Absinthe

[omnivorette]

I have a bottle of the real stuff - from Switzerland - sitting unopened for over a year. I'm intimidated by it.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I've been mail-ordering from Alandia for years with no problem. I've heard stories that 10% of the time, their shipments get nabbed by the government but mine have never been.

 

They offer guaranteed delivery to the US:

 

All orders to the US include our valued ALANDIA delivery guarantee. You will get your order sound and safe or we will refund you your money. Please respect that ALANDIA is only suitable for those who have reached the legal drinking age of their country of residence. We are very happy to share with you the spirit of the Green Fairy. In the year 2001 ALANDIA went online supported by Absintheurs around the world ALANDIA developed into one of the leading Absinthe shops on the market. Our mission statement is to bring you back the intriguing World of Absinthe and therefore we are focusing on a broad assortment of Absinthe, traditional accessories and antiques. Welcome to ALANDIA, Welcome to the World of Absinthe!

 

Over the years, I have tried about a dozen styles from as many countries and prefer the Clandestine Bleue 72 from Switzerland. Omni, might this be the one that you have? Nothing to be intimidated about... a lovely drink.

[omnivorette]

A dozen countries produce Absinthe? Are you sure? I don't think so.

 

I'm upstate so I can't look at the bottle until Sunday night. Absinthe originated in Switzerland, and it was illegal in Switzerland for a long time, and made legal again just a couple of years ago. However, some old time producers never stopped making it...we have friends who managed to buy it when it was forbidden.

[Carolyn Tillie]

A dozen countries produce Absinthe? Are you sure? I don't think so.

 

I'm upstate so I can't look at the bottle until Sunday night. Absinthe originated in Switzerland, and it was illegal in Switzerland for a long time, and made legal again just a couple of years ago. However, some old time producers never stopped making it...we have friends who managed to buy it when it was forbidden.

 

 

From the Alandia site:

 

France

Spain

Germany

Austria

Swiss

Czech

Andorra

Bulgaria

Brazil

Italy

America

Corsica

Portugal

South Africa

[omnivorette]

You've tried Absinthe from all those countries? When it was illegal? How'd you manage that? How long have all those countries been producing the real stuff?

 

 

"America" ???

[Carolyn Tillie]

You've tried Absinthe from all those countries? When it was illegal? How'd you manage that? How long have all those countries been producing the real stuff?

 

 

"America" ???

 

The American version does not contain thujon but has been produced out of New Orleans for years. As far as I know, many of those countries have been producing it for years as the "ban" was not worldwide. I don't know specifics on which country had it illegal when, but I believe the Czech republic has been producing the widest varieties.

 

And as to how one "manages to obtain and consume illegal substances," I'm sure you'll understand if I don't explain specifics. Suffice to say it is possible and has been done.

 

By the way, there is a HUGE thread that started way back in 2002 on eG which still has legs. If you have the time to go through its ten pages, I'm sure a lot of your history questions will be answered. I have been in and out of that thread over the years.

[omnivorette]

I assumed you were talking only about the real stuff - the fake stuff has always been easy to obtain. I just don't think a dozen countries have been producing the real stuff for any length of time.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I assumed you were talking only about the real stuff - the fake stuff has always been easy to obtain. I just don't think a dozen countries have been producing the real stuff for any length of time.

 

In the 80s, I had a good friend who had several bottles of "vintage" absinthe. It was French and very old and quite lovely. So for me, my first experience was over 20 years ago and it was the real stuff. In the 90s, various friends started introducing me to products they have been finding in their travels, mostly from the Czech Republic, Poland, and other Baltic countries. I can't attest to whether it was the real stuff or not, but they were labeled as such.

 

Then, with the rise of the Internet, over the past six to seven years, I have been ordering a LOT from Alandia and that is when I started trying all the "new stuff."

 

So while a dozen countries may not have been producing for as long a time, my time span of having over a dozen in as many years is still correct.

[rancho_gordo]

Aren't Pernod and Ricard basically fake absinthe?

I've always wanted to try it and even have a recipe for home brewing and I've grown wormwood many times but never got around to it as gin is easy enough to find.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Aren't Pernod and Ricard basically fake absinthe?

I've always wanted to try it and even have a recipe for home brewing and I've grown wormwood many times but never got around to it as gin is easy enough to find.

 

I've always thought so, as well as Absente - the ultimate fake Absinthe.

[Orik]

I assumed you were talking only about the real stuff - the fake stuff has always been easy to obtain. I just don't think a dozen countries have been producing the real stuff for any length of time.

 

fortunately reality isn't affected by what you think.

[Carolyn Tillie]

I assumed you were talking only about the real stuff - the fake stuff has always been easy to obtain. I just don't think a dozen countries have been producing the real stuff for any length of time.

 

fortunately reality isn't affected by what you think.

 

But often is by what you drink!

[balex]

I bought some artisanale pastis at a aplace in Marseille called "La Maison du Pastis" and had a long conversation with the owner about absinthe. She was very scathing about the products made in the East because she said, the herbs were macerated and not distilled and this made them very bitter. There were perhaps a dozen different types of absinthe for sale there.

 

(eta a link La Maison du Pastis has a history of absinthe)

[peppyre]

I purchased some Czech absinthe about 5 years ago (in Manitoba before it was available here) and found it very very bitter. Now I like bitter, but this was too much for even me. I would still like to try some original stuff or even old stuff, but with our archaic liquor laws in Vancouver This is our only option.

[Behemoth]

I bought some artisanale pastis at a aplace in Marseille called "La Maison du Pastis" and had a long conversation with the owner about absinthe. She was very scathing about the products made in the East because she said, the herbs were macerated and not distilled and this made them very bitter. There were perhaps a dozen different types of absinthe for sale there.

 

(eta a link La Maison du Pastis has a history of absinthe)

 

Interesting. I actually tried both a French and a Czech version a while back and found this to be the case. The french kind was pretty mild, but the Czech brand was so bitter it was practically undrinkable. My source is someone I consider very reliable when it comes to taste in alcohol so I just assumed it was some regional variation. But would macerated herbs cause the same sort of light refraction as distilled? I don't see how the oils would be as small and uniformly suspended throughout the liquid.