watered it just tastes awful.

I've drank up to 1/2 a bottle in a sitting. Basically, you just feel giddy: very happy, very sparkly, easily distracted, easily preoccupied, big grin. My boyfriend of two weeks told me that he loved me, we pissed in a very well lit public parking lot (and I was all glammed out in an ankle length green dress with a black PVC waist concher too . . .), we made crazy promises to one another, we talked about childhood and creativity . . . I guess Absinthe gives you the ability to go on and on about absolutely nothing important.

Luckily, he still loved me the next day and still stood beside the crazy promises.

In a group setting, time gets weird. People tend to get hot and remove their clothing. People also get impulsive and talk endlessly. After Absinthe, I usually remember the night in a series of snapshots rather than a continuation. Also, the only time I have ever blacked out was Absinthe related.

An Absinthe hangover is weird too - not so much headachy as a feeling of detachment from reality and not giving a damn about how other people feel. Their reactions become quite academic.

I think your emotions effect the way the Absinthe hits you. I have had fun, bright giddy nights where the moon was the most beautiful thing in the world and I've had night that involved screaming, hysteria, and nudity (in a bad way.) It just depends.

No hallucinations. They think people hallucinated because of the cheap ingredients used to make the Absinthe (rubbing alcohol, anyone?) rather than the wormwood itself.

I really wanted Absinthe to taste like a Mojito, but oh well. Absinthe is a good indulgence for long weekends, mixes extremely poorly with other alcohols, and makes me miss my vodka.

MrMaelstrom · 04-05-2005, 01:14 PM

Try a B'52:

-Shot glass
-1/3 coffee liquor (Kahlua or Tia Maria)
-1/3 Baileys or Carolans
-1/3 Absinthe or Triple Sec

-Pour the last one carefully, as not to mix it with the previous drink, so it will light up properly.
-Light it up.
-Let it burn for a few seconds, as you lick the straw (so it doesn't melt while you suck on it).
-Suck on it. :twisted:
-Keep inhaling the alcoholic vapours as long as you can after you empty out the shot glass. :shock:

Seen as yanks can't hold any liquor properly other than Sour Mash, I recommend you go slowly.

Now, where did I post that Kalashnikov recipe....? And the Black Russian?!
Oh there they are, next to my Pan-Galactic-Gargle-Blaster (Terran version)

OnixxFilth · 04-06-2005, 07:37 AM

Heh, I don't want to be able to "hold my liquor"- I'm content to be a lightweight. I've never actually been drunk, not even on my birthday. I guess my fear of "accidentally" getting drunk is from the fact that my soon-to-be-ex stepdad is an alcoholic. That and the fact that I'm on Celexa and I don't know how it would interact with a large amount of alcohol. I also only weigh like 125, so it wouldn't take much to take care of me! :lol:

Solumina · 04-07-2005, 02:18 PM

Hey don’t use weight as an excuse. I can hold my liquor and I’m only 115…then again I am Irish

skoteinh · 04-08-2005, 01:31 AM

Actually, as far as I know, the more fat one has in their body, the least able they are to "hold their liquor"... that is why women get drunk easier than men, because, on average, men have less fat in their bodies than women.

At least, that's what I've heard

Deadhymn · 04-08-2005, 11:14 AM

actually Skote, you're right! Fat metabolizes alcohol much quicker than muscle. someone with a very high percentage of muscle mass would take more to get drunk than someone without the higher percentage of muscle over fat in their bodies. Imagine what it takes E_E to get drunk.....

WolfMoon · 04-08-2005, 07:37 PM

Ah, so Mael's implying we're all fat americans?

That's okay,I heard Portuguese are better drinkers than lovers.

:wink:

OnixxFilth · 04-10-2005, 05:04 PM

Hehe, well, that's just the popular conception of Americans. It's weird- I don't even exercize or anything but I just don't seem to gain weight!