Absinthe: A Ban To Get Animated About

Taft2016

Taft2016

Verified User
Absinthe was once banned for completely faulty scientific studies. However, elements of the ban remain in effect in the USA, whereas the rest of the world enjoys the authentic article.

http://absinthe.msjekyll.com/usa.shtml

What's wrong with USA absinthe?

Essentially, it's not the real deal. The difference between USA-style absinthe and the genuine European stuff is like the difference between an instant decaf and a cup of freshly ground Jamaican Blue Mountain: the first is merely a hopeful approximation of the second.

I don't wish to single out Lucid as there are now other brands of "absinthe" available in America. But Lucid was the first, and it is a very fitting example of just about everything that's wrong with absinthe in the USA.

As per outdated TTB/FDA regulations, all USA-approved absinthe must test thujone-free. For those of you who don't know, thujone to absinthe is what caffeine is to coffee: it's what gives it its "buzz". It's the substance that pretty much defines absinthe as a drink, the substance that sets it apart from any other alcoholic beverage ever made.

The nonsensical FDA regulations present a serious obstacle for any absinthe distiller wishing to enter the American market. The choice: either rape the very soul of the Green Fairy and deliver an absinthe-like abomination, or keep out of the USA.

As a result, the American consumer is left with watered-down off-brands made solely for the USA. Lucid isn't sold in Europe at all (nobody would buy it over there), and the USA version of Kubler is not the same Kubler that's available in Switzerland, to give two examples.

As a result, many European distillers that have been making the real stuff for generations will not make it to America's bars and stores anytime soon.

As a result, don't expect to dance with the Green Fairy.
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Abraxas said:
From their FAQs.

Do you sell authentic Absinthe?
Yes, all our Absinthes contain wormwood (artemisia absinthium). All our Absinthes are authentic European Absinthes, which means the recipes aren´t modified for the US market: We sell the Real Deal.

http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/shop_content.php/language/en/coID/10/product/FAQ#authentic
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Of course if you are saying that you want the same stuff that the French Impressionists drank and caused Vincent van Gogh to cut off his ear then you will be most probably be out of luck.
 
That's interesting.

Their FAQ didn't answer my question: If it is illegal to sell it here in the USA, is it legal to receive it by mail?

I think what they sell in Europe is basically what the Impressionists drank. The chemical in absinthe got a bad rap when scientists injected mass amounts of it into lab rats, which drove the rats bananas.

To get that dosage from drinking absinthe though, would require amounts that would cause death long before madness.
 
Taft2016 said:
That's interesting.

Their FAQ didn't answer my question: If it is illegal to sell it here in the USA, is it legal to receive it by mail?

I think what they sell in Europe is basically what the Impressionists drank. The chemical in absinthe got a bad rap when scientists injected mass amounts of it into lab rats, which drove the rats bananas.

To get that dosage from drinking absinthe though, would require amounts that would cause death long before madness.
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"...drove the rats bananas..."

I wasn't aware that rats had bananas and how in the hell did they drive them, in the first place? :dunno:
 
Taft2016 said:
That's interesting.

Their FAQ didn't answer my question: If it is illegal to sell it here in the USA, is it legal to receive it by mail?

I think what they sell in Europe is basically what the Impressionists drank. The chemical in absinthe got a bad rap when scientists injected mass amounts of it into lab rats, which drove the rats bananas.

To get that dosage from drinking absinthe though, would require amounts that would cause death long before madness.
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That is answered as well!

Do you ship Absinthe to the US?
Yes, we do ship Absinthe to the US on daily basis since the year 2001. The delivery is guaranteed but you MUST be of legal drinking age to visit our site.
 
Abraxas said:
That is answered as well!

Do you ship Absinthe to the US?
Yes, we do ship Absinthe to the US on daily basis since the year 2001. The delivery is guaranteed but you MUST be of legal drinking age to visit our site.
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No, that doesn't answer the question about it being legal to receive it in the mail. If liquor stores can't sell it, can I legally receive it in the mail? Yeah, I'm of legal age, and I'm sure I'll receive it, guaranteed. But will it be legal?
 
Why is this THE ONE to get animated about? When you insure that I am not compelled to subsidize alcoholics then you can be a fairy.
 
Abraxas said:
Why don't you ask them!

http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/shop_content.php/language/en/coID/7/product/Contact
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There is this as well.

It is illegal to sell thujone containing absinthe in the US for human consumption.

It is illegal for someone outside the US to sell thujone containing absinthe to someone inside the US.

It is not illegal to purchase thujone containing absinthe for personal use in the US.

It is not illegal to purchase thujone containing absinthe for personal use from outside the United States

Thujone containing absinthe can be seized by US customs (if it appears to be for human consumption).

http://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.php?ID=2693
 
Abraxas said:
Thujone containing absinthe can be seized by US customs (if it appears to be for human consumption).
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Lol, how could it appear any other way?

It's a very odd arrangement. I'd like to have a bottle in my home, but am not willing to risk becoming some sort of federal test case over it.
 
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