I've been a very casual vodka drinker all of my adult life, but a couple months ago, I discovered absinthe at the liquor store. I've become infatuated with the rituals, the mystique, the drunken artist imagery, the barware, the smells, the colors, and all things absinthe ever since. I've got myself a small fountain with matching glasses and spoons and a small collection of absinthes. I love doing the Hemingway "Death in the Afternoon" thing on weekends by diluting absinthe with champagne instead of water and getting blackout drunk. I'm doing all of my musical stuff (even though it's all trash) on absinthe now because that's what the writers of old did.

So what are you guys drinking?

I bought a bottle of Absynth a couple of years ago. It tasted like my grandmother's cough syrup from 60 yrs ago. The bottle is still full in my cabinet.

Nasty tasting stuff.

Writers of old also partial to some opium. And LSD.

Your mom's chardonnay.

On a side note, I think Keystone Light is even more hiedious than PBR.

If you mean the licorice taste, try one of the Swiss blanche absinthes instead. Kubler and Mansinthe (Marilyn Manson's brand) are both really low on the anise, so they have more of an earthy taste to them.

Despite the bad rep PBR gets, I can stomach it pretty well. The one that grosses me out is Natural Ice. If somebody shows up with that, I politely tell them that they're cheap assholes for bringing that crap into my house. If Natty Ice is the only thing you can afford, you probably shouldn't be drinking.

Addiction is strong in my family, so I'm afraid to try opium. As for LSD, I did salvia back when it was still legal and had a really nasty trip, so I'm done with psychedelics for life.

PBR and all domestic beer including the hipster IPAs are not my thing. Ive been on Belvedere lately and ive always been a bourbon guys. I cant find any Blantons atm so Ive had to sub it for Basil Haydens which isnt a bad second honestly. Gentlemans jack is another one i keep in the 1.75 as well as Hennessy and occasionally some Jameson. If you ar gonna kill yourself, at least enjoy it with the best you can while you can.

Im partial to Brandy. Especially in the Winter but air conditioned Summer is ok too.

tequila or whisky

Good stuff!

One of my favorites is Patron tequila for making Ultimate Margaritas!

Agreed, I dont do tequila, but when i do, its patron green.

Glenmorangie Lasanta

nectar of the Gods!

Hell yeah. Absinthe and Ascites

This is a crappy picture and doesn't include the Kubler or Mansinthe, but here's the absinthe fountain, glasses, spoons, and a couple bottles of lower end absinthe. The Absinthe L'Ordinaire is only twenty bucks a bottle at the local liquor stores, and it tastes surprisingly good considering the cost. The louche is nice, doesn't need much sugar, and it's not nearly as heavy on the anise as Absente. Plus since it's so cheap, I don't feel bad using it on weird bastard cocktails.

Speaking of weird absinthe cocktails, I tried a "Dirty Secret" (absinthe and coke) a couple weeks ago and didn't like it because the anise and fennel flavors conflict too much with the cola. This last weekend, I had a bizarre idea that actually worked out really well: Mountain Dew Ice (that new lemon-lime one they've ) mates perfectly with absinthe. I've been having this concoction after work every night this week and it's SO delicious. Plus the caffeine really helps with that 'waking drunk' sensation that I love the absinthe for.

My bottle of Absynth came with one of the little spoons. I've never used it and maybe that's why I didn't like the taste. I'm assuming you need sugar but how exactly do you use the spoon

Hey Charlie, what are the spoons for? Never tried Absynth before...

For me it,s either a nice single malt
Or if I,m in a drinking mood a jack and ginger with lots of ice.
Rum and cokes sometimes to change it up.

I,ve written a lot of my works with a jack and ginger next to me

You've obviously never gone to college. (Actually I never drank crap beer in college, was lucky enough to be able to afford decent beer, even then)

Hard liquor is too hard on the liver; beer/wine person here. I like IPAs but not all the time and despite the fact that so many sheeple drink it because it's trendy. Stone IPA is probably my fav. But I like most kinds of beer, just depends on my mood. Drink darker beers in the winter, lighter in the summer.

Side note on PBR, apparently they have one foot in the grave. Let's pretend that's a bad thing.

If yours came with a spoon, it was probably Absente. From what I can tell on Wormwood Society, Absente is kind of the absolute garbage of the absinthe world, even though that bottle certainly wasn't cheap. Absente was the first one I tried and I haven't come back to it to compare directly, but I do remember it being extremely heavy on the licorice flavor. Absinthe L'Ordinaire is usually cheaper at the liquor store, but from what I can gather from the connoisseurs, it's a step up from Absente. If you can get a hold of that or some Kubler (both fairly common in the US from what I can find), those are of higher quality. Kubler especially is very highly recommended, though at $75 a bottle, might not be worth it to you. Mansinthe is another common one in the US, but probably not a good one to dip your toe into because it's very nontraditional (though much higher alcohol content if that's what you're into.)

As for the spoon... Damn you. I can tell I'm already about to geek out. Hang on, let me pour myself another glass before I start this ramble.

So a thought, if you really don't like the licorice flavor, Kubler or Mansinthe may be worth a couple extra bucks to you. There is like no anise in either hardly.

Okay, so the spoon is for ritual. The tradition way to do it is to take your glass, set the spoon on top of the glass, and put a sugar cube (or two depending on how sweet you like it) on top. Then you pour your absinthe into the glass so that the sugar cube(s) absorb some of it. Again, sticking to tradition, you then put the glass underneath an absinthe fountain (filled with ice water) and then drip the water into the glass over top of the sugar so that the sugar cube dissolves as you go.

So there's some debate as to how necessary the dripping is. Some people swear that it changes the flavor of the absinthe to have it dripped in. From what I can tell, it doesn't change the flavor at all. I like to do it anyway because it's part of the ritual and I adore that aesthetic. Pouring a little more slowly at least helps to properly dissolve and disperse the sugar cube so you don't have to stir as much. The only thing I can see that dripping is beneficial for is if you drip it and you're using a green absinthe, you can see the whole 'green fairy' thing more clearly. Even with clear absinthe, it's neat because you can watch the two clear liquids turn into a white opalescence.

What I think is more important than whether you drip or pour is the ratio of absinthe to water. The recipe I started with stated two ounces absinthe to five ounces water. What I've found through experimentation and playing around with recommendations on Wormwood Society is that this is generally way too strong a ratio. Usually you want to go somewhere between 7:1 and 5:1. I personally like 7:1 because with the clear absinthes especially, you can really taste the other herbs besides the anise better.

Lol, I had to stop midway through this post to dance to Bauhaus. I'm so pretentious.

Oh my god stupid me drank one of each type of absinthe I have back to back. I can tell you this.. I don't taste the liquor rice in the L'oridinaire. Licorice. I guess if you're plastered, you just don't taste it anymore>? It's got a slightly corn syrupy aftertaste, though. The initial flavor is less licorice and more of the fennel. It's a beautiful shade of green, though. I recommend this as a starter absinthe because that's what I'm drinking. You wanna fight me on it?

Yeah, it's called Grande Absente. It's made in France. Thanks for the tips for using the little spoon.

I should have read the label on the back of the bottle. There's a diagram on how to place the spoon and the sugar cube on the glass.

I may give the drink another try with the mixture.

Yeah, GRand Absente is made by the same company as Absentee. Supposed utter poopsock.

Okay so l"ordinaire has a little licorice I can taste. But not as bad as I remember Absente? But my dilution ratio with absenEt was teerrible.

Distracting internet. I'm supposed to be working on music! Fascists

I popped the cork and took a sniff. The Anice smell is not overpowering at all but rather pleasant.

I believe the reason why I didn't like it was because I didn't follow the directions as recommended on the back of the bottle.

I'm sure with a little dilution with water and the sugar cube it will make for a tasty experience.

I'm sure back in the 60's & 70's people put a little extra ingredient in the sugar cube.

If I recall correclty (I'm too inebrated to gOggle), I think absinthe was ill eagle in the 60's and seventies. I know it was legalized like a year or two after I first tried to get into it, but I didn't find out about it until this year. That's because the government lies. I know you're a moderator but please don't delete this post. I love you. And the government does lie.

ASlos , it may not be the licorice. It definitely doewsnt taste as sweet as other liquors. Reminds me of a friend that Made me try Chartreuse. It tastes like butt, but it's so loaded with herbs tha tit's supposedly good for you. I have to pee again.

This is ridiculous, but at least I'm not drunk texting like I usually am. Oh look, a text notification!

what is a functional alcoholic?