Absinthe is a very strong, green colored distilled liquor, made from wormwood, anise, fennel and other herbs. It’s unique because the wormwood provides some “added” effects, via a chemical called Thujone, and very cool because of the ritual of drinking it, and its “bad boy” history with Bohemian artists, writers, poets and such (The likes of Hemmingway, Van Gogh, and Crowley). To drink it properly, there are two little rituals, the French method, and the Bohemian method.
The Bohemian method is a bit different. That involves, dowsing the sugar cube in Absinthe, and setting it on fire. You then drop the cube into the Absinthe in the glass, and pour the water in till the fire goes out. This method is ideal for masking the flavors of bad Absinthes, which is probably the fair in New Zealand at least for the most part. There’s a large variety of very cool implements for this process too, that you can buy online, like Absinthe fountains, spoons, glasses, dishes and more! (Although obviously, you’d only really want this if you can good a good Absinthe, that turns cloudy etc, rather than just a woodworm liquor)
Banned in one or two local regions in New Zealand*, but legal nationally, Absinthe is still not particularly common in stores. I know in Auckland at least you can buy a pre-mix drink, and that’s nice but its not the same, because the ritual is part of what makes Absinthe cool (plus its not proper Absinthe, just a wormwood liquor)
Myself, I’ve only had some proper Czech Absinthe while I was in Australia (which went cloudy, and I enjoyed alot), and some local stuff down in the south island - but that stuff wasn’t nearly as pleasant to drink as the proper stuff, seemed to be just a wormwood liquor. (I didn't use the proper method that time)
The effect is hard to describe. Its definitely more that drunk. First you feel maybe just slightly spacey. Then as the feeling progresses, your mind starts to wander a little bit “out there”, sort of odd thinking, things feel a bit surreal visually somehow, your body slows down a bit, and co-ordination can be a little bad. Its nothing terribly more than the effect of the alcohol, and I never got any “dollhouse effect” (which is when things seem like idealized versions of themselves, like in a dollhouse), but its definately noticeable, different, one could certainly describe the feeling as a little “trippy”.
A proper Absinthe is a fun experience, especially if you sit down and do the proper ritual, with some good friends.
*Because its banned at least one local region, check your local laws if your interested in trying Absinthe.
