Lucid Absinthe

[jolie]

I read of this Liquor hitting some of New Orleans restaurants & bars a couple weeks ago.

Today I found it in my Liquor Store.... Besides the traditional sugar cube recipie.....Any suggestions????

[jonnygospeltent]

There is a bar in Chicago that has been selling that for a while and young yuppie kids pay 12 bucks for a shot with the sugar cube. All the old regulars say that it is a ripoff and it is not the real stuff.I'm too cheap to find out.

[jolie]

I would say for $12.00 a shot-- that would be a rip-off.

They company is not claiming to be the "real" thing, only "in the tradition of".

It's no more $$ for the bottle than a good bottle of Tequila, thought it would be fun to have around. I've heard some local restaurants have been using it in coctails....

[djgriff]

In addition to being drunk with water poured over sugar, absinthe was a common cocktail ingredient in both Great Britain and the United States, and continues to be a popular ingredient today. One of the most famous of these is Hemingway's "Death in the Afternoon" cocktail, a concoction he contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes. His directions are as follows: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."

[linza22]

I would say for $12.00 a shot-- that would be a rip-off.

They company is not claiming to be the "real" thing, only "in the tradition of".

It's no more $$ for the bottle than a good bottle of Tequila, thought it would be fun to have around. I've heard some local restaurants have been using it in coctails....

the active ingredient in the old absinthe was thujone, which is not in the new one. it's just like any other liquor now...i think....it would be fun to have in the house as a party drink..if you like the taste...but i'm drinkin' sumpin' else for 12.00 a shot!

[jolie]

In addition to being drunk with water poured over sugar, absinthe was a common cocktail ingredient in both Great Britain and the United States, and continues to be a popular ingredient today. One of the most famous of these is Hemingway's "Death in the Afternoon" cocktail, a concoction he contributed to a 1935 collection of celebrity recipes. His directions are as follows: "Pour one jigger absinthe into a Champagne glass. Add iced Champagne until it attains the proper opalescent milkiness. Drink three to five of these slowly."

Thanks!! That is perfect!! That I can do!! I bought 3 bottles of Champagne in addition to the Lucid. Who knew?? 3-5 huh? Champagne is chillin... I shall report back later:D

[jolie]

After checking some on-line sites, I noted its going for as much as $67.00/bottle.?!?!? I payed $49.00 at my butcher/liquor store. This is also where I got my Absolute New Orleans for cheaper than wal-mart was selling.

[ohio]

from wikipedia:
In 2007 the first legally available absinthe has been approved for sale in the United States. These brands must pass TTB testing, which is performed by the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chromatography-mass_spectrometry) method [65] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe#_note-58) and TTB considers a product to be thujone-free if the FDA's test measures less than 10ppm thujone

[mwgirlonherown]

I found this fascinating because I have a Jazz Fest acquaintance who always carries a small bottle of absinthe with her to the fairgrounds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[linza22]

I found this fascinating because I have a Jazz Fest acquaintance who always carries a small bottle of absinthe with her to the fairgrounds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

i imagine some folks simply like the taste...i need to give it a try! and just the name is really cool, even though its just liquor like any other.

[mightyradgumbo]

the active ingredient in the old absinthe was thujone, which is not in the new one. it's just like any other liquor now...i think....it would be fun to have in the house as a party drink..if you like the taste...but i'm drinkin' sumpin' else for 12.00 a shot!

There is thujone still in there but just not enough to keep it illegal. The Boston Globe had an article on it this week and this excerpt sheds light on the whole thujone deal.
"the testing method that was used by the FDA, which is the recognized testing method in their (the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) regulations, couldn't recognize thujone at less than 10 parts per million. If it's not dectectable under their methods, they as a practical matter consider it thujone-free"
So I guess like non-alcoholic beer being considered non-alcohol because it has such a minimal amount of alcohol.

YYR, Linza 12 bucks is hella crazy to paying for a shot.

[swag]

So if it's got 9 parts per million, how many drinks do I have to have before the madness kicks in?

[mightyradgumbo]

So if it's got 9 parts per million, how many drinks do I have to have before the madness kicks in?

I know, right? Prolly a whole lot of dinking to get that much ingested.

[jolie]

So if it's got 9 parts per million, how many drinks do I have to have before the madness kicks in?


About 4.............

[windowman]

Picked up a bottle yesterday, may try it tonight. Alcohol 62% by volume! Four of those should do the job. It was $50 at Dorignac on sale and at that price a single malt scotch would go for $10-14 a shot here in N.O. in most restaurants.

[steeleye]

I've heard that the Czech republic is the only nation making Absinthe with the old thujone-laden recipe. Everything else is supposed to contain very small amounts. $12 per shot seems like alot for roughly the same taste (but a bit more alcohol) as Sambuca.

[marignygreg]

Picked up a bottle yesterday, may try it tonight. Alcohol 62% by volume! Four of those should do the job. It was $50 at Dorignac on sale and at that price a single malt scotch would go for $10-14 a shot here in N.O. in most restaurants.

Make sure we get a review:)...I thought wormwood was the "active" ingredient ??

[festbabe]

After checking some on-line sites, I noted its going for as much as $67.00/bottle.?!?!? I payed $49.00 at my butcher/liquor store. This is also where I got my Absolute New Orleans for cheaper than wal-mart was selling.

Interesting...I wish I had a butcher/liquor store in my neighborhood. ;)

[mightyradgumbo]

Make sure we get a review:)...I thought wormwood was the "active" ingredient ??

I think the thujone is an extract from the wormwood.

[linza22]

I think the thujone is an extract from the wormwood.

it is, but i didn't think they were using wormwood any longer.

[MormonMatthew]

Hey Now ---- I just wanted to see what the verdict is on the "USA approved" Absinthe that you all tried? Did it seem worth the rather steep price? In both Spain and the Czech Republic, I purchaced some of the more top-shelf brands for around 15$ USD, and also remember paying less than 3$ for a generous drink in a bar..... Course the most recent time was over a year ago, and the dollar was in better shape then (barely). I also brought back a good bottle from Barcelona (they sell it duty free in the airport) and just put it in a carry on with no questions asked. If called on it I was prepared to plead ignorance (with me, its not too much of a strech)!!! Finally, I was talking with an old timer in Plzen, and he claimed that the thujone concentrations are miniscule in even the brands of absinthe with the highest levels, and that any "special" effects are due to placebo mentality. I am not sure however, as I had a couple of very late nights that are remembered only in flashes; still, what I do remember never fails to raise a smile!!! Have a Merry Christmas, and Cheers!!!! Matthew

[Belle]

Just had to see what I was missing

the heading.....Thujone in absinthe tells the story. Perhaps suggestion is enough to get ya going?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thujone