A college magazine that is writing an article on absinthe recently contacted me and asked if they could interview me for the piece.

What are the talking points that the group here would like to see put forward?

Virtually nothing made in Czechia or Germany is actually absinthe.
Fire has no part in the real absinthe ritual.
Absinthe does not make one hallucinate.
Thujone is insignificant as far as absinthe is concerned.
Modern Pernod is not "absinthe without the wormwood."

Absinthe is an anise drink.
It's a cocktail, not a shooter.
It is not terribly bitter.

I'm sure I'll think of others later.

Absinthe is not an opiate, as my mixologist tried to argue about with me last night. Yep, an opiate. I was dumfounded. I wanted to be polite because he was friends with my sister and her friend. I was just out drinking with them. He said 'when was the last time you had it?' um, last night.'where did you get it?'...France..'it had a picture of Van Gogh on it, right?'..no.
Absinthe is the name of the drink. Thujone is what is supposedly responsible for any secondary effects, and I believe it is considered a convulsant. Not a pretty word, but I believe correct. How does one try to correct this, or should I just leave well enough alone. I want to bring so Eddie down to the bar where he works and let him experience it himself, but I do not think it worth it. Should I bother?

No. Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig.

I enjoy shattering their illusions in person, it's fun.

Funny, but I agree with both of you guys. I get mad and think it's funny all at the same time.
Sorry Saxon, please let ys know when your article is done.

As to classifying thujone, would ya'll say it is: a convulsant or just describe it as a compound which really has no effects on the user?

You could just be specific and call it a "monoterpine".

Information on thujone is available on the Internet. It may well have a significant effect on the user, up to and including killing him, but it's not relevant as far as absinthe is concerned, because there's not enough of it in absinthe to make a difference.

I also find it's a strong point to mention that there's more thujone in standard cooking Sage than there is in undistilled wormwood.

Close to ten times as much.

Thanks everybody. Great points.

I'm doing the interview on Tuesday and I'm told it will available in 01/06.

I'll keep the forum informed.

Good luck Saxon! Sorry to go a bit off. It seems that it is best not to classify absinthe as anything other than what it is: a distilled spirit containing mainly anise, fennel and grand wormwood with various other herbs varying on recipes.
I think it would be neat for the WS to have some sort of business card complete with logo, web address, mission statement, and some facts about absinthe. I could have handed one to that fool the other night. It would have to be two sided I'm sure...just spoutin' off at the fingertips

Mine enjoys a good song now and then, but he would rather be eating altoids.

I would suggest avoiding mention of: 1) any specific methods by which European absinthe may end up on these shores; and 2) the letters HG.

Excellent points.

If I work one up I will leave my hyperactive glands out of it.

Sorry, ya'll are talking to Saxon..but it justifies the hasty post

Huh? HG?

You got it.

If it were a sheep, on the other hand, you could get some velcro gloves and grab it from behind and...

Oh, wait. :pit:

I think you (plunger) should give some to your mixologist, drink it yourself and act like you're all smacked out, and then watch him act all smacked out, then you act normal and tell him it's really not an opiate and that he just made an idiot out of himself.

I love it when that happens. My first "absinthe" experiences were like that. A bunch of people on steepsinthe acting like they were trippin' balz. And these were serious blotter and shroom veterans. I was all: "I don't get it you guys. It tastes vile and I'm not feeling anything." I'm no fun.

Maybe you should point them to Hiram for an interview. We have enough so called "experts" spreading mis-information.

Hmm, if this is in Boston,
maybe I could help out

The first time I tried absinthe (trul1792..) I wanted to feel something so bad I think it had a placebo effect on me. I got all giggly and swore to my wife 'yea, it's doing something'. after twenty minutes I realized I was just drunk. I thought it was cool. After I did some real research into absinthe and learned some truths, when I drank it:nothing(until I tried the amer72 )

Hey, is it too late to add my two cents?

Absinthe is delicious.

The way that I describe the effects to people is as follows:
You get a different type of drunkenness from drinking beer or wine or liquor. Absinthe just gives yet another different feeling.
And after I tell people that they still think they are going to trip. I used to let them try some to prove my point, but I got wiser. Now I just let them believe what they want and keep my "stash" to myself.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. : Cheers:

What makes you think I'd spread miss-information? That's rather unfriendly and presumptuous don't you think? Have we met before? I think not. I’d remember your moustache.

Don't worry about it, Saxon. You go do what you do.

While we certainly do have experts, even experts need to start somewhere.

Go tell everybody what a gift absinthe truly is.

Besides, you might be grouchy too, if everything tasted burnt.

Jack's just ticked they keep interviewing the almighty god of absinthe, Tim Breaux instead of himself.

Maybe he's not ticked, just Burnt™

I'm not an expert at anything and never claimed to be.

I did the interview and everything went great. I did give a plug to Hiram and this site/forum. I told the writer that this is the best place on the web to cut through the BS and falsehoods that surround absinthe. It seems I should have warned to put on his thick skin before entering though.

Perhaps common civility also tastes burnt.

Burnt is not bad.

Saxon, as others have said, do not take what Jack said personally. I am not sure how long you have lurked these forums, but if it's been for even just six months you would how Jack fits in. At first I thought he was an ass(sorry) but then I got it. I am not sure, but I doubt Jack would even wish to be interviewed even though I believe he knows his stuff pretty darn well.
I believe you got good points from all who responded, none of which were false. If you did your homework on the rest then I am sure it is as good an interview that could be done. Good work mentioning the forum and its' illustrious leader, Hiram. At least it will not focus on how one man has caused an absinthe revival in the US, but rather on the drink.

I am a total ass. That's what I do.

Saxon, you have no idea how much more civil this forum is than the others. This is the absinthe bunny slope.

Jack's point is warranted. We read new articles and interviews almost every week where someone who thinks they know something about absinthe inadvertently spreads further nonsense or just regurgitates the same old crap anyone can glean from twenty minutes on Google. That, or they push the high-thujone bullshit and shill for the vendors of fake Czech crap.

Sincere thanks for mentioning the forum.

But no offense was meant.

Hiram pretty much sums it up. If you were going to write an article on nuclear physics - would you rather see Einstein or George Bush interviewed? Not that Hiram is Einstein or that you are George Bush, I'm just sayin'.

I was going to say he was Jaded™ but I figured that was too obvious.
If Jack is a total ass then that means some here think FG uses essence of Jack in their mix. Hmm... I think I'm going to stop drinking FG.


Saxon, glad it went well. Unfortunately just like with many other things the air around absinthe makes some people who know nothing think they are experts. Those "experts" end up in magazines or on TV showing off their awesome intelligence. Such as the bar owner who told a TV show absinthe was aged in wormwood casks and that's how it gets wormwoods hallucinogenic properties.

And the worms ate into his brain.

I run a forum too and believe me, I understand group dynamic. But as the admin, I don't allow members to be rude - esp. to new members. I’ve found things are much more productive when people are welcoming, civil and positive. Otherwise new members flake out or I spend all my time dealing with flame wars. I don’t mind paying for my forum’s bandwidth but I hate babysitting.

Alas, back to the topic at hand.

The interview was focused on these issues:

1. The resurgence in absinthe’s popularity.
2. Laws pertaining to absinthe.
3. The absinthe ritual.

It wasn’t a college magazine but rather a regional/metro magazine – something along the lines of Boston Magazine (which we have in these parts). I believe I presented facts that the group here would endorse wholeheartedly.

Hiram – Have no fear. I spent 30 minutes on Google! Those extra 10 minutes made all the difference.

I’ll tell you what. If I get the transcripts I'll forward them to you. If I got even one thing “wrong,” I’ll fly out to Seattle and you guys can throw rotten (or burnt) tomatoes at me. I'll warn you though, considering my catlike reflexes, I'm a hard target to hit.

Are you trying to compare "30 minutes of research" to years of being a part of The Absinthe Community™ and hundreds of Absinthes sampled?

I think the 30 minutes was a joke.

Oh Snap! That's pretty funny then.

Well, 30 minutes of google research beats out Dr. O's years in the absinthe community, so I would say, Yes it can be comparable.

Don't be dissin' O!

Now that deserves an

You are correct sir.

are you referring to the "Quilter's Corner Forum" or the "Scrapbooking 101" forum?

cause they both rock.

I thought this was Quilter's Corner??

yes, and the absinthe mosh pit is Clare Quilty forum.