Absinthe?
 

I'm Christmas shopping for my brother and I'm curious, what do you all think of Absinthe now that the "real" stuff is available?

Somehow booze with a reptuation of having a psychotropic effect seems perfect for him even if the effect is largely overstated.

Is Absinthe any good? Is Lucid a good brand? Is it better if you do the sugar cube/Ice Water thing or some other way?

I'd like to try it.
:)

I'd drink it.

I've found this is the best site for rating Absinthe.

I have some Kuber at the moment which is quite tasty but clear/white so it looses the "green fairy" appeal.

A lot depends on how you feel about the licorice taste of many absinthes, while the good one's get more herbal flavorings, the licorice is a prdominant taste which makes some people dismiss it right away.

While some say the sugar is unnecessary for contemporary absinthes, I confess I love the ritual associated with the drink - it's own tea ceremony - besides it's easy to pick up the spoons these days - I found them at Bevmo.

I am still looking for the glassware though.

and don't forget the old adage: Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder.

Tried it once at a post-wedding party in Vegas. Absolutely vile tasting.

I could be wrong, but nobody at the party seemed to actually like it for itself but rather simply because it was somehow daring to be drinking it. But maybe I was being overly cynical (I don't like licorice so it was no surprise I didn't like the taste of it).

I knew you'd be a conoisseur! :snap:

OP, if you're looking for go-with reading for a bottle of absinthe, Baudelaire is it.

€uro served me up my first Absinthe not all that long ago and I absolutely loved it. However, it should be noted that I am a huge fan of that black licorice flavor, so that I think went hand in hand with it.