Absinthe

Where you REALLY get absinthe in Paris these days -- or anywhere in France??? I%26#39;ve seen that the bar in Hotel Fromentin serves it, but NONE of the review of the hotel even mention it.

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My brother asked me to bring back absinthe from Paris (he%26#39;s in his 20s and thinks its cool because of the high alcohol content). But I%26#39;ve heard it%26#39;s illegal in the U.S. Is that true?

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There is an interesting story about a scientist from Louisiana, T.A. Breaux, who became very curious about absinthe and started investigating its mysteries. Read more about him here:

http://www.vintageabsinthe.com/history.php

There is a good deal of general information here:

absinthedirectory.com/absinthe/absinth.html

These sources shoud lead to purchase locatoins and options.

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I drank absinthe in Prague--it was horrifically disgusting. I can%26#39;t stress enough: it does not taste good, no matter how much sugar you put in it, no matter which expensive brand it is. Of course, drink it anyway! Mediachick: it is illegal in the U.S. Customs will take it from you (or worse) if they search your stuff. Isn%26#39;t it also illegal in France?

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I bought it in the duty free shop at CDG. It was $11 for a small bottle. My college age son and his roommates wanted it.

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I%26#39;m with spailey

its foul....

foul foul

if theyre looking for a hallucinogen theres plenty of other methods that taste much better

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But are they legal???

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There is a new formula that makes it legal now in France. There was a thread on this a few months ago.

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According to a friend of mine in Homeland Security (which used to be customs), absinthe continues to be illegal in the U.S. I%26#39;ve actually had really good absinthe from Spain, and some made in France years ago. But I also like pastis a lot, and absinthe is similar. The stuff from Czech republic is, in fact, so vile I would never try it again.

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Real absinthe is illegal in most places because the flavouring (wormwood, I think) will build to toxic levels in your system, although I seem to remember that it addles the brain (rather like syphillis does I believe the description I read said) quite a while before it kills you.

Last night sitting in a local bar I saw a bottle of Absinte, which appears to be a non-toxic substitute. I have no idea how much or little its flavour resembles the real thing, but you could try it and see for yourself.

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Absinthe with thujone is illegal in most of Europe and also is illegal to bring it to the US. Most the Absinthe traded commercially is w/o

thujone and has no restrictions, you can even buy it through the internet in the States. Basically it is a bitter green anisee and that%26#39;s why is diluted with sweetened cold water. Pernod originated from detoxified Absinthe .

I been told that the full strength absinthe can be bought in Andorra and the Czech Republic but can not attest to it.