Why oh WHY does Absinthe have to taste so bad? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Chingal0 · 08-20-2005, 01:48 AM

So I'm sipping on a glass of Absinthe at 2:45 in the morning, asking myself why subject myself to this kind of torture? It's so bad that I've contemplated puking multiple times, but considering the fucking bottle cost me 70 bucks, that's not going to happen. The taste is really not that pleasing, even with sugar, etc.

Oh well, I guess I have no choice but to man-up and down this green shit.. Bleh.

Misz · 08-20-2005, 02:02 AM

Why not buy something nicer?

Chingal0 · 08-20-2005, 02:05 AM

I totally would have, but it was kind of one of those, my friends were buying it and the shipping was 90 bucks no matter if you bought 1 bottle or 100. Origionally we were supposed to try it together to see how the different kinds were, but I'm the only one with any left.. oh well.

Misz · 08-20-2005, 02:55 AM

Go make a bums day or something like that and buy yourself something nicer.

Lak · 08-20-2005, 03:44 AM

Why does it taste horrible? It says why, right there on the bottle - "89%"

raeanna74 · 08-20-2005, 03:54 AM

What exactly does it taste like. I've heard it has a licorice/peppermint flavor mixed with a woody flavor from the wormwood. Dunno. Anyone able to describe it?

Charlatan · 08-20-2005, 05:42 AM

I love Absinthe and its lovely anise flavour. Send you bottle here and I will finish it for you.

Borla · 08-20-2005, 03:29 PM

I have about 1/8th of a bottle left myself. I can't stand the taste either.........somewhat of a licorice taste as mentioned, but very bitter at the same time. It's hard to descibe, but I can't get it to taste good with sugar, adding ice, nothing.

hunnychile · 08-20-2005, 03:58 PM

Never drink something you don't like.

Life's too short to drink drek! There are so many better, nicer tastier adult beverages out there that are fabu for $70 or less. But then, I live in the Napa Valley.

Fremen · 08-20-2005, 04:39 PM

You know, if someone made a drink and named it Dreck, then charged $6 for it, people would buy it?

Absinthe would look good on my shelf, where it would stay.

xepherys · 08-24-2005, 11:20 AM

FYI-

Absinthe that cheap (not that $70 is cheap, per se) is NOT going to be good. Chances are it has a low thujole content (the stuff that makes ppl WANT to drink it), and probably a lot of filler chemicals to make up for it (often bitter and NOT good for you). A DECENT bottle of real absinthe will cost upwards of $150. A GOOD bottle will go for $225 or so (yes, US Dollars).

Sue · 11-01-2005, 11:32 AM

searched around for Absinthe on here, so I'm bringing this thread back up. I had a bottle sent to me from the Czech Republic. It's REALLY good.

REALLY strong, but REALLY good.

I haven't even had 1/2 of my glass yet and I'm pretty comfortable.

Goodness gracious.

Charlatan · 11-01-2005, 11:36 AM

I've since done a bit of reading about Absinthe and the vast majority of stuff that gets passed off as Absinthe is garbage. The OPs tastes bad because it is a good example of garbage.

Sue · 11-01-2005, 11:58 AM

Er....... OP's?

fresnelly · 11-01-2005, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue

Er....... OP's?

<u>O</u>riginal <u>P</u>oster

ie: Chingal0

Sue · 11-01-2005, 12:25 PM

ah ok. sorry, I'm a lightweight with this stuff (absinthe that is)

WillyPete · 11-01-2005, 03:34 PM

Wanted to bring this back up because of a decent article in Wired:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/absinthe.html

Quote:

So Breaux decided to make some himself. He found a French-language history book with "pre-ban protocols," a vague description of how absinthe was made back before it was outlawed. Armed with the protocols, he prepared a batch in the lab. The result? "Not very good," he concedes. "I couldn't imagine that being the most popular liqueur in France."

He got his chance to taste the real thing in 1996, when a friend spotted a bottle marked "old French liquor" at an estate sale. They were asking $300, and Breaux, seeing it was a vintage Spanish Pernod Tarragona absinthe, immediately wrote a check. When he got it to his lab, he plunged a syringe through the cork, extracted one precious sip, and downed it. "It had a honeyed texture, distinct herbal and floral notes, and a gentle roundness uncharacteristic of such a strong liquor," he says. "Those protocols were crap."

Quote:

Nouvelle-Orléans is just one absinthe formulation Breaux has mastered. He also makes re-creations of pre-ban bottles. He shows me one that he just distilled, based on an Edouard Pernod absinthe, and I'm dying to taste it. Breaux begins to prepare it in the traditional French manner, a process as intricate as a tea ceremony. First he decants a couple of ounces into two widemouthed glasses specially made for the drink. A strong licorice aroma wafts across the table. Then he adds 5 or 6 ounces of ice-cold water, letting it trickle through a silver dripper into the glass. "Pour it slowly," he says. "That's the secret to making it taste good. If the water's too warm, it will taste like donkey piss."

Quote:

Breaux's conclusions were vindicated in early 2005, when a food-safety group working for the German government tested pre-ban absinthe. Dirk Lachenmeier, who ran the study (called "Thujone - Cause of Absinthism?") concluded that absinthe is not any more harmful than other spirit drinks. But the biggest vindication came at the Absinth des Jahres contest in 2004, for which expert judges sampled newly distilled absinthes from all over the world. A little-known candidate, Nouvelle-Orléans, garnered perfect scores and won a gold medal. "Without doubt, the release of Nouvelle-Orléans was a milestone in the history of modern absinthe," says Arthur Frayn, one of the judges. The distiller? Ted Breaux.

I'd also venture that what you have is ban-friendly 'absinthe'. ie: it isn't really absinthe due to restrictions on it in the US, just labelled that way to separate you from your money.

Lebell · 11-01-2005, 04:33 PM

Yeah, I read that Wired article too.

Piqued my curiosity.

Zyr · 11-02-2005, 02:25 AM

As I was reading this thread, I was thinking "I must link that story". Oh well.

The only absinth you can get here (NZ) is horrible stuff, only good for getting drunk quick. I'd like to get hold of some real stuff, as I have begun to drink for the drink, rather than the drunkeness (not that that isn't also fun), tequilla being my current drink of choice.

It's interesting to note (from that article) that there's almost no thujole (the chemical, to which the madness absinth is thought cause, is atributed) in good absinth.

08-20-2005, 01:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
Chingal0 Something like that.. Location: Oreygun.	Why oh WHY does Absinthe have to taste so bad? So I'm sipping on a glass of Absinthe at 2:45 in the morning, asking myself why subject myself to this kind of torture? It's so bad that I've contemplated puking multiple times, but considering the fucking bottle cost me 70 bucks, that's not going to happen. The taste is really not that pleasing, even with sugar, etc. Oh well, I guess I have no choice but to man-up and down this green shit.. Bleh. __________________ "Eventually I became too sexy for my gym membership fee."

08-20-2005, 02:05 AM	#3 (permalink)
Chingal0 Something like that.. Location: Oreygun.	I totally would have, but it was kind of one of those, my friends were buying it and the shipping was 90 bucks no matter if you bought 1 bottle or 100. Origionally we were supposed to try it together to see how the different kinds were, but I'm the only one with any left.. oh well. __________________ "Eventually I became too sexy for my gym membership fee."

08-20-2005, 03:44 AM	#5 (permalink)
Lak Insane Location: New Zealand	Why does it taste horrible? It says why, right there on the bottle - "89%" __________________ ignorance really is bliss.

08-20-2005, 03:54 AM	#6 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	What exactly does it taste like. I've heard it has a licorice/peppermint flavor mixed with a woody flavor from the wormwood. Dunno. Anyone able to describe it? __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

08-20-2005, 05:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I love Absinthe and its lovely anise flavour. Send you bottle here and I will finish it for you. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

08-20-2005, 02:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
Misz Tilted	Why not buy something nicer?

08-20-2005, 02:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
Misz Tilted	Go make a bums day or something like that and buy yourself something nicer.

08-20-2005, 03:29 PM	#8 (permalink)
Borla Junkie	I have about 1/8th of a bottle left myself. I can't stand the taste either.........somewhat of a licorice taste as mentioned, but very bitter at the same time. It's hard to descibe, but I can't get it to taste good with sugar, adding ice, nothing. __________________ Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde!!!!

08-20-2005, 03:58 PM	#9 (permalink)
hunnychile Alien Anthropologist Location: Between Boredom and Nirvana	Never drink something you don't like. Life's too short to drink drek! There are so many better, nicer tastier adult beverages out there that are fabu for $70 or less. But then, I live in the Napa Valley. __________________ "I need compassion, understanding and chocolate." - NJB

08-20-2005, 04:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
Fremen With a mustache, the cool factor would be too much Location: left side of my couch, East Texas	You know, if someone made a drink and named it Dreck, then charged $6 for it, people would buy it? Absinthe would look good on my shelf, where it would stay. __________________ Google

08-24-2005, 11:20 AM	#11 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	FYI- Absinthe that cheap (not that $70 is cheap, per se) is NOT going to be good. Chances are it has a low thujole content (the stuff that makes ppl WANT to drink it), and probably a lot of filler chemicals to make up for it (often bitter and NOT good for you). A DECENT bottle of real absinthe will cost upwards of $150. A GOOD bottle will go for $225 or so (yes, US Dollars).

11-01-2005, 11:32 AM	#12 (permalink)
Sue Teufel Hunden's Freundin Location: Westminster, CO	searched around for Absinthe on here, so I'm bringing this thread back up. I had a bottle sent to me from the Czech Republic. It's REALLY good. REALLY strong, but REALLY good. I haven't even had 1/2 of my glass yet and I'm pretty comfortable. Goodness gracious. __________________ Teg yw edrych tuag adref.

11-01-2005, 11:36 AM	#13 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I've since done a bit of reading about Absinthe and the vast majority of stuff that gets passed off as Absinthe is garbage. The OPs tastes bad because it is a good example of garbage. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

11-01-2005, 11:58 AM	#14 (permalink)
Sue Teufel Hunden's Freundin Location: Westminster, CO	Er....... OP's? __________________ Teg yw edrych tuag adref.

11-01-2005, 12:25 PM	#16 (permalink)
Sue Teufel Hunden's Freundin Location: Westminster, CO	ah ok. sorry, I'm a lightweight with this stuff (absinthe that is) __________________ Teg yw edrych tuag adref.

11-01-2005, 04:33 PM	#18 (permalink)
Lebell Cracking the Whip Location: Sexymama's arms...	Yeah, I read that Wired article too. Piqued my curiosity. __________________ "Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis The ONLY sponsors we have are YOU! Please Donate!

11-02-2005, 02:25 AM	#19 (permalink)
Zyr Crazy Location: Hamilton, NZ	As I was reading this thread, I was thinking "I must link that story". Oh well. The only absinth you can get here (NZ) is horrible stuff, only good for getting drunk quick. I'd like to get hold of some real stuff, as I have begun to drink for the drink, rather than the drunkeness (not that that isn't also fun), tequilla being my current drink of choice. It's interesting to note (from that article) that there's almost no thujole (the chemical, to which the madness absinth is thought cause, is atributed) in good absinth. __________________ "Oh, irony! Oh, no, no, we don't get that here. See, uh, people ski topless here while smoking dope, so irony's not really a high priority. We haven't had any irony here since about, uh, '83 when I was the only practitioner of it, and I stopped because I was tired of being stared at." Omnia mutantu, nos et mutamur in illis. All things change, and we change with them. - Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602